"Boom!"
A bolt of lightning tore through the gloomy Sky, bringing a flicker of light and illuminating a group of people on Yashiori Island.
Unbeknownst to them, the Sky had grown even gloomier, casting the entire Yashiori Island in a pall of darkness.
The lightning in the Sky became more frequent, a sight the traveling group had grown accustomed to.
Impenetrable dark clouds poured down torrential rain, making the already difficult path even harder to traverse.
Enjou frowned, not because of the island's harsh weather, but because it was permeated with a strange power.
"Hoo—" Taking a deep breath, Enjou felt as if countless tiny needles were pricking the inside of his mouth, causing a tingling pain.
"Hey! Do you know what happened on this island?" Enjou sensed the ubiquitous strange power. Even as an Abyss Monster, he figured prolonged exposure to such power would not end well for him.
"Cough... cough cough! To answer my lord, it should be the outbreak of tatarigami," the Sergeant coughed a few times and replied.
"tatarigami?"
"It's the residual resentment and power of a God. We don't know how, but it was originally well-sealed on Yashiori Island, yet it erupted overnight."
The Sergeant pointed to the giant snake skeleton in the distance and said.
Enjou looked in the direction the Sergeant pointed, only to realize that the "mountain" in the distance was actually the skeleton of some kind of giant snake!
"A tatarigami outbreak? Then why are we still walking here? Don't tell me the person sailing the ship enjoys thrills." Enjou nodded, then his tone changed as he questioned them.
"Of course not!" The Sergeant smiled, as if he had anticipated this question.
"The ship my lord is taking is for transferring the sick. Look at the state of Yashiori Island; can people live here?"
"Heh, that's more like it." Enjou smiled and nodded. This was the kind of "official person" he knew; it seemed his previous assumptions were mistaken.
There are still many good people in the world, Enjou thought.
Under the influence of the tatarigami, Yashiori Island's vitality withered. As far as the eye could see, there was only a desolate yellow, with the few remaining trees twisted and drooping with wilting leaves, making them appear even more eerie.
"We're here!" The Sergeant pointed to the nearby camp and said to Enjou.
"Let's go!" Enjou nodded and strode towards the camp.
However, the Sergeant beside him moved a step ahead, fawning over Enjou, "My lord, please allow me to announce your arrival. It would be bad if there were any misunderstandings."
"Uh..., alright, but don't try any tricks." Enjou assessed the size of the camp and agreed.
Given the camp's size, even if all the garrisoned troops were to fight him, they wouldn't be enough for him alone. Of course, if there were any Vision wielders among them, that would be different.
But Enjou wasn't afraid; at worst, he would just run away. He didn't think anyone could instantly kill him.
"Alright!" The Sergeant nodded and ran into the camp without looking back... "Cough cough..."
"Hmm..."
"It hurts so much..."
Though not large, the camp was packed with people.
Because of the heavy rain, the ground in the camp was muddy. A few withered branches, scavenged from who knows where, were simply propped up to form a makeshift shelter, covered with a layer of tattered cloth.
Cardboard, wood chips, and similar materials laid on the ground could not stop the mud and water from seeping through. In the yellowish muddy water lay groaning patients.
Those severely affected had their eyes tightly shut, faces twisted in madness, and continuously muttered unintelligible words, as if seeing something terrifying.
Those with milder symptoms struggled to stay upright on the ground, panting heavily, looking as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
Regardless of their condition, everyone was enveloped in a faint black mist—this was the tatarigami, the lingering resentment left by a God.
Since the tatarigami outbreak on Yashiori Island, countless people had perished under its influence. The gloomy Sky seemed to reflect the fate of the island's inhabitants.
"Mom... Mommy, it's... it's so uncomfortable..."
"Child..., just bear with it. We'll be able to go to Narukami Island soon."
Inside the camp, besides groans, the most common sounds were words of mutual encouragement like these. Despite the harsh conditions, everyone still held onto hope.
Because the Shogunate's Ashigaru had found them, saying they would send them back to Narukami Island.
That was Inazuma's main island, home to not only Inazuma's largest shrine, the Grand Narukami Shrine, but also where the Raiden Shogun resided.
A small tatarigami, on Narukami Island, should just be a minor issue, right?
With this thought, many patients from Yashiori Island, even those from far away, came here, for no other reason than to board the Waverider that the Ashigaru spoke of, heading for Narukami Island.
"Quiet, quiet! If you keep making noise, none of you will leave! Be quiet!"
It seemed the groans were too loud, drawing the displeasure of the garrison. A Hatamoto General, clad in armor and wearing a hannya mask, emerged from a greasy tent and roared from a distance.
"Yes... Yes! My lord!"
"Un... understood, my... my lord has gone to much trouble."
"Shhh..., alright, alright, just sleep it off and you'll be fine."
As soon as the Hatamoto General's roar sounded, the noise in the chaotic camp instantly subsided considerably.
"Hmph..., what a bunch of lowlifes." The Hatamoto General sniffed and immediately walked away.
Who knew if this tatarigami was contagious? Right now, he just hoped to deal with this group of people and quickly leave this cursed place.
Just as he turned to walk back into the dry, warm military tent, he saw an Ashigaru sprinting towards the camp entrance.
Upon closer inspection, it was the captain of the last patrol squad, Shimada. The Samurai's heart immediately filled with joy; it seemed they could depart.
"Shimada, why are you so slow? How many did you find?" The Samurai looked at Shimada, who was alone, and frowned slightly.
Could something have gone wrong? That shouldn't be the case, should it? The resistance's main camp was some distance from here, and with the tatarigami outbreak in this area, even an army would have to go around it.
"To answer my lord..., I found... one," Shimada panted, replying.
"One?" The Samurai was somewhat surprised, but then he shook his head and said, "One is fine, bring him along, and let's get out of this cursed place!"
"My... my lord..." Shimada listened, glanced around, and unconsciously lowered his voice.
"That person is a Vision wielder, and his strength is not low."
"He's a foreigner, unfamiliar with Inazuma, and wants to go to Watatsumi Island. I tricked him into coming here. We'll let him board the ship too; we won't even need to lift a finger. Once the bottom of the ship is breached..."
Shimada didn't continue. They were already acting on orders from the Kujou Clan head to deal with those infected by the tatarigami. If they could also frame the resistance, that would be even better.
And the person behind him almost perfectly fit the criteria. Foreigner, Vision, going to Watatsumi Island—these were clearly characteristics of many Vision wielders in the resistance.
Once he drowned, they would change his clothes and then use some clever rhetoric. It would undoubtedly severely damage the resistance's reputation.
"Oh? It seems you've thought this through quite well?" The Samurai clearly had also considered these things. He looked back at the military tent behind him; with so few people, it was best not to engage in direct conflict.
First, see if he could be lured onto the ship. If so, that would be best. If not... the Hatamoto General looked at the half-collapsed cloth tents in the camp. With so many people, taking some as hostages and some as shields should allow them to take him down.
"Bring him over. Are you sure he doesn't know anything?"
"I'm sure, my lord. He probably can't even tell the difference between the resistance and us!" Shimada's face showed mockery, but then he quickly thought of something else and hurriedly said:
"Oh, my lord, the reason I tricked him was that there's a ship going to Watatsumi Island, and these dying people..."
"I know."
The Samurai waved his hand impatiently, then walked into the camp and shouted, "Depart immediately! Everyone be quiet! If anyone says another word, get off the ship!"
There was another commotion and panic, but it quickly subsided.
"This should be fine, right!" The Hatamoto General walked back and said to Shimada.
"Yes! Of course, it's fine!"
Shimada nodded repeatedly, as if he could already see Enjou drowning.
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