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

The villagers returned to their original state.

All eyes were fixed on the trembling Mizutani.

The stiff smile remained on his face.

Tears of terror streamed down his face.

Two villagers dressed in black kimonos embroidered with chrysanthemums carried in a crimson palanquin and then threw Mizutani inside.

Then, one in front and one behind, they placed it on their heads.

Mizutani struggled desperately, his shoes making a thumping sound as he kicked the palanquin.

But none of this could stop the process that followed.

The villagers at the front raised their hands high.

A black raccoon statue carved from ebony sat quietly in the palm of the hand, silently gazing at the valley.

Under his leadership, the team set off again, heading towards the place where foul air gathered halfway up the mountain.

Three identical teams emerged from other parts of the village.

With the statue of the deity leading the way, the villagers, surrounding the crimson palanquin, silently joined together.

We began our ascent along the mountain path.

Mizutani's eyes widened.

He saw his three companions, who had entered before him, from the three palanquins beside him.

The group looked at each other in silence.

Only tears silently slid down from the corners of her eyes.

My heart is filled with despair.

Two little girls with their hair tied in pigtails ran to the front of the crowd to lead the way.

One person is carrying a snow-white lantern, and the other is carrying a large red lantern.

A clear, childlike voice began to sing an ancient and difficult-to-understand nursery rhyme:

"Black butterfly wings, wild fox, the fire in the desolate village illuminates the broken body."

"The palanquin is carried to the bottom of the underworld, where decaying bones smile to welcome the living sacrifice."

"..."

The dim moonlight spilled into the mountains and forests.

The ethereal singing voice blended together with the faint music that seemed to be in mid-air.

Every villager wore a strange smile.

Only Kujo Toru, who was mixed in with them, had a cold look in his eyes, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

Volume One: Chapter Fifty-Six: The Essential Stone

In the pitch-black mountain forest.

The villagers, dressed in various styles and with different expressions, silently walked up the mountain.

Lanterns lead the way, followed by the palanquin.

It's like going on a pilgrimage.

No one noticed Kujo Toru.

Compared to the earthbound spirits around him, he seemed more like a ghost.

As long as he doesn't take the initiative, no one will be able to find him.

Ahead, a strange temple stands on the mountainside.

The moon hangs above the eaves.

The shadows cast were like monsters.

The villagers gradually crossed the gate and stopped in the open space in front of the main hall.

The temple doors were wide open, and snow-white shimenawa ropes were tied to the doorposts on both sides, separating the main hall from the outside world.

Kujo Toru could sense a powerful spiritual energy emanating from above.

Pure and sharp.

It was the work of the former Jianzhu.

Even after fifteen years, he is still much stronger than him.

It was this spiritual power that was continuously suppressing the Black Fox.

This confines it to this mortal realm, preventing it from committing evil in the real world.

Even his supernatural powers have been reduced to less than one-tenth.

If things continue like this, the Black Wildcat and its worshipping priestess may be annihilated without any action being taken.

Kujo Toru was very familiar with the Yin-Yang techniques passed down in his family.

For non-human beings, the only approach is to kill, not to save them; therefore, there are only two types of techniques:

Direct attacks, and assistance in direct attacks.

Even sealing techniques are always aimed at taking the opponent's life; they are never simply for sealing.

He sometimes wondered which god was so bloodthirsty that he would leave behind such a shrine.

Unfortunately, the seal was broken.

Without any direction, the villagers of the Earthbound Spirits spontaneously surrounded a boulder about half a person's height in front of the open space.

They then knelt down and worshipped him.

A circle of straw rope was wrapped around the middle of the boulder, obscuring its original color.

There was a large, dark brown stain at the top, which spread all the way down.

Those are traces left by blood that has been spilled on the surface over the years and then dried.

The most striking feature is the crack in the middle of the boulder, which looks as if it might break into two pieces at any moment.

The stone is about to be damaged...

Kujo Toru narrowed his eyes.

Yaoshi is a concept in Shinto.

According to legend, the earthquake was caused by a giant catfish in the earth, so Takemikazuchi and Kyoto used stones to suppress the catfish's head and tail respectively.

This stone is also known as the Essential Stone.

As the Shinto system continued to develop, the concept of "keystones" was also extracted and used extensively by various sealing sorcerers.

The key stone before us is the core of the entire seal.

When it breaks completely, that will be the time when the Black Wildcat breaks the seal.

A cold wind howled past.

Mizutani couldn't help but shiver.

But what was colder than his body was his heart.

He had no idea what so many vengeful spirits wanted to do with him.

But judging from this strange appearance, it certainly can't be a good thing.

Based on how the movie unfolded, he figured he was probably going to die.

Just like those passersby who only appear in one or two shots.

But how can this be?

He's worked so hard to get to this point, and he's about to take his life to the next level. How can he die here?!

Mizutani struggled desperately, trying to break free of the ropes binding him.

But he was just an ordinary person with no spiritual power. If he weren't in the mortal world, where even ghosts couldn't be seen, how could he break free from the ropes formed by resentment?

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the two little girls who had led the way floated onto the palanquin, their dark eyes staring straight at him.

Then, one person grabbed one end of the rope and lifted him, like a pig, to the top of the rock as he struggled.

Mizutani shook his body violently, wriggling like a caterpillar.

He really tried hard and really wanted to live.

But there seemed to be some kind of suction on the rock, and no matter how he moved, he was firmly fixed in place.

Behind him, his three companions lay on their sides inside the palanquin, watching him helplessly and waiting for what would happen next.

This is also the fate they will face.

After doing all this, the two little girls slowly walked towards the main hall.

Then, at the bottom of the steps, he raised his hands high and uttered obscure syllables.

It seems to be a nursery rhyme, or perhaps a blessing sung by a shaman during a ritual.

puff.

Both knees made close contact with the ground.

The two people crossed their hands and placed them on top of each other.

He kowtowed.

Second advancement.

The hottest days of summer.

This process is repeated seven times.

The moon seemed a little brighter.

The mountain winds grew stronger.

Mizutani trembled, his eyes reflecting the image of the main hall.

Squeak.

A soft sound.

The two wooden doors that had been closed quietly opened.

The mysterious interior of the hall was finally opened to the outside world.

There was no elaborate arrangement.

There is only one tall clay sculpture.

It is covered with sword marks and grooves, and its original appearance is no longer recognizable.

At its feet, rows and rows of ebony statues were placed.

They are all exactly the same as the black raccoon statue in Kujo Tetsu's hand.

At the same moment the palace gates were opened, wisps of black mist rose from the forest.

It blends almost seamlessly into the darkness, and is completely undetectable unless you look closely.

In Kujo Toru's view, all the black mist was foul air, condensing in mid-air and surging towards them.

Like dark clouds pressing down on the city, like a surging tide.

The shimenawa (sacred rope) at the entrance of the main hall began to emit a shimmering blue spiritual light.

The stone trembled violently, and the cracks gradually widened.

In the panicked gaze of the four-person live-streaming team, a semi-transparent, azure blue screen rose directly from the ground.

It transformed into a semi-circle, enveloping the main hall along with the surrounding air.

The black mist obscured the moon and pressed down directly onto the spiritual energy curtain of the sky.