Another stretch of unguarded Sacred Sakura roots had been torn open by the claws of the Rift Hounds. Even though the creatures had been dealt with, the wounds they left would not heal so easily.
"The Sacred Sakura is weeping. Fortunately, for it, these are only superficial injuries." Hanachirusato gently brushed her fingers over the torn roots, as though communicating with the tree itself. "Once the situation settles down, these roots will need careful tending."
Victor Wang wasn't sure whether the Sacred Sakura responded, but its leaking sap began to glow, gathering into the translucent figure of a Shogunate soldier.
The moment the soldier regained consciousness, he grew tense, clutching his spear across his chest and scanning the area warily. "Priestess? The Shogun is missing, and Lady Saiguu as well! You there—do you know where your Guuji has gone?"
"She—"
"Never mind! Ordinary shrine maidens aren't suited for battle. Leave this place at once! I don't know how much longer we can hold out… Go! Head inland—it's safer there!"
"Calm down, it's daylight now. Everything's fine."
"Huh? But those monsters were here just a moment ago! There were so many of them, they wouldn't vanish so easily!"
Perhaps none of those present seemed convincing enough, for the glowing phantom soldier ignored them entirely, brandished his spear, and rushed off.
Shaking her head helplessly, Hanachirusato explained to Victor Wang, "The Sacred Sakura can absorb and purify the filth within the ley lines. When attacked by Rift Hounds, that corruption leaks through its roots. The filth may then take physical form—strong corruption becomes wrathful spirits with low intelligence and high aggression, while purified corruption manifests as memories."
"That soldier is just like me; a remnant memory tied to this land. Judging by his words, he must have perished during the black calamity five hundred years ago…" She placed a hand on her chest. "Thankfully, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual was performed not long ago. Most of the corruption now is harmless. Otherwise, if the filth and the monsters had overlapped, things would've been far worse."
Victor Wang said nothing. The moment he had seen the soldier, he'd felt a strange premonition—and sure enough, before Hanachirusato finished speaking, it came true.
The soldier came running back, exclaiming, "Why haven't you left yet? Hurry! There are still monsters outside—it's dangerous here!"
And then he ran off again.
"The purified filth can't linger for long," Hanachirusato continued, still unaware of the oddity. "During that brief time, they remain bound by the attachments of their former lives. If Ei were here, perhaps they wouldn't still be worrying even after death…"
The soldier came running back again. "You again? I have to go fight the monsters—!"
This time, Victor Wang called out, "Alright, alright, we'll fight side by side then."
"Fight side by side?" The soldier eyed Victor—unarmored, without even a Vision—and then looked at the frail Hanachirusato. He refused sternly, "No! You should stay hidden! There are monsters out there!"
And off he went once more.
Victor Wang didn't bother arguing further. As he and Hanachirusato continued toward the ruins of the Araumi coast, the soldier—whether by choice or by some unseen force—ended up following them anyway, muttering, "This… this is truly ghostly…"
"Pfft…" In a sense, it really was. Hanachirusato couldn't help but laugh softly. Remembering how she had once circled helplessly around Victor Wang, she understood the soldier's situation all too well. "If you really want to get away from us, you just need to stay still."
"How can I stay still when there are monsters to kill?!"
Victor Wang advised, "Around me, the faster you run, the quicker you'll return. The harder you try to leave, the less you can. So… the faster you go, the slower you'll be."
The soldier, unwilling to believe him, broke into a sprint—and successfully set a new record for the shortest round trip.
"Just give up," Victor said with a sigh. "A few more helping hands wouldn't hurt anyway."
By the time Victor Wang and Hanachirusato regrouped with the adventurers near Araumi, those "helping hands" numbered over a hundred glowing figures.
"I thought you said the purified filth would fade quickly?" Victor asked.
Hanachirusato replied weakly, "In theory, yes… but if their lingering attachment is strong enough, it may slow the process."
"So that's how we ended up like this?"
"The energy field formed by so many gathered memories might actually be sustaining them longer…"
Over a hundred radiant spirits surrounded them, chatting lively among themselves while the adventurers watched in awe.
It would've been easy to outpace them—but to abandon them like this? Hanachirusato seemed troubled by the thought.
"Everyone!" Victor Wang clapped his hands to get their attention. "The monsters are all gone. You can all rest now!"
"Truly gone?"
"Truly!"
"And the Shogun? Is she safe?"
That question sparked a ripple of murmurs among the phantoms. Hanachirusato leaned close to Victor and whispered, "Once they see the Shogun, they should be able to return to the ley lines."
"Uh…"
These memory-forms were all people from the same era as Kitsune Saiguu—those who had fought against the black calamity… or those she hadn't managed to save. Either way, they were all long dead.
As another lingering soul herself, Hanachirusato pleaded softly, "Since the Shogun happens to be nearby, could we lead them to the Kamisato Estate? We can clear any monsters along the way too."
It's not that I disagree, Victor thought, but the Shogun has probably left by now. He sighed.
…
"I'm sorry," Kamisato Ayaka said, bowing apologetically. "After the battle, the Shogun and Lumine departed in haste. I'm not sure where they went."
Hanachirusato froze, and the gathered spirits began to grow restless—though Victor Wang, unsurprisingly, seemed unfazed.
Ayaka whispered discreetly, "And those following you two…?"
"It's… complicated," Victor replied.
After exchanging a few hushed words with Ayaka, Hanachirusato quietly slipped away. When she reappeared from another direction, her mask was off and her garments had changed.
Victor suddenly pointed forward. "Look! The Shogun has returned!"
"Huh? The Shogun?"
"The Shogun! It's really the Shogun!"
"Shogun! Everyone's been lost and despairing, not knowing where you'd gone… but now we've found you!"
"…The battle is over. The beasts have been slain. You may all rest."
"Just hearing that from you, Shogun, puts our hearts at ease!"
In an instant, the hundred glowing memories released their attachments. One by one, they vanished without warning, leaving behind only a fading whisper: "Why does the Shogun look… younger somehow?"
Hanachirusato replaced her mask and undid the transformation, sighing. "If I'd known Ei wasn't here, I wouldn't have brought them."
"Hehe, I didn't expect that outcome," Ayaka chuckled softly at the sight. Then, seizing the moment, she asked, "The Shogun entrusted the tending of the Sacred Sakura's roots to the Yashiro Commission. Given our proximity, it's certainly convenient—but we don't quite know how to go about it. I was planning to send someone to Grand Narukami Shrine to inquire. Could we perhaps ask Miss Hanachirusato to teach us directly?"
"Of course. On the way back, I even recorded the extent of the damage to the roots. I'll hand that over to you as well."
"Thank you so much! And you too, Mr. Victor Wang—since you're already here, won't you stay for dinner?"