Chapter 13 - I can have Sister Eiko give you some... benefits
"As for purifying her corruption, I might be able to manage it."
While they talked, Evan crouched down to examine Kishimojin. The deity, half-dead from being skewered, could barely move. When she saw him so close, only raw fear remained in her eyes.
Hearing Evan's remark, Sona turned to him in surprise:
"You have a way to remove Kishimojin's corruption?"
She and Tsubaki wore skeptical expressions. After all, Kishimojin was a decades-old fiasco in the Underworld, and even after Sona inherited this territory, she could do nothing but maintain a barrier to keep people out. If even the Underworld couldn't solve it, how could he?
"We can give it a try. But if I succeed, I'll expect some extra compensation."
He spoke matter-of-factly. He was happy to help, but not for free. Currently, his relationship with Sona was purely cooperative; they didn't share the same closeness he had with Rias.
"Agreed."
Sona nodded right away. They couldn't just kill Kishimojin, because all those stillborn infant spirits would have nowhere to go, potentially spawning even worse malevolent spirits. If she could be cured and return to her role, the souls of those short-lived infants would find peace.
Evan gave a slight nod and then summoned his "life flame," performing a technique meant to cleanse curses. From his perspective, the infant-vengeance corrupting Kishimojin wasn't much different from a curse or a case of "going berserk."
He gathered his ki and extended the senjutsu across Kishimojin's entire body, causing her to convulse as though being electrocuted. Sona instinctively wanted to stop him, but remembering her trust in Evan, she held back. They all watched as Kishimojin's trembling slowly subsided, and the inky black miasma around her dissipated.
"It's actually working?"
Sona's face lit with disbelief.
A short time later, the last trace of miasma peeled away, and Evan stood up with a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. He wasn't yet fully adept at senjutsu, and he'd had to invent his own curse-removal process. A stronger curse likely would have stumped him at this stage.
"You really did it…"
Tsubaki's normally cool face bristled with shock—not only at the outcome, but at the power Evan had displayed.
"That technique just now—was that senjutsu?"
Coming from a sorcery clan, Tsubaki was very attuned to Eastern-style powers like jujutsu and senjutsu. Seeing Evan finish his work, she finally asked him.
"Yes,"
Evan replied, making no effort to hide it. Humans could learn senjutsu, too, though it was much harder for them than for a yōkai or a deity.
Sona and Tsubaki found it utterly astonishing. It was already impressive for an ordinary person to master one ability. But so far, Evan had displayed demonic power, power of light, and now senjutsu. One individual, simultaneously commanding three different power systems—just where had this prodigy come from?
Compared to him, it felt as though only Sairaorg Bael among the Underworld's younger generation could stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Sona's eyes gleamed—if she could rally him to her side, it would be an incredible boon. Indeed, with that in mind, she became even more determined to deepen their bond going forward.
After a short while, Kishimojin slowly regained consciousness. Her body emitted a faint Buddhist radiance.
Then, to Evan's surprise, Kishimojin's form changed from a chubby Buddha statue into that of a slender, graceful young woman. The tattered monk's robe she had been wearing transformed into vibrant silk attire. Her long, glossy black hair was styled in a traditional updo; her lightly pink lips parted slightly, and her snow-white skin radiated a touch of noble elegance. Under the wide silk sleeves, two conspicuous bulges gave her an air of both refinement and softness.
"She can transform like that?"
Evan was inwardly astonished. The three girls beside him were just as surprised to see what had been a pot-bellied Buddha now become a woman. Going from a male form to a female form in an instant was hard to accept.
Upon awakening, Kishimojin opened her eyes and slowly rose to her feet. Her gaze lingered briefly on Sona Sitri, then finally settled on Evan.
"I thank you, benefactor, for helping me break free from the corruption of resentful souls. It's a pity those poor infants couldn't achieve their rightful reincarnation."
A tinge of sorrow crossed the woman's features. As a protector of children ("Aizibo"), she'd occasionally regained clarity over these past decades—though only for fleeting moments—enough to feel how the infant spirits' hatred grew over time.
She stared at Evan, and he realized that if he didn't speak up, she might just keep silently gazing at him forever.
"It's not your fault. You're just a minor deity,"
Evan said.
In fact, there isn't only one Kishimojin. This role is more like an office or station—any being meeting certain conditions can hold it, much like a tutelary spirit of the land or mountains. The Kishimojin of the Sitri domain simply didn't have enough divine power to ward off all those vengeful infant souls.
"Even so, I failed in my duties. Benefactor, you're more suited to this role than I. If you would accept…"
Evan knew exactly where she was going, so he cut her off.
"I'll leave that position to you. Instead of trying to foist it on me, why don't you think of how to repay me? If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
He was far too busy to take on a deific job like that.
Hearing him, Kishimojin sighed softly:
"So be it; I won't insist."
She reached into her sleeve and produced a small Flag:
"I have little divine power and no real treasures to speak of—only this small flag that I can offer you."
Evan took the flag, turning it over in his hands. It resembled a religious banner, covered in intricate patterns that leaked wisps of faint mist.
"This flag was once lodged within a malevolent infant spirit. After I guided that spirit on, the banner remained behind."
"Flag?"
"…Yes. It carries traces of divine energy, though its origins are unclear."
"Interesting. Some relics in the 'Asian server' carry similar vibes."
"..."
Kishimojin wasn't sure what "asian server" referred to. Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra, on the other hand, grasped the joke and couldn't help snickering softly.
"In any case, benefactor, I don't fully know what powers this flag possesses. But I suspect you'll make far better use of it than I."
Having spoken, Kishimojin's figure wavered as though becoming less substantial.
"My divine power is weak and my foundation unstable… I need to rest. Benefactor, is there anything else you require?"
"Got any more treasures?"
Evan asked.
"…No."
"Then I'll be going."
"Hold on," Sona interjected. "Lady Aizibo, I am Sona Sitri, heir to the Sitri clan of the Underworld. I'm the ruler of this city. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to contact me."
"So you're the successor of the Sitri clan... if you want to help, then please do a better job overseeing affairs in the human world. Compared to a hundred years ago, even more infant souls have nowhere to go now."
Kishimojin heaved a slight sigh.
"I'll do what I can,"
Sona replied.
"Wait—Kishimojin!"
All at once, Yayoi Hozuki—who had been quiet—spoke up. Kishimojin tilted her head slightly, spotting the little girl and giving a kind smile.
"I'm really sorry about before."
"It's fine. But, child, why did you call me?"
"I wanted to ask if you could lift the curse on my sister's arm."
Yayoi Hozuki blurted out. Kishimojin shook her head:
"Were it in the past, perhaps I could have helped. But now, I need at least several years to recover. If you can wait, come again in five years."
"That's too long. Five years is out of the question."
The young girl's face hardened.
"Then perhaps rely on our benefactor. He may have a way."
After saying this, Kishimojin dissolved into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared into her statue.
Evan felt rather put on the spot—Kishimojin just went and dropped this problem on him.
Sure enough, as soon as Kishimojin vanished, Yayoi Hozuki turned toward Evan, her gaze filled with hopeful expectation.
"Big brother, can you help me?"
She would have looked even cuter if she showed a bit more emotion on her face.
"I can, but not for free."
Evan already knew what kind of curse afflicted Eiko Hozuki. However difficult it might be, it shouldn't be more troublesome than cleansing Kishimojin's grudge had been.
Upon hearing this, Yayoi Hozuki nodded.
"Understood. If you succeed, I can have Sister Eiko give you some... benefits."
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