On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

It’s certainly been a while since I’ve gained any Levels. As the fires died down around us, the fitfully burning corpses, if we could even call them that… no, I suppose they were already corpses but are still corpses now. Literally. …were shedding light over the dreadful state of Sekka’s domain. The main hall, which had seen damage before we arrived, yet had still seemed otherworldly and beautiful, was now a total wreck, the remaining pillars mostly cast down, ice having melted, revealing bare, sludge-covered stone, acrid smoke rising.

In addition, the hidden passageway to the silent, icy tomb of Su Caihong and Su Liena had been torn open and left as a honeycombed mess, dust element effortlessly eating into the walls, and worse, a new tunnel had been bored through solid rock and ice by the serpentine Kamuy that Mae had beheaded and I had subsequently roasted. All in all, the once-pristine lair of ice was now far from a pretty sight.

And speaking of such sights… Shaeula had watched with glee as I engulfed the remaining enemies with Foehn, burning them to char and ashes. Even now, she was carefully protecting herself from getting soiled by the debris with a little wind element, elegantly applied around her. She’d suffered no injuries, but the same couldn’t be said of Red and Blue. They had fought hard and recklessly, and while their tough bodies and great strength prevented any major wounds, the constant exposure to the mutated dust element had caused them to start rotting, and the stench was… impressive.

Seeing me looking, Red laughed heartily, before pounding his chest with one fist. Towards the end of the brawl, the icy cudgel Sekka made for him had shattered, and like Blue he was using fists, feet and horns to decimate the foes. That had led to his crimson skin turning a necrotic black in many places. “Impressed by my might, are you? I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want you to think my poor dumb dead bro you killed was even close to my level. Runt of the litter, he was. Surely adopted, poor, stupid bastard.”

“Don’t be putting on airs, ya big fool.” Blue snorted. Her azure skin was also starting to corrode, though other than one nasty gash from the claws of an undead bear, she was sporting far fewer tainted wounds, perhaps as she was less daring than Red. “When it comes to devastation, even the little weasel was on our level, ya know?”

She nodded at Shaeula respectfully, getting a grin in return.

“This stuff itches abominably.” Blue scratched at her darkening flesh with her sharp fingernails, peeling away chunks of meat, hissing breath leaking between her fang-like teeth. “Ya think ya can do something about it, Sekka? Maybe cool us down?”

“Let me.” I sighed, after one glance back at the unconscious Cultivators. Mae had gone over to them, and gently lifted the pair up, showing a surprising tenderness. With them in hand, and me unable to do anything more immediately, I turned my attention to our wounded Oni.

“It’s going to have to come out.” I quickly decided, and giving the pair of them no room to protest, I excised the tainted flesh, before using Ether Healing to regrow lost tissue. I paid a bit more attention with Blue, as even as a massive Oni, she was still a woman, so I didn’t want her to scar, but she seemed rather oblivious to such concerns anyway.

“That itches too, but don’t ya think it’s a good feeling, Red?” Blue commented, scratching at the new flesh idly. “Like taking a first swig of the ceremonial sake before anyone else gets a bowl.”

Red merely snorted at that, cricking his neck to work out the aches and pains. “I don’t care. I’m just here for a good brawl. That was just a little warm-up, yeah?” He then glanced at Sekka, a sly, knowing smile on his brutish face. “So confess, Sekka. This isn’t normal, is it? There’s no way you don’t know what’s going on here.”

Sekka paused, eyeing him with some disquiet, before letting out a sigh, her breath streaming out like a cloud of pale frost. “This is not the time for such matters. For now…” She turned back to the comatose Cultivators. “…how are they?”

Mae shook her head. She had a little experience with various forms of etheric healing, if not the Skill itself, enough to probe and perceive various ailments, and therefore she could tell there were still a huge amount of problems preventing the two from waking. “They breathe. And the terrible injuries to their flesh from the long exposure to the frozen coffins, and the withering due to insufficient energies… those have been rectified, yet…”

“Yet there’s been far too much damage, for various reasons.” I finished for her, striding back. I was in a bad mood, the situation troubling me, but due to my Resilience and the satisfaction of defeating the final wave of undead intruders, I had calmed down a little. Glancing at the centipede, which was motionless, Hyacinth milking its venom, I shuddered at the rampant growth of mushrooms spawning from its flesh, armoured, chitinous black scales cracking and popping. “This creature among those reasons. Its venom… truly is cruel, but in an odd way, may have contributed a little to their survival.”

“Zixin’s Chained Phoenix Sect is exactly as you would imagine by the name.” Mae’s scowl was brutal, and gazing down at the pallid, pain-filled faces of those she had fought to protect, her anger was churning like the fury of my Foehn. “They enslave Spiritual Beasts and use them as slaves, fodder, ingredients for Refining, objects of pleasure, and even worse things…” Her lips curled into a bitter grimace. “I have done many things in my time considered cruel, yet… they do not merely seek power, though power is the sweetest elixir to them, no, they seek dominance through subjugation, and being able to indulge in pleasures others would find abhorrent is a mark of respect, a way of showing that neither the Heavens, not the Earth, can gainsay them.”

Yes, I only have my limited knowledge from Mae’s Tribulation, and the sorry state of Su Caihong and her daughter, but… Zixin and his followers seem to be the sort of scum I utterly despise. Just a Sect of many Kondou Kazuo, with far more power and influence.

As if reading my mind, Mae, still watching her fallen friends sadly, continued her bitter lament. “Caihong’er told me once that there are some hidden Arts, adjuncts to Taming, which can affect other Cultivators, or ordinary mortals. Though of course, Saints such as Caihong’er, or even Nascent Spirit or Golden Core Cultivators, are surely too mentally strong to break under such Techniques. Otherwise, instead of such callous brutality…”

“I get the idea.” I nodded, my expression cold. “I’m not foolish enough to say the fate they received was better than what might have been, but… I’m glad they never ended up like that.” Beside me, Daiyu was troubled, perhaps thinking about her own fate, were she still in Kunlun with her Sect.

“Anyway…” I changed the subject. “Hyacinth, this centipede… isn’t dead, is it?”

“Nooot truly. Though it has nooo true consciousness nor will left. My Devouring Myrcolaxriaths saw tooo that. They are still not as… perfect… as I wooould wish. Hyacinth still finds it challenging tooo understand the nature of Biology and Mycology. But I shall learn. I want tooo be more useful to you, Akio. But for now… eventually the insect will die…”

Actually, I don’t think that a centipede is an insect, it’s an arthropod, isn’t it? Not that it matters…

“…so I must extract as much use frooom it as possible before then.” Hyacinth finished, and Shaeula patted her shoulder reassuringly.

“Indeed. You have done great-great work, Hyacinth. I am impressed. Venom to keep a dying victim alive seems-seems a worthy avenue for research. I daresay Ixitt will be-be overjoyed to have a new toy. The poison that prevents wounds from healing could be a great-great weapon too. It may not-not be… pleasant… but such-such a weapon could be a trump card, if it can be reproduced, and even-even strengthened.”

Hyacinth agreed, and Hana stepped up beside me, tails brushing my legs, as she grinned. “She is definitely Urakaze’s daughter. Ruthless and cold to her enemies, but… surprisingly warm to those she cherishes. Fascinating. Now then…” She addressed Mae. “…grandmother, what next? This place is not safe.”

Sekka was the one grimacing now, but she didn’t argue. Mae let out a long sigh, before meeting my gaze. “What say you? You are the one who has prevented their death. Can they be brought to consciousness?”

“Not yet.” I shook my head. “It’s far too delicate a task. I did a rush job, not only because they were clearly going to die as soon as they were removed from the coffins and Formation, but because of the centipede parasitising them. Oh, speaking of…” I glanced at Hyacinth. “This may be a long shot, but can you unravel any details about how Zixin Tamed it? Or extract any information on Zixin through such a link? Daiyu, any ideas?”

Daiyu shrugged, a slight movement of her shoulders. “I have no experience and little knowledge of Taming, but I shall of course assist where I can. Before that… this Formation, it seems too valuable to simply leave here. Even damaged and without Spirit Stones, it is a work of art.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, we’re taking it. Mae paid for it with blood and pain.” I carefully sent earth element into the ground, fracturing rock and ice, until the whole section could lift free. It was too unwieldy to transport, especially due to the potential for being attacked again, but I had another idea. “…anyway, back to Su Caihong and Su Liena… I’m more concerned about how to undo the Technique which renders them without a Material body. It seems to have gone wrong, over their long slumber.”

“I believe it is an artefact of the Formation not being designed for such a long duration.” Daiyu mused. “The spatial distortions have become irregular, causing strange warping of the flows of Earthly Qi. It would be a fascinating area for study, in better times. For now, though…”

“Yes, I have a backup plan. Anyway, we’ve converted some of the third mansion to a purpose-built medical facility, Suzu doesn’t mind, she’s happy enough with her own space. There, we can stabilise them and have specialists in brain injuries look at them. Yes, I’ll have to see what I can do about their ruined Chakra networks, but getting them awake and conscious is the first priority. I daresay losing their abilities would be a dreadful blow to them, but… they have to be alive to have any hope of recovery, and even as ordinary women there’s happiness to be had, isn’t there?”

Mae nodded solemnly at that. “Cultivation was everything to Caihong’er. Liena… she was a hard worker too, eager to follow in her mother’s footsteps. They would be devastated to have their foundation crushed, the path ahead cut off, but… to live and take vengeance, to see Zixin, his wretched minions, and those of Kunlun who allowed it, to suffer as they did and worse…. Perhaps that shall be enough.”

“Oh, I’m no bleeding heart. I dislike killing, I’ll always look for another way, but… some people need removing from the world, as all they bring to it is misery.” Like Kondou Kazuo. Even when cornered, when the wiser course was to retreat, he instead kept trying to hurt Haru, purely because he could. Zixin… it seems he might well be the same sort of monster.

In the Material, I’d sent a message and had an affirmative response, and now I was just waiting. Within Sekka’s destroyed Territory, I continued my speech. “Hatred and revenge might warm their frozen hearts, but… affection and companionship will soothe the burned, scarred flesh afterwards. And you can give that, can’t you, Mae? It’ll be terrifying, adapting to a new world, especially if we can’t restore their Cultivation. But you can ease them in gently, show them what it means to live happily.”

“Grandmother is merely a novice herself…” Hana chuckled, only to fall silent as Mae glared at her.

“I am Tamamo-no-Mae. I travelled the known world and was everything from slave to Empress. Of course I have adapted effortlessly to the now. There is much to admire.”

Their argument was cut short as a slash in space, vivid purple light scattering from it, appeared in the main hall. It resolved into Arisu-san’s Door, and soon she stepped out, accompanied by Ling. On seeing the wreckage, Arisu-san raised one eyebrow, as she stalked through the ruined corridor, lifting the hems of her black dress so as to avoid the muck and flickering remnants of Foehn, Ling following behind her nervously, glancing at the huge, intimidating Oni.

“I have brought her.” Arisu-san offered cooly, gesturing for Ling to come forward. “Though you are interrupting my rest. I trust it was urgent. Oh, those are them, then?” She looked down at the two Cultivators. “Their external injuries seem minor, but…” She licked her lips, a gesture that was entirely practical, but due to her charisma came across as oddly seductive. “I taste the tang of spatial disruption. It makes sense, I suppose, considering the circumstances.”

“Speaking of…” I pointed to the Formation. “Can you store this in your Room for now? I think we’ll certainly want to study it later. It can only help your understanding of space and time, and if we can get it working again properly, who knows what benefits it’ll bring?”

“Hyperbolic Time Chamber? No, that-that would require time to flow faster…” Shaeula piped up cheekily, surprising me. “Still, would not-not that be easier than slowing time? Or at least it seems that way to me-me.” Dragonball, huh? She’s been branching out…

“You would be mistaken.” Arisu-san shook her head, though at the sparkle in her dark eyes, I could tell she was enjoying flexing her knowledge about her hobbies. Even as she lectured Shaeula, and by extension us, she moved her Room, swallowing up the Formation into it, purple sparks flaring into nothing like dimming fireflies. “To slow time within an area, under the laws of Physics, it would have to move at a speed approaching that of light. The energy cost is impractical, certainly, but… such concerns can be sidestepped using spatial element. I believe this must be how the Formation works, compressing and stretching space rapidly within the array, to simulate such an effect. Thus what is within the circle would feel far less passing of time than what is outside.”

I nodded, understanding that, but her next words surprised me. “You would then think the opposite is simple. Simply go slower. But you cannot go at negative speed, so it is impractical.”

“I understand that.” I was suddenly curious. Ling was inspecting Su Caihong and her daughter, her face twitching, gnawing at her lip as if troubled, and I stopped to ask what the problem was.

“I can’t simply send them out of this dream. Even Zhōu Gōng’s power has limits. But… I have grown.” Ling was still a diffident, rather bitter woman, but the time she’d spent in Japan had mellowed her a little, and she’d put in some effort in her training, as well as been worked hard to satisfy our needs in swapping personnel between the Boundary and the Material. “If you give me time to unravel the mess of this twisted ability, I’ll get it done.”

I nodded appraisingly, letting her work, and voiced my question to Arisu-san. “In that case, why does time run faster in the Boundary, and increasingly faster as we enter the Astral and go higher. And it varies too…”

“Of course I have wondered that. In my spare time, of which thanks to your efforts is sadly limited…” Her tone was cold, but I was used to her now and knew she wasn’t truly displeased. I guess she likes being relied on and valued for her knowledge and skills, not just her acting or appearance? “…I have begun positing some hypothesis. Perhaps a Nobel Prize in Physics, or Metaphysics, even…” She let out a resonant chuckle, pleased at her humour. “…is in my future, when I publish? That would be a delightful counter to my worthless critics. Anyway, I digress. It could be as simple as concepts such as negative speed or negative mass, which simply cannot exist in reality, being possible in this realm of thought and will. If so, then travelling faster would have the opposite effect. I think that unlikely, sadly. No matter how unexplainable the powers shown, they all obey a few very simple rules. The universe must make sense. Time can be slowed, perhaps even halted, but not turned backwards. Likewise, movement is in three directions, reality is comprehensible…”

As we listened raptly, she offered more suggestions. “A spatial vector field is my most plausible guess. We saw what lies in the gap between my Room and this reality. It is rather like String Theory, I suppose. A membrane containing great spatial element, or significant mass, comes close to, or even touches our world. Thus varying the rate of time due to the forces involved. Or I suppose that large, massive objects lurk in the Astral, though if that was the case, we would have to be closer to them here on the Material, for our time to seem slower to others further away, which seems… oddly backwards. I suppose I have insufficient information. Still, to answer about a Formation that makes time run quicker within than without, to allow further foolish training… it would not be trivial, but… perhaps not impossible.”

“I would-would very much like that!” Shaeula grinned. “I do-do understand that mortals, especially females, would not-not wish to age themselves prematurely, just for a few-few extra months or years of hard training, but… for us-us, who can endure the long centuries, it would be a most-most worthy boon!”

“Cultivators often go into long retreats when they wish to grow stronger.” Mae agreed. “The most limited resource of all is time.”

“Then when I am not so busy, being exploited as a taxi service…” Arisu-san got that dig in. “…I will study it. It is relevant to my interests and my future scientific papers, so I suppose it is no great hardship.”

“Did ya understand much of that, Red?” Blue asked, scratching her cheek. “It was all nonsense to me.”

“No, but what does it matter? Weaklings could train a thousand years and still never match the strong!” He showed off his muscles, only for Mae to swat him with a gentle, yet still forceful enough to stagger him, gust of wind element.

“Silence, you incorrigible oaf. Those who are not muscle-headed brutes are talking. Besides… strength of will is a strength that grows. Strength of the body has limits.”

“Enough arguing.” I warned, keeping my Eyes on Ling. She was now using her ability, silvery sweat dripping down her face and freezing, leaving icy trails as she shivered. Feeling sorry for her, I pulled out a coat from storage, draping it over her, and she nodded in gratitude, drawing it around her, but her attention never faded from the two before her.

“Yes, it’s not dissimilar to what I can do at all. Though mediated by a different force…” Ling muttered to herself, eyes darting to-and-fro. “…I think, here…” She thought for a minute, as we watched on, until she suddenly clenched one fist. “…yes, the dream is ended. Return to your world, you are no longer a drifting pair of butterflies!”

With a surge of aether pouring from Ling, the two vanished, and back on the Material, they reappeared within the icy mountain. Fortunately, I’d been waiting in the same position, after following a fissure into the mountain, reaching a spacious cavern, looking after the Material bodies of the others, keeping them warm and well-wrapped up, and so it was trivial to use a little of my remaining spatial element to leap outside, where a helicopter was waiting, with trained medical staff on hand.

“Oshiro-sama…” the paramedic shouted over the noise of the rotors, snow blowing up in the wind. From this mountain glacier we had a fairly magnificent view of Hokkaido, the seas in the far distance a faint green, blending into the blue-grey skies.  “…are they the patients?” She glanced at the two women I had brought. Behind her, an elite team of female nurses and doctors had the best medical machinery ready to go.

“Yes. They’re still weak, though I’ve managed to bypass most of the fatal issues that such a long slumber should have caused such as wasted muscles, blood clots and infections.” Only because I basically regrew most of their bodies from scratch. Still, it’s the end result that matters…

“Our monitors and scanners should identify any problems.” the paramedic promised, as her assistants came down to help her load them onto stretchers, but I shook my head, taking care of that myself, carrying them in my arms into the medivac helicopter.  Placing them down on the provided beds, the highly trained and very loyal female staff (who had been sourced from the JSDF medical corps, on recommendation of Katsuro-san) sprung into action, hooking up drips, and placing electrodes. Soon, the soft beeping of equipment was ringing out, though it was hard to hear due to the noise of the helicopter, as it prepared to take off.

“They have an extremely robust constitution…” I promised the staff here. “…so even if they don’t wake up, it’ll take a lot of time for them to start suffering further damage to muscles from lack of use. Even if they do, that’s fixable. Monitor brain function as much as possible…” I quickly explained, and soon they were flying away, the downdraft from the helicopter spraying me with snow and other debris.

“Is it done?” Mae asked me back in the Boundary, and I nodded.

“Yeah, they’re on their way back to our estate and the dedicated ward set up there. If there’s any problems at all we’ll ne notified immediately. I know you’re eager for me to get to work on them, but… being hasty is reckless.” I glanced over at Arisu-san, before asking for yet another favour. “Can you send Tsukiko over too? She’ll be a bit disappointed to miss a couple of the last shrines of the Pilgrimage, but her Kami-Blessed Class is surely either maxed out, or will in the remaining days, as the Kami had shown her a great deal of respect and given their blessings, even before all this started. Besides, I think we might need her…”

“Very well. Is there anything else, or can I get back to being a convenient taxi to make your insane scheduling work?” Her sarcasm amused me, so I couldn’t resist.

“Actually, there is something else. Now we’ve completed the Pilgrimage for today, there’s no need for anyone but Tsukiko’s Material body to be here. Can you return to the Material and grab the others for me?”

“So not just a taxi, but a transporter of unconscious women…” Arisu-san snarked. “…you have a great deal of faith that he is not playing with your sleeping forms, even now.” she grumbled to Shaeula and the others.

“I know you do not-not mean that.” Shaeula chortled, amused by the prospect. “Though I do think Shiro might quite-quite relish such a play. She has… appetites.”

“Enough banter. Mae can easily swap between both worlds, so with her help, we can also check out the Material.” I laid out my concerns. “Assuming you don’t want to go and keep watch over Su Caihong and her daughter, that is.”

At my suggestion, Mae shook her head. “There is nothing I can do for them now. And I am aware you shall make sure they remain safe until the time is right to wake them. Instead, I shall do what I can, what I am best at.” She waved her tails as she cracked her knuckles audibly. “If there are troubles ahead, it so happens I am in the mood for violence.”

I let out a tired chuckle at that, before thanking Mae for her faith in me. I then went back to talking about the current situation. “This isn’t something we can leave unchecked, is it? I wanted to investigate the area in Tsukuyomi’s vision anyway, but… I wouldn’t be surprised if everything is connected somehow.”

“More fighting, then?” Red snorted. “Looks like the fun isn’t over yet!”

“Firstly, Sekka…” I had picked up on her reaction, when Red had questioned her earlier, and so had everyone else. As Arisu-san took back Ling, the Formation, and a few minutes later, the Material bodies I had been burdened with, bringing Tsukiko to us, I began to demand some answers. You’ve investigated, at least a little. You have some ideas, I know it…

***

“…there is nothing sinister or some grand conspiracy.” Sekka insisted, as we settled down to listen. Tsukiko had joined us and was listening quietly as we talked of the Kamuy, which must have been a little uncomfortable for her, considering the war, or perhaps one could even call it genocide, between the two factions, the Kamuy and the Kami, one of which she had great faith in.

“It is simply… we Yuki-onna are… less overtly hostile to humans than many Yōkai, such as those of the Night Parade.”

“Speak of it how it is.” Mae sniffed mockingly. “You snow women are all born female, so you eat males of other species, humans are your preference. Eat in both senses of the word.”

Sekka’s blue-tinged face darkened, and she shook her head, clearly offended. “Your insults are as crass as ever. I am not such a woman, unlike you, Tamamo-no-Mae. You stand lewd and proud atop Mount Asahi, while my lusts are but level ground. Do not throw down stones at me from your lofty perch of licentiousness!”

Mae wasn’t the only one to chuckle at that, her granddaughter and the Oni did too. Then Mae curled her lips into a sly smile, shaking her head. “I shall have you know it has been more than a thousand years since I have tasted either man or woman. Perhaps I need to find a smaller mountain to stand on, perhaps a tiny hill, a hira-yama.”

Sekka blinked, surprised at Mae’s counter. “Your temper is… much improved, it seems.”

“Perhaps it is the chill here, cooling me down.” Mae shrugged. “Though my anger burns hot, and my need to punish the fools that dared try and interrupt our rescue of Caihong’er and Liena, not the dead corpses of Kamuy long gone to dust, but those behind them, pulling the chains of this scheme, is like magma below the ice. So speak. My patience is as limited, as you no doubt remember.”

“True. You could scheme for years if it was amusing to you, but when you wanted something, you seldom were able to hold back.” Sekka reminisced. “Well then, it is not entirely wrong, what Tamamo-no-Mae speaks of. I am above such base desires, but many of my fellow Yuki-onna have long associated with humans. The mountains here, even when the ether declined and the world separated fully, were a point of… weakness, perhaps. For long centuries afterwards, humans could become lost, and find their way to us. Though even that became impossible many years ago… up until recently.”

“I see. It’s like stories of Faerie mounds and circles of stones, which transport a careless or curious human to the Fae realms, or… Ryūgū-jō, the Dragon Palace, where Urashima Tarō entered and was gone from the Earth for a hundred years.” At my words, Daiyu also agreed.

“There are similar myths in China, and such spots were sought after by Cultivators and have been documented, though over time they rapidly declined, many that did exist vanishing, never to be seen again. They did, if one can believe the histories of our Sect, allow access to the Spirit Realm, what we now call the Astral.”

“It seems the Boundary is more flexible and less perfect than we imagined.” I agreed, and Shaeula was next to speak.

“Of course-course it is. Else how could I have reached your land from the Seelie Court? Or how could Ortlinde have descended to see-see you without causing irreparable damage? It seems to me that it is perhaps more-more like a very fine-fine mesh, with some areas more… frayed… than-than others. Yet over time such-such imperfections repaired themselves, and all-all was peaceful… until it began to slowly disintegrate.”

I nodded. “And it’s quite possible to punch holes in that fabric, like using Saionji Gin-san’s Gaze Of Avalokiteśvara, or rip it wholesale with too much power, or if the ether density here gets too great…” I considered it. “In a way, it’s sort of like a cocoon for a caterpillar. It’s a boundary of a sort, blocking out most things, but not… everything. It still lets a little oxygen, in this case ether, I guess, through. And a tear would be disastrous…”

“In that case…” Tsukiko, who had been listening, trying to catch up on everything that had happened, asked, her expression troubled. “…just what is within the cocoon, and what spun it, and why?”

We fell silent at that question. Curious, I asked Rose if she knew the answer, and her response was hesitant.

No, though likely Proud Sigrún could answer, though I am not foolish enough to ask. We already must lie low to escape her punishments. Likely she would not answer, regardless of my curiosity. When asked, all Astral Emperors act the same way, and fall silent. Regret, anger, sorrow… each has a different emotion, but all are equally reserved.

I see. That in itself is a useful hint, I guess. “We’ll put that aside for now. Sekka, you’re saying that recently humans returned, right? A bit over a year or so ago, in human terms, I’d imagine?” Hard to be exact with the varying flows of time caused by the deepening tides, and the slowing ebbs.

“Yes. That did happen. The other snow women were overjoyed. More than a score of humans arrived in the area. There were… conflicts, of course. But we are very beautiful and can be greatly hospitable.”

“It is true.” Hana affirmed. “The Yuki-onna are renowned for their love of music and the arts. Though it has been long since I have heard one play the shamisen or the koto. I expect that some foolish mortals died rather pleasurable deaths?”

“Some few. And indeed, some of the mountains here are no longer under our control. There was some… unpleasantness. Despite that, those who challenged me… they did not survive. A balance was reached rather quickly.”

“I know Hokkaido is very sparsely populated…” I remembered my old geography lessons at school. “…sixty or seventy people per square kilometre, and that’s just an average, it’s far lower away from the cities here. That’s about a fifth of Japan’s average, and compared to Tokyo, which varies from nearly three thousand on the outskirts, to more than eight thousand in central Tokyo… it’s practically deserted. With a population of around five million, there’s probably just fifty to sixty Chosen spread across the whole island. That’s both a great blessing for them, and a curse.”

“Indeed.” Shaeula agreed. “Much-much room to expand, many-many resources to control. But also great-great danger. If you were from here, Akio, then you surely would-would have died, although…” She winked at Sekka. “…perhaps you would not-not have objected to dying in the arms of a beautiful Yōkai, and then be devoured.”

“I’ll give it a miss. You’re plenty beautiful enough, Shaeula.” I chuckled, before of course praising Daiyu, Hyacinth and Tsukiko too. Got to be fair, that’s the path of a harem man I chose to walk…

“Anyway, we’ve been over most of the populated areas, and… not seen a single Territory. Doesn’t that strike anyone as odd? I didn’t think about it until now, as I knew Hokkaido wasn’t full of people…”

“There were those here, but… I suspect they fell afoul of the undead creatures before I was assailed.” Sekka suggested. “One by one they vanished. Perhaps not dead, simply… fled?”

“There’s a few possibilities then.” I counted them off on my fingers. “Firstly, the Chosen were victims of an attack by these undead Kamuy, just like the Yōkai were. Why the shrines are still unmolested is a mystery, but… without further clues we can only speculate. Secondly…” I had a bad feeling. It wasn’t my Foresight, though that was also prickling a warning, I just felt something was off, somehow, something slightly familiar I couldn’t quite place. “…it could be a Chosen manipulating matters here, wiping out their rivals. If so, it’ll be a very dangerous one. Thirdly, perhaps the Church of True Revelation is trying something sneaky? They had their Martyred Dead… though I doubt they’d stoop to using profane false Deities, though it can’t be ruled out… and lastly, it might simply be the Kamuy themselves. Just as Atago-un-kamuy’s corpse was animated with life under Mount Atago… perhaps these too have the same ability…”

“Whatever the reason, it seems unwise to leave it alone.” Daiyu’s own keen sense of trouble was warning her. “We planned to investigate regardless, but now we should be thorough.”

“I agree.” I turned to Sekka. “Are you planning to rebuild here?”

“Of course. This is my home, and I shall not be ousted from it. Yet if the escalation continues…”

“How about a proposal? We’ll help you fortify the area, but in exchange, we want access to the rich ice element here. The Formation isn’t using it anymore. Hyacinth…” I glanced over at her, and only my Resilience prevented my face from blanching, as the damn centipede was crawling up one of her arms sinuously, one head on her shoulder, eyes vacant. “…can we find a place for a Ring Gate? I’ll send out a request for someone willing to drop an Anchor.”

Hyacinth nodded. “The mushrooooooms do not like the cold much, but they can adapt.”

“Great. Sekka, where there’s ice there’s water, right? A lot of these mountains see snow all year round, which never melts. And there’s plenty of geothermal underground lakes…”

Sekka frowned, seemingly suspicious, and then jumped as Mae reached out a hand, patting her shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Commiserating. Best leave it be, Sekka.” Mae grinned toothily, clearly enjoying the discomfort of her long-time acquaintance. “When it comes to decisiveness, there is no point in arguing. Be thankful. Your aid to me, by helping preserve Caihong’er and Liena, has earned you his gratitude. Though if I am quite candid…” Her expression shifted, fangs glinting under Sekka’s glimmering icy light. “…it certainly helps that you are a beautiful woman in distress.”

More laughter at my expense echoed, and Hana agreed. “Yes, it is enough to make you jealous, is it not, grandmother? But it plays to our advantage here nonetheless.”

“Our?” I shot back, to further laughter, and then I set aside the banter. “Enough joking. The plan hasn’t changed. We’ll investigate the coast where Sekka found that whale corpse, as well as the locations relevant to Mount Rishiri and Rebun island. We’ll need to be swift, as the Pilgrimage will be headed south tomorrow. So let’s wrap this up. Good job we rushed through today’s schedule…”

As everyone agreed, even the hesitant Sekka, the pair of Oni particularly cheered by the thought of the likely battles we were probably going to face during our explorations, Tsukiko and I rapidly compared notes on our thoughts. Let’s get this done. Something’s off here, and while we certainly could leave it alone, since we’ll be done here by tonight, I don’t want to let a problem fester…

My thoughts turned to Su Caihong and her daughter, and as the group formed up, ready to head out, I cast a glance at Mae. She merely shrugged, ears flickering at my gaze, and from the confidence in her eyes, I could tell she wasn’t worried. The weight of her faith is rather too heavy, or is it that she’s just grateful for the miracle that was their survival up to this point? Anyway… the worst is over. Immediate death has been postponed, and even if it takes me years, honing my Skills further… it’s only a blink of an eye to Mae…