I Save The World In A Doomsday Text Game

Chapter 228-2: Killing Stone, Shikigami Ritual Assembly (2)

[You obtained the Rough Killing Stone (Epic-Grade Item)]

[Rough Killing Stone (Epic-Grade Item): A black, coarse-looking rock that seems entirely ordinary from afar. But if you look closely, you can see countless hair-thin red lines upon its surface, like threads of blood.]

[When used with the appropriate skills, this item can suppress and subdue yokai-type summoned beasts.]

[Seeing how long you gazed at the stone in your palm, the Vice Palace Master seemed to want to ease the tension and began to explain…]

[For an Onmyoji to subdue a yokai shikigami, they must first defeat it, then use a suppressing object like the Killing Stone together with special Onmyoji incantations to bind it as a shikigami…]

[Many years ago, there had been a legendary great yokai, the Nine-Tailed Fox, who transformed herself through the Art of Transformation into a breathtakingly beautiful woman and infiltrated the Kyoto Imperial Palace, plotting to bewitch the Shogun with her charms.]

[But the Shogun saw through the Nine-Tailed Fox, called Ao-onna, and struck her down with a single sword stroke. Even after her death, her malice lingered long, transforming into countless Killing Stones.]

[That is the origin of the black stone you now hold.]

He had originally thought the Vice Palace Master might simply gift him a shikigami outright, even if it wasn’t as strong as Karasu Tengu, it should at least be something respectable.

In the end, she only handed over a suppressing item used for subduing shikigami. For Lin Xun, who didn’t know Onmyoji arts, this stone was no better than junk.“This old hag really held something back, clearly wanting to trade knowledge, yet afraid I’d hide things from her…”

To use the suppressing stone, you first had to learn Onmyoji incantations, but to learn those incantations, you had to barter away your own skills.

“Heh, but she never could have guessed… I can also obtain subjugation skills by possessing an Onmyoji.”

Still, here in the Onmyoji’s stronghold, with Karasu Tengu never leaving the Vice Palace Master’s side, the odds of fighting her head-on were simply too low.

Lin Xun resolved to wait for the right moment, then kill the Vice Palace Master and seize her Onmyoji Shell.

It was obvious the Onmyoji was a frail profession. The best tactic was to ambush her before she summoned a shikigami or raised her barriers and strike her down with overwhelming force.

Unfortunately, the Chunin Shell in his inventory was rather weak. If he’d had a high-grade Assassin Shell, he could have killed her without a trace and stolen her Shell.

[The Vice Palace Master, seeing the devastation in the hall, invited you to move elsewhere to discuss and share your magic in detail…]

[You and the Vice Palace Master left the hall. As you walked, she kept several paces ahead of you at all times, the humanoid Karasu Tengu never leaving her side.]

[She instructed her servants to clean the ruined hall, then led you toward another, somewhat smaller palace.]

[Halfway there, you suddenly heard a loud commotion in the distance. You looked over curiously.]

[You saw a crowd of Onmyoji gathered around a tall platform. Upon the platform, figures seemed to be locked in combat…]

[The Fire-Worshipping Vice Palace Master, noticing your interest, explained that this was Iya Palace’s grand event held once every five years, the Shikigami Ritual Assembly.]

[The Assembly was a competition in which Onmyoji pitted their shikigami against one another, forbidden to use any other spells. Those who ranked highest would earn rewards…]

[You couldn’t help but ask what the greatest prize of the Shikigami Ritual Assembly was.]

[The Vice Palace Master was in no hurry to exchange magic knowledge and instead led you toward the platform…]

[As you walked, she explained that the Assembly was mainly for the younger generation of Onmyoji in the palace. The purpose was to discover shortcomings in their skills through combat and thereby improve together.]

[In shikigami battles, an Onmyoji’s control techniques were tested to the utmost. The same shikigami in different hands could display vastly different power.]

[If a novice Onmyoji could even draw out a tenth of their shikigami’s strength, they would already be considered exceptionally gifted.]

[As she spoke, you drew near the platform. The surrounding Onmyoji all bowed respectfully to the Vice Palace Master and stepped aside to open a path.]

[In front of the platform was a row of seats where several Onmyoji clad in ornate hunting robes were seated as judges.]

[Beside the seats, a beautiful woman was trapped within a barrier. She had long, smooth ice-blue hair and wore a pure white furisode kimono. Kneeling on the ground, her eyes were brimming with tears, looking heartbreakingly pitiful.]

[The woman seemed to sense your gaze and looked toward you with eyes pleading for rescue.]

[You have discovered the Origin-Tracing Snow Woman of the Mountain!]

[The Vice Palace Master pointed to the woman confined within the barrier and told you that this was the grand prize of this Shikigami Ritual Assembly.]

[However, the foreign mage must not be deceived by her exquisite appearance, she was a yokai Snow Woman!]

[Snow Women were originally ice and snow spirits who had used the Art of Transformation to take on this humanlike form. Countless mortals had been beguiled by her beauty, only to meet their deaths.]

[The Senior Onmyoji seated nearby all rose when the Vice Palace Master arrived, bowing respectfully and offering their seats.]

[The Vice Palace Master introduced you to them, saying you were an honored guest of Iya Palace, a powerful mage from a foreign land whose magic was extraordinarily potent, far beyond anything in Sakura Falls.]

[The Senior Onmyoji, hearing this, still bowed to you but could not fully hide the resentment on their faces.]

[You noticed that the Vice Palace Master seemed to be secretly signaling one of the Onmyoji among them.]

[That Senior Onmyoji immediately stepped forward, declaring that he had admired foreign magic for a long time and wished to spar with you to exchange techniques…]

[The Vice Palace Master smiled faintly and advised him to reconsider. She had already seen the power of foreign spells firsthand, and it was indeed overwhelming. Best not to bring humiliation upon himself.]

[However, foreign magic was all about channeling power through the self, and she wondered what attainments you had achieved in the way of shikigami. Would you be willing to demonstrate your command of shikigami for the disciples of the palace to witness?]

[Do you wish to agree to a shikigami duel against the Fire-Worshipping Senior Onmyoji?]

“Heh… This old crone really can’t bear even the slightest loss.”

Lin Xun’s single Falling Starlight in the palace had utterly crushed them, leaving the Vice Palace Master humiliated.

Now that she had heard the president excelled only in raw damage output and was unskilled in summoning battles, she wanted to seize the chance to regain face and reassert control over the later exchanges of spells.

But the Vice Palace Master did not know Lin Xun had no interest in exchanging spells at all, nor any intention of trading low-level skills for other people’s high-level ones.

Trade? For what? Wouldn’t it be simpler to just take it all for free?

[You quickly and modestly declined, saying you were not proficient in the art of shikigami. If you were to compete in shikigami duels, it would surely be laughable.]

[The Fire-Worshipping Onmyoji’s face darkened when he heard this. He raised his voice, shouting that surely the foreign mage did not disdain to offer him some instruction?!]

[His booming voice and indignant tone drew a crowd of young Onmyoji to watch and whisper among themselves.]

[You looked toward the Vice Palace Master, only to see her pretending not to notice, eyes downcast as though entirely uninvolved. You understood at once, then turned to point at the yokai Snow Woman trapped within the barrier, and spoke softly…]

[If you want me to instruct him, that is fine. However, I have heard that here in Sakura Falls, when one humbly seeks guidance, it is customary to offer a ‘disciple’s gift.’]

[As a guest from a foreign land, it is only proper for me to respect local customs. If my instruction proves satisfactory, then let this Snow Woman serve as the disciple’s gift!]

[At these words, all the Onmyoji erupted in an uproar.]

[The Snow Woman was the highest prize of this Assembly. The Senior Onmyoji did not dare agree lightly and looked anxiously toward the Vice Palace Master.]

[The Fire-Worshipping Vice Palace Master’s eyes flickered, then she declared before them all that you would now instruct the disciples of Iya Palace in the way of shikigami. During this exchange, no other spells or talismans would be permitted.]

[If your instruction proved proper, Iya Palace would not begrudge you the Snow Woman.]

“Since you insist on giving me a summoned beast, I suppose I will have to accept it with a smile.”

In your inventory, the Refined Copper Sand Maraca flickered with light. The Valkyrie seemed all too eager for battle.