423 The Desperate Girl, The Strongest Spirit Has Come to Save Her (Second Update, Seeking Monthly Votes) Iseyama Yomi and Tsuchimiya Kagura, after half a month of relentless fighting and flight, had reached the absolute limit of both their physical stamina and their spirits. Although they had managed to eat a little earlier, a single steamed bun was hardly enough to fill their stomachs, not to mention that Iseyama Yomi was severely wounded... No food, no water, no medicine.

Even though they had escaped an ambush thanks to the help of a stranger, it meant little to the two girls. They were like drowning victims caught in a massive ocean vortex, completely unable to see any hope of survival.

“Yomi-nee, hang on a little longer, we’ll be alright soon,” Tsuchimiya Kagura said, holding Yomi’s limp body on the back of the spirit beast Honglian, her heart twisting in pain. Just as she had feared, Yomi’s injuries had worsened after taking an enemy’s attack meant for her. The ghastly wound across her chest had torn open again, oozing dark red blood.

In normal times, such an injury would be terrifying but treatable; combining their exorcist arts with modern medical technology, they could have healed it. But now... Tsuchimiya Kagura was utterly helpless, able only to watch the person most important to her weaken little by little.

“Kagura, I... I don't think I can hold on much longer. From now on, you must...” Iseyama Yomi leaned into Kagura’s embrace, tilting her pale, bloodless face up slightly, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she spoke in fragmented breaths.

“Don’t say things like that, please, Yomi-nee, don’t say that...” Tsuchimiya Kagura burst into tears, biting her lip hard to keep from sobbing aloud. “We will get better, I promise! The hospital, we’ll go to the hospital, they can definitely fix you there!”

Hearing her girl’s desperate plea, Iseyama Yomi couldn't help but offer a wry smile. “Kagura, I always hoped we could be together forever. That wish hasn't changed, but truly, I can’t hold on anymore. I know my injuries better than anyone. Forget about not having a hospital nearby; even with the best medical equipment available, it couldn't save me now...”

“No! It won't be like this!” Tsuchimiya Kagura finally broke, weeping uncontrollably. She knew she was deceiving herself; right now, forget a hospital, they couldn't even find a single safe place to rest. Iseyama Yomi’s injury was fatal; lasting this long was already a miracle, but she refused to admit it.

“I don't want to be alone. I don't want to live alone! Mama left, and Papa is gone too. Yomi-nee is all I have left. If Yomi-nee is gone too, I... I won’t be able to live! So I beg you, please, anyone, save my sister!”

Watching the girl cling to her and cry out in anguish, speaking in incoherent gasps, Iseyama Yomi could no longer suppress the sorrow welling in her own heart. Tears traced paths down her pale cheeks as her fingers gently brushed the girl's face. “Kagura, I’m sorry...”

“How touching.” Just as the two girls were pouring out their true feelings, a flat voice suddenly drifted from nearby, laced with a sliver of sarcasm and mockery. “In this hell of despair, to still cling to one another to this degree—you’ve put on quite a show for me.”

Hearing the voice, Tsuchimiya Kagura whipped her head around; Iseyama Yomi also turned her head with visible difficulty. Then they saw, not far from them, a white-haired boy sitting leisurely in mid-air, smiling as he watched them, keeping pace with them as Honglian ran.

“Honglian, retreat!” Tsuchimiya Kagura’s face changed dramatically. At her sharp command, the spirit beast Honglian swiftly backed up more than ten meters, letting out a low growl at the white-haired youth. Tsuchimiya Kagura herself leaped from Honglian’s back, drawing her long sword from its sheath and positioning herself behind Iseyama Yomi, pointing the blade at the boy. She looked intensely tense, a flicker of raw fear visible on her face.

Her fear was justified, for the person before them was one of those who had been relentlessly hunting them these past few days—and the most threatening one at that. He was the one who had inflicted Yomi’s injury, and also the one who, at the very beginning, had used the Soul Edge stone to force Iseyama Mei to kill Iseyama Yomi’s father. This was none other than the boy controlling the Soul Edge stone... Sanzu River.

“What do you want?!” Tsuchimiya Kagura forced herself to confront him, suppressing the terror deep in her chest. Fear was merely an instinctual reaction, but she would not bow her head to an enemy because of it; she would protect the most important person even if it cost her life.

“Initially, I was looking for a human suitable for the Soul Edge stone,” Sanzu River said dismissively, not sparing the girl a second glance. “Iseyama Yomi was my top candidate. If she had obtained the stone, our wish might have been fulfilled. But now, I’ve changed my mind.”

“What do you mean?” Tsuchimiya Kagura asked subconsciously. Since he wasn't attacking, she wasn't about to rush to her death, and the boy's words had genuinely piqued her interest.

Sanzu River smiled faintly, making no move to hide his intentions. “Because I have already found someone who can truly grant my wish. By following that person’s lead, my ideal world will arrive soon enough. Just watch...”

Saying this, Sanzu River suddenly flung both arms wide. As he did so, countless living dead and vengeful spirits surged out from the surroundings. In an instant, the wide, open street was completely blocked. Tsuchimiya Kagura gasped sharply.

“Through the power of that great one, this city has been transformed into the holy land of my ideals! Soon, the entire world will be just like this! Hahahahaha!” Sanzu River roared with maniacal laughter, then ascended toward the sky. “Well then, enjoy yourselves. In these final moments of your lives, what kind of amusement can you bring me?”

“ROAR!!!”

As Sanzu River rose dozens of meters above the ground, the living dead and evil spirits immediately charged toward the two girls with savage roars.

“Honglian, Roaring Wave!”

Under Tsuchimiya Kagura’s command, Honglian opened its massive jaws and spewed forth a beam of pale red magical energy. A dozen of the living dead were instantly pulverized by the blast. Then, another Roaring Wave erupted, sending several vengeful spirits scattering into dust.

On the other side, Tsuchimiya Kagura had already launched her own assault, hacking towards the throng of living dead and spirits closing in on them. While it was fortunate Sanzu River wasn't fighting them personally, the current situation was practically hopeless. A mere glance showed countless enemies swarming the streets. Even under normal circumstances, this number would demand a grueling fight, but now... they could be drowned by sheer mass alone.

However, Tsuchimiya Kagura had no intention of giving up. She had survived so many desperate situations before; even if she had only one breath left, she would fight until the very end.

“Hyaah!”

With a sharp cry, Tsuchimiya Kagura struck with lightning speed. Her specially crafted Iai sword unleashed power beyond imagination in her hands... This Iai sword was a weapon designed to enhance slashes through tripling the compression of air, making it perfect for a girl like Tsuchimiya Kagura, who didn't possess overwhelming brute strength. A single swing annihilated every living dead and vengeful spirit within the attack radius.

Yet, the girl found no respite. Her enemies did not fear death; for every one that fell, a thousand more surged forward... Facing this overwhelming tide, even someone as skilled as Tsuchimiya Kagura couldn't last long. This was likely why Sanzu River hadn't bothered fighting them himself—even without his involvement, these two girls were doomed.

Gradually, Tsuchimiya Kagura began to struggle more and more. Sweat streamed down her face, her breathing grew ragged, and the fatigue felt after every swing of her blade was several times greater than at the start. Her legs were nearly numb, but she refused to retreat, holding her defensive line firm because the most important person in the world stood behind her. If she fell, then...

“Damn it! I won’t lose!”

Tsuchimiya Kagura roared suddenly, unleashing every ounce of power within her body as her Iai sword slashed forward heavily, forcing all the attacking enemies back momentarily.

On the other side, Honglian stood guard before Iseyama Yomi, ceaselessly spitting out Roaring Waves. But the enemy count was simply too high. While Honglian’s power was enough for a safe retreat, blocking this onslaught was extremely difficult. The enemies’ footsteps were drawing closer and closer.

Moments later, the two girls and the spirit beast were forced into a small, tight circle. Fortunately, a solid wall lay behind them, preventing them from being flanked, which would have made the battle even more arduous.

“Clang!”

Suddenly, a vengeful spirit lunged at Tsuchimiya Kagura. The girl desperately swung her blade, but lacking strength, she was violently thrown back. Her sword slipped from her grasp and clattered onto the ground, followed immediately by a dozen living dead swarming towards her.

Faced with the terror of death, Tsuchimiya Kagura’s face instantly turned ashen. She tried to reach for her fallen blade, but her hands were shaking too uncontrollably to move.

Swish!

Just as the girl was about to be swallowed by the living dead, a figure shot out from behind her—it was Iseyama Yomi.

Even at her absolute limit, she could not watch her girl die before her eyes. Gritting against her agonizing wounds, she launched an attack, instantly slicing the oncoming living dead in half. But immediately afterward, Iseyama Yomi sank to one knee, her own blade falling from her grip with a clang.

“Yomi-nee...”

Tsuchimiya Kagura cried out, but no other words escaped her lips. Despair—this was true despair now. Both of them had lost all fighting capability. The next moment would be...

“ROAR!!!!!”

Just as Tsuchimiya Kagura thought this, a sound she knew intimately suddenly echoed from the sky. Instinctively looking up, she saw a massive white beast bound by heavy chains flying toward them.

“Shirobai!”

The newcomer was indeed Shirai. Its speed was incredible; the moment it appeared, it had already reached the two girls. With a single shake of its body, hundreds of the living dead and spirits were torn to shreds in its jaws, while even more were sent flying by the sheer force of its massive bulk.

“ROAR!!!” Shirai let loose a thunderous roar, coiling its body to surround the two girls completely, its absolute pressure instantly quelling all the surrounding enemies.