Chapter 204: A Glutton's Banquet; The Divine Realm in the Clouds
Watching the red threads of the Itomori God celebrate in the air, Hina Amano shook her head with a weary sigh. She turned back to the Granny.
"What you said... makes a lot of sense."
"That's just the way of the world, dearie," the Granny said, looking nostalgic. "Gods are only called Gods because we humans gave them that label. If there's something out there using the weather to demand blood and lives, then no matter what it calls itself, it's nothing but pure evil."
Hina felt a little better hearing that. But looking at the freakish, rhythmic rain outside, she couldn't help but twist the hem of her shirt in anxiety.
The Granny handed Hina a cup of steaming tea. Noticing her expression, she smiled knowingly. "Your boyfriend... did he go out?"
Hina's face flushed at the term "boyfriend," but she didn't have the energy to correct it. She just nodded. "Mmm..."
"Are you worried about him?"
"Yes..."
"Don't be. This weather is weird, sure, but the rain isn't even that heavy. He'll be fine."
Hina let out a long breath. She wasn't worried about the weather. She was worried about the entity that controlled it. By now, Yoru was likely already deep in a life-or-death struggle.
Exorcism wasn't a video game. There were no health bars, no "100% win" guarantees. In a real battle, there was always risk.
"But still," the Granny looked at the clock on the wall, her expression turning suspicious. "What's he doing out this late in the middle of nowhere?"
"Uh..." Hina stalled. She was a terrible liar and hadn't prepared a script. "He... he went out to buy some things."
"Buy things?" The Granny narrowed her eyes. "At this hour? What could be so urgent in the middle of the countryside...?"
Suddenly, the Granny's eyes widened as if a lightbulb had gone off. She gave Hina a long, meaningful look. Then, she stood up, walked behind the counter, and pulled out a small, square box. She walked back and pressed it into Hina's hand.
Hina looked at the box, confused. "This is...?"
The Granny patted Hina's hand with a secretive, supportive grin. "I know you young folks are shy. My inn might be old, but we keep up with the times. We always keep these in stock. I'm going back to bed now. You two... try to be moderate, okay?"
With a yawn and a wink, the Granny vanished down the hall.
Hina stared at the box. She had no idea what it was. I'll just ask Yoru when he gets back...
Meanwhile, on the rural road.
"Three."
Yoru, wielding Onimaru Kunitsuna, vertically bisected one of the paper-umbrella-holding Envoys and inhaled her essence.
The remaining Envoys recoiled. Their hollow, expressionless faces flickered with the first signs of genuine dread. They raised their hands.
BOOM!!!
Bolts of divine lightning lanced from the clouds, striking Yoru's body with pinpoint accuracy.
"Is that all you've got?"
As the blinding light faded, Yoru was still standing. He wasn't unscathed—far from it. Even with his superhuman durability, taking direct hits from divine lightning had charred his skin. His black "Mask" coat was riddled with holes.
Even under his mask, blood was trailing from his eyes, staining the white "Smiling Face" pattern on his visor with a macabre crimson. He looked utterly deranged.
But the Envoys watched in horror as his skin began to bubble and knit back together. In mere seconds, the charred flesh was replaced by healthy skin. Thick, black spiritual energy mended his coat.
He looked as if nothing had happened, save for the blood-stained smile on his face.
"Keep 'em coming," Yoru chuckled, lifting the black katana. The golden mana from the Envoy he'd just "eaten" still clung to the blade like glowing syrup. He licked a drop off his finger, his eyes devoid of anything but cold hunger.
"Let's make it a game. Let's see if you can kill me faster than I can eat you."
Seeing three of his Envoys—three centuries of work—wiped out, the Weather God finally snapped.
A massive Whale made of rain manifested once more. It was smaller than the previous one, but the energy density was a hundred times higher.
If Miko or Rio were there, they would have seen that the whale's "body" wasn't water at all. It was a pressurized, raging river of Golden Mana.
"ROAAARR!!!"
The "Whale" lunged from the sky like a ballistic missile, aimed squarely at Yoru.
The Ultimate Strike, huh? Yoru thought.
He only had one concern: How do I eat every last drop of this without letting a single scrap of mana return to the God? I need to drain him dry.
He made his decision instantly. He sheathed the katana. A ring of black energy formed on his ring finger—a miniature ritual blade. With a flick of his thumb, he sliced his own palm.
Golden lightning—faster and brighter than the God's own—erupted from the earth.
At the Inn.
Hina saw the flash of golden light from the porch.
Among all the club members, only she and Yui had seen Yoru in this "Unlocked" state. She would never forget the sheer, world-ending pressure of that golden lightning.
"He had to go that far...?" Hina's hands shook as she whispered to the wind. "Please... just come back safe."
Back at the Road.
"Interesting."
The rain-whale, mid-plunge, froze. The human it was trying to crush had suddenly transformed into a ten-meter-tall golden giant. The whale tried to pull back, desperately attempting to swim away through the air.
It was fast. But not "Avatar of Chaos" fast.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The giant's hand shot out, grabbing the whale's tail. In the next second, a maw that looked like a black hole opened up.
CRUNCH.
The liquid body shattered. The golden mana inside sprayed out like a "Mana Lava Cake."
"Ooh, it's a cream-filled snack? Delicious."
Yoru ignored the God's spiritual screams. No talking at the dinner table. He tore through the whale, devouring the high-density divinity in a matter of seconds.
High in the clouds, the Weather God was going insane with pain. The whale was part of his own soul. This felt like watching a monster eat his own arm while he was still attached to it.
But the worst part was Yoru's attitude. He wasn't fighting a war; he was having a picnic.
The Weather God didn't hesitate. He sent the order to his remaining Envoys: RETREAT! GET BACK TO THE REALM!
Loss of mana could be recovered over time. But if the Envoys died, they were gone forever.
A rift of rainbow-colored light opened in the thick clouds—a gateway to the Divine Realm. The Envoys holding the umbrellas began to ascend, floating toward the safety of the sky.
Just as they reached the rift, thinking they had escaped the monster on the ground, the God saw something that made his "heart" stop.
The ten-meter giant on the ground suddenly grew. In a heartbeat, Yoru had ballooned into a hundred-meter-tall titan. His hand reached up, snatching the Envoys out of the air like they were tiny gnats.
CRUNCH... CRUNCH...
As the titan chewed, golden "blood" (divinity) leaked from the corners of his mouth. The Weather God felt like he was going to faint. A thousand years of "cultivation"—all eaten in ten minutes.
But the horror wasn't over.
The Giant didn't stop. He reached out and grabbed the edges of the Rainbow Gateway. Even though he looked like a monster, his eyes were still Yoru's—cold, black, and focused.
"So," the Giant rumbled, his voice shaking the valley. "This is where you live."
The Weather God panicked. He tried to slam the gate shut, abandoning the rest of his mana. The rainbow light flickered, trying to close.
But Yoru's hands were wedged in the opening. He was prying the "Door" wider.
The God put every ounce of his remaining existence into slamming the gate. For a few seconds, they were deadlocked. Then, the rift began to force itself shut.
In the final crack of the closing gate, Yoru's eyes stared directly at the God.
"I can't get in this time. But next time? I'm coming for the main course."
The gate slammed shut, severing Yoru's fingers. The God stared at the ten severed giant fingers left twitching inside his realm and felt a cold sweat.
"That thing... that's not a human. It's a monster."
Five minutes later, back at the Inn.
Yoru de-manifested his giant form. His black coat and mask vanished into embers. The only trace of the battle was the massive, deep craters and the ankle-deep water on the road.
"Next time," Yoru smiled at the sky as the clouds finally began to scatter. "You won't have a door to hide behind."
Hina saw the silhouette approaching down the road. She didn't think; she just ran. She didn't even care that she was barefoot in the puddles.
"Y-You're back!"
She stopped just short of him, suddenly realizing she couldn't just jump into his arms. They were "friends," after all. If Mai or Rio were here, they'd know what to do. Hina just stood there, panting.
"I told you I'd be back," Yoru grinned. "Let's head to Itomori tomorrow."
"Okay." Hina nodded, her worry finally evaporating. She didn't ask about the fight. If he was back and smiling, he'd won.
Suddenly, an image popped into Hina's head: Yoru sitting at a table with a napkin tucked in his shirt, a turkey leg in one hand and a whole roast pig in the other, looking blissfully happy.
"Pfft—hah!" Hina burst out laughing at the mental image.
"What's so funny?" Yoru asked. "By the way, did you drink any water?"
Hina blinked. "No? Why?"
"Oh, nothing," Yoru smirked. "I just figured that after our 'tactic' earlier, you probably lost a lot of... fluids. Your body needs hydration."
"Fluids?!"
Hina's face went supernova. She realized exactly what he was referring to. She punched his shoulder, mortified. "You! You absolute jerk! Seriously?!"
"No need for shame," Yoru laughed as they walked to the room. He used his "Wise Sensei" voice. "As a newbie, it's only natural you'd lose that badly to a pro like me."
Hina stomped her foot. "Stop talking! Right now!"
Yoru opened the door to their room. "So... should we pick up where we left off?"
"What?! No way—!"
Hina stopped. Her eyes widened as she grabbed Yoru's hands.
"Your... your fingers!"
"Oh, those?" Yoru looked down at his hands. All ten fingers were missing, the stumps neat and cauterized. "No big deal."
"NO BIG DEAL?! You're disabled! You lost your fingers! What are we going to do?!"
Hina's eyes filled with tears of guilt. It was for me. He lost his hands for me. How can I ever repay this? Do I have to take care of him forever? Do I... do I marry him to be his hands?
As she was spiraling, a thick, black mist covered Yoru's stumps.
In less than two seconds, his fingers had grown back, perfectly intact.
"See?" Yoru grinned, wiggling his digits. "The 'Tools' are back online. Now... you ready for Round 2?"