Volcano.
On the scorching earth, crimson lava flowed, the air twisted from the high temperature, and the smell of sulfur permeated the atmosphere.
And in such a harsh environment.
Bal's beautiful eyes were covered with a black cloth strip, and she moved at lightning speed, avoiding obstacles as if she already knew their positions.
Not far away, Kikyo raised her hand, condensing spiritual power at her fingertips, occasionally flicking it to launch surprise attacks on Bal.
She carefully observed Bal's movements, noticing that each spiritual bullet she shot out would burst with lightning when it approached Bal.
In response, Bal would react and dodge the spiritual bullets.
(Using the power of lightning… to perceive?) Kikyo silently speculated, increasing the frequency of her spiritual bullet attacks. (In such a short time, she's developed a method suitable for herself. Bal might unexpectedly be a ge… nius.)
Just as she was praising Bal internally, Bal, who had been gracefully dodging the spiritual bullets, was directly hit on the forehead by a spiritual bullet.
She immediately fell backward.
"Ow… that hurts!"
"…Bal, what's wrong?"
Kikyo hurried to Bal's side, carefully checking Bal's physical condition, and at the same time asking Bal.
"Why did your movements suddenly stop?"
If it was training, making mistakes was acceptable, as the purpose of training was to reduce mistakes. However, in a real fight, there was no room for error. If the enemy seized a momentary opportunity.
The outcome… could be death.
Therefore, Bal's brief pause just now could be a fatal threat, and the reason must be found and then corrected.
Otherwise, there might be no more chances to make mistakes in the future.
"…It was Little Kaede, she suddenly contacted me," Bal raised her hand, rubbing her reddened forehead, "She said that group of youkai wanted to report their work to me."
It was not a lie; she had indeed received Little Kaede's prayer, that the Hundred Ghosts who had joined her faction wanted to report on their work status.
So, she… was a little distracted.
Although it was only a very brief moment of distraction, she quickly shifted her attention back to perception.
But, it was already… too late.
"…" Surprise flashed in Kikyo's eyes, and she gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear with her slender hand, "Little Kaede can… already contact you?"
Under normal circumstances, with Little Kaede's ability, it would be impossible to contact Bal from such a long distance. However, if Bal and Little Kaede truly established the relationship of miko and deity.
Then they could communicate across long distances.
"Yes, I can…"
Bal nodded slightly, stood up, and brushed the dust off herself, then said softly to Kikyo.
"Just a moment, I need to reply to Little Kaede first."
With that, she focused her attention on communicating with Little Kaede.
Kikyo also remained silent, waiting for Bal to respond to Little Kaede's prayer, until a few minutes later when Bal shifted her attention back to reality.
"Hmm, done."
Bal exhaled softly, removed the cloth strip covering her eyes, smiled at Kikyo, and then her expression became strange again.
"Kikyo, what happened to your… hair?!"
Kikyo's usually smooth black hair had become somewhat fluffy and frizzy, as if affected by an invisible force.
Wait, perhaps… it really was affected.
Not long ago, to dodge Kikyo's spiritual bullets, she had diffused electromagnetic waves around her to observe the incoming spiritual bullets and obstacles.
So, around her… the electromagnetic waves were ridiculously high.
"…"
Kikyo gently smoothed her hair with her slender hand, then frowned slightly, enveloping her body in spiritual power to shield herself from the surrounding electromagnetic force.
"Perhaps, Bal, you should… try to train your spiritual vision."
Although the power Bal used provided good feedback, enemies could easily detect Bal's investigative methods.
If they were intentional, they could find… countermeasures.
For example, people observing Bal nearby, when her hair showed no abnormality, could determine whether Bal was in a state of alert.
That is, they could… judge when it was suitable to launch a sneak attack.
"Hmm, I know." Bal gently rubbed her forehead, her voice revealing helplessness, "After all, maintaining electromagnetic sensing all the time makes me very tired too."
"Then let's continue training."
Kikyo nodded coolly and turned to walk a short distance away. Seeing this, Bal was somewhat surprised and asked Kikyo's retreating back.
"Aren't you going to ask me… what I said to Little Kaede?"
"Training requires… focus." Kikyo gently shook her head, admonishing Bal, "Unimportant matters can be discussed later."
With that, she raised her hand, condensing spiritual power at her fingertips, preparing to launch another shot at Bal.
Seeing this, Bal re-covered her eyes with the cloth strip, then diffused electromagnetic force into her surroundings, sensing all changes around her.
Compared to dealing with the affairs of the Hyakki Yagyō under her command.
The more important matter now was undoubtedly to improve her strength.
All other matters could be postponed for the time being.
And above the volcano.
Totosai sat cross-legged on a rock, his iron hammer resting on his shoulder. His large, bulbous eyes watched Bal training below the volcano, seriously analyzing some information.
"Hmm, the power of… lightning?"
He raised a hand to scratch his head, contemplating the design of the demonic sword. Although it was true that the demonic sword should be self-nurtured using Bal's power.
}
However, there must still be… a blueprint for the design.
If I were to give an example, it's like planting a towering tree; you need a suitable seed.
This is why he is currently observing… Baal.
*
*
Maple Village.
"Lady Baal is very satisfied with your achievements."
Xiao Feng maintained as solemn an expression as possible, sitting on her knees with her hands on her lap.
"I hope you all continue to work hard!"
"Yes, we will definitely strive!" The Deer-head Monster nodded, then eagerly asked, "Does Lady Baal have any other instructions, like appointing a prime minister or something?"
...
Xiao Feng thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Sorry, no."
...
The Deer-head Monster showed a hint of disappointment, but he didn't raise too many objections. He had also made many contributions, and when it came time to distribute rewards based on merit, his share would certainly not be overlooked.
"That… actually, regarding the appointment of officials." Xiao Feng saw the Deer-head Monster's disappointed expression and instinctively spoke to comfort him, "Perhaps Lady Baal already has arrangements."
She tilted her head, recalling the story Lady Baal had told about 'reincarnating as the Raiden Shogun, then becoming invincible.'
"...Please be sure to inform me!"
The Deer-head Monster's expression grew excited, his gaze fixed on Xiao Feng. For him… having a goal was too important.
If he could know some of Lady Baal's thoughts, he would be able to focus his efforts to secure a high position in the power structure.
Therefore, this was crucial… intelligence.
"Hmm… it's a bit of a long story."
Xiao Feng scratched her cheek a little awkwardly, wanting to tell the story Lady Baal had told.
Then, the door… was suddenly pushed open.
A group of eavesdropping Chimi Monster were piled on top of each other on the floor, giving Xiao Feng, who was sitting on the tatami, an awkward yet polite smile.
Well, they had actually… been eavesdropping the whole time.