The enormous Black Pool was calm and still, the inky black filth mixed together incredibly thick, its surface covered with a large number of cherry blossom petals.
And above that terrifying lake, where countless vengeful spirits groaned beneath, a girl in a deep red Miko Outfit stood on the water's surface, her long black hair coiled at the back of her head, revealing a slender, pale white neck. Her hair bun was adorned with two cherry blossom petals as thin as cicada wings.
The girl, barefoot on the lake's surface, walked with her magnificent Miko Outfit fluttering in the breeze, looking as if fresh blood was flowing over her body.
Although the girl's appearance was beautiful, the stiffness of her movements gave the impression that she was a corpse, not a living person.
As she slowly walked step by step towards the center of the lake, ripples spread out around the surface, as if something beneath was awakening.
Soon, on the dark water around the girl, ten terrifyingly imposing scarlet coffins slowly emerged from the depths, the filthy, viscous water from the Black Pool flowing down the decaying wood of their surfaces.
These coffins all shared a common characteristic: they were severely decayed, their wood rotted to reveal that most were filled with blood-red crystals.
If Kenmyo Isayama were here, he would realize that these crystals were all composed of ultra-high concentration Killing Stone.
Some of the beings inside the coffins were still sleeping, motionless, but the coffin directly facing the girl, marked with a special emblem on its surface, slowly trembled at this moment.
From the damaged coffin, a murky and dull eye slowly opened from within the crystal depths, enveloped by Killing Stone.
"Liu is dead, Tsubaki."
As soon as this ancient, profound voice spoke, the lake's surface became extremely turbulent and violent.
Although the tone revealed no emotional changes, it certainly sounded like an interrogation.
"His soul and the vessel died together; this is unprecedented in a thousand years."
Upon hearing this, the girl, whose expression had been calm, finally showed a slight ripple of emotion, a flicker of envy in her eyes, as if she yearned for the release of death.
Originally, there were twelve coffins here: one belonged to her, and one belonged to the white-haired brat who had been completely killed by Kenmyo Isayama earlier.
The vessel's name in life was Mitogawa Kazuhiro, and the soul occupying the vessel was Liu.
However, the coffin that carried Liu's soul had completely shattered, forever sinking into the deepest part of the profound "Abyss's Bottom."
"It is my responsibility."
Tsubaki spoke, her voice full of an ethereal quality.
"That vessel had just completed the 'ritual' of 'incarnation' and could not yet bear my power; simply activating the Cursed Technique brought its body to the brink of collapse."
"That's no excuse!"
Tsubaki was still explaining, but she was immediately interrupted by the third coffin to her side, a sharp voice like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, making it jump.
"During the Divine Child's ritual..."
"Enough, Miko Oni."
"Liu's death is a lesson."
The coffin that spoke first seemed very displeased and also interrupted him.
"Tsubaki, while we have not yet fully revived, do not cause any further trouble."
"I can feel that the outside world has undergone very significant changes."
At this moment, above the Black Pool, a Kagura Bell, from an unknown source, was emitting a clear, low chime.
With each low chime of the bell, a petal slowly fell, transforming into a wisp of red mist in mid-air before dissipating.
Ding-a-ling.
"Boss?"
Kenmyo Isayama was wondering why he suddenly heard a very pleasant and somehow familiar bell sound, and he snapped out of it immediately upon hearing Fushiguro Toji's voice.
"Oh, nothing, I got distracted."
He gazed at the distant mansion that once belonged to Sister Mei, now a ruin covered in caution tape and police vehicles.
"Uncle, you should go back first."
Kenmyo Isayama, mingling in the crowd, said to Fushiguro Toji beside him.
"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."
Although Kenmyo Isayama had made Fushiguro Toji sign that insane contract, there was no need to keep him by his side constantly.
The contract merely built a bridge, allowing Kenmyo Isayama to issue commands to Fushiguro Toji when necessary.
Normally, Kenmyo Isayama felt that Fushiguro Toji should just live his life as he usually did.
At the very least, their social circles needed to be completely separate; associating with the Jujutsu World's famous Heavenly Restraints Tyrant was too conspicuous.
Also, Fushiguro Toji had too many enemies; most people endured him due to his strength, so if Kenmyo Isayama didn't want to get caught in the crossfire, he should maintain his distance.
Kenmyo Isayama was used to a solitary life; having someone next to him felt quite uncomfortable.
Finding Fushiguro Toji as a hired thug was purely accidental, an unplanned turn of events.
If it were a silent, diligent giant like Uncle Lan, it would be fine, but Fushiguro Toji was a living person and an uncle, making it strange to have him move in.
"Contact me if anything comes up, Boss."
Fushiguro Toji was also quite straightforward; he shoved his hands into his pockets, hunched his back in a roguish manner, and left without looking back.
"So the rumors were all true."
Kenmyo Isayama watched him; in a short while, a phone call summoned an expensive sports car. Through the car window, he could see that the driver was a mature older sister. As soon as Fushiguro Toji got in, the sister eagerly kissed him.
Then, the car sped off, disappearing stylishly down the street, leaving behind a group of onlookers doubting their lives, wondering "why rich women don't fancy them."
Besides being a ruthless killer, Fushiguro Toji was also quite famous for his philandering.
Kenmyo Isayama didn't comment on his subordinate's private life, as it was his time off work.
Kenmyo Isayama shook his head and hailed a taxi at the intersection.
"Driver, please take me to XX Avenue in Nakano Ward."
"Sigh, troublesome."
The clues about that white-haired brat were truly completely cut off. Kenmyo Isayama had deliberately preserved a bit of brain tissue, but found nothing.
It was as if all traces had been buried, yielding no results. Otherwise, acquiring Killing Stone would be another quick way to gain points.
Kenmyo Isayama rolled up his sleeve and showed a look of disgust at his arm; on the outer skin of his arm was a blood-red tattoo resembling cherry blossom petals, with the two petal patterns particularly clear.
This was a cherry blossom-like mark that Kenmyo Isayama had mysteriously acquired earlier, seemingly chosen by something. After killing that white-haired brat, this petal inexplicably gained an additional one.
Kenmyo Isayama was not without methods to remove this thing, but he needed to know what it was so he could plan ahead.
Before consulting a professional, Kenmyo Isayama still had to visit the main branch of the Isayama Family.