[ High Priestess Fubuki Misaki's 2nd chamber. ]
" To think we had to destroy my main chamber just because of some stupid whim... " High Priestess Fubuki says as she stops smoking her pipe.
" It is despicable, has our bloodline getting weaker inside us just because we are all women, making us easily threatened like this. " she says some old myth s##t that every family, clan, or house, related to the 'Blue Blood Clan' believes, for only a 'male descendant' could have the privilege of the 'great ancestor's original powers.
" Mother-Sama, please don't think of that... " Yukino says as she apologizes for it, apologizing for over-sensing the whole thing thus making them have to repair the 1st Chamber.
" Don't apologize, dear daughter..., instead of blaming yourself, you should still keep that sharpness of yours... "
" In this world, threats can come from anywhere, even in the safest place that we know and control... "
" Not just that, all outside factors can be a threat even if we didn't know what it is... "
" Threat... " Yukino mumbles it while she kinda recounts something.
" Something in your mind, younger sister? " Makino asks her, wondering why is she spacing out again.
Yukino, remembering her last days on the 2nd Wave Raid against the Abyss Tower, remembers it as she briefly faced the 'Shiro Oni', the unknown entity that comes out from the Tower.
" Keukk! " Yukino feels angered and shamed remembering it.
She remembers the instant humiliation the 'Shiro Oni' gave her, to think a Tier V Gifted Human-like she could easily lose after her fighting many demons during her career as a Hunter and being the daughter of the Fubuki she is. Of course, it is unacceptable for her to lose so quickly without even giving the enemy a proper fight, the 'Shiro Oni' defeated her just by simply choking her to submission, making her vulnerable as she lost consciousness back then.
"( That 'Shiro Oni'..., it's unforgivable... )" she begins to think negatively, wondering what did he do to her in those vulnerable times she can't remember for in his slumber, her fate is technically in 'his hands', meaning he could've done anything at that time, even...
"( Grhhh, I don't want to think of it, better scan my whole body if he does something ASAP to my Private Doctor! )" Yukino begins to fear the unthinkable, for she is being fearful if the Oni really did something to her.
As she shivers, she begins to ask her mother about her other sisters' mission to deal with the 'Oni', asking her mother if it is possible for her to join her sister Himeko and Kinako to deal with the said 'Oni'.
" It would be too late, I've already deployed them days ago before your arrival... " High Priestess Fubuki says which surprised Yukino, she begins to sweat as she realized her mother just dispatch both of her sisters to attack the unknown demon.
Still in her surprise, she then politely asks her mother despite her loud tone, the loud tone is due to her worry for she worries for her other sisters, she knows the capability of the 'Shiro Oni', it deals with her without a sweat.
By any logic, if a Tier V like her could be easily defeated without that much effort, then how could her Tier 4.5 sisters could deal with him, especially...
" Black Creatures..., what are you talking about? " High Priestess Fubuki asks as Yukino explains it.
" Yes Mother-Sama, the 'Shiro Oni' can also summon many 'Black Creatures' out from the unknown, I've seen it with my own eyes including the others... "
" The others saw it, that's strange? "
" Pardon me...? "
" I didn't see any 'Black Creatures' in any record regarding the 'Oni', we all see only him fighting the demonic winged thing identified to be the demonized Hunter Adrian Waterson in every video published. "
" You can't see it if you only see using the help of technology Mother-Sama, you need to see it with your own eyes, and validate it with the others... "
" Even Lord Loki tells me that the camera didn't manage to record the 'Black Creatures' as if it doesn't exist at all or something? " Yukino explains the 'Black Creatures', she remembers how they act as they fight Adrian's summons in that battle between the two beings.
" He calls them the '...Shadows...', I think that is what I heard during that fight from him, I guess... "
" Forgive me if I didn't manage to scour more information regarding him, please punish this- "
" Enough, daughter..., I understand! " High Priestess Fubuki says after hearing all of this from Yukino herself, she begins to rethink things after hearing this and looks at Makino, staring at her which made Makino shivers.
" You may leave, my dear daughter Yukino... "
" Go get some rest, it has been a long journey for you... " she orders her.
" Excuse me... " Yukino gives her respect and leaves.
" *Sigh*... "
" How could you miss this detail, Makino? " High Priestess Fubuki asks Makino regarding the information that Yukino gives earlier, for she is the one who advised her to deploy both Himeko and Kinako in the first place.
" I... I... "
" Enough, if you can't say anything then what your younger sister just said was true... *sigh* " High Priestess Fubuki begins to worry about her daughters she deployed.
" Black Creatures, Shadows, can't be seen in the video and recorded on the camera, huh? "
" Does the 'Oni' have something to do with the 'Vampire'-type demons, Mother-Sama? " Makino asks.
" No, if he's a vampire type then he should've at least performed some blood technique shown in every record regarding him... "
" But the problem is, there's no evidence of him doing so, which means he's something entirely new... "
" Sheeesh! what a bothersome male he is, I wonder what more that demon is capable of daughter Makino? " High Priestess Fubuki asks her.
" Should we send backup towards Himeko and Kinako, Mother-Sama? " Makino asks her mother regarding this.
" No, it will probably be too late! "
" Hearing the things from Yukino, then I could immediately assume why the two daughters didn't contact me or you after many days of their deployment... " High Priestess Fubuki says as she had no choice but to just let them go.
" Mother-Sama, you... "
" We had no choice, Makino... "
" Our attempt has failed, the two are definitely dead now... " High Priestess says which shocks Makino, giving a wound to her mentality.
" They're dead...? it couldn't be...? it can't... "
...
( Meanwhile. )
" So, they had also been infested, huh? " Ragna says, asking Rachina as she checks the corpse of the two assassins that were sent to deal with him.
< Fubuki Himeko (LVL.93) >
< HP: 0 >
< Fubuki Kinako (LVL.91) >
< HP: 0 >
" Yes, master... " Rachina says as she pulls something out from their corpse.
< Name: Deviant Branded Worm (X2) >
< Level: 90 >
< Threat Level: S >
< Threat: Infestation >
*Branded Worm Glitters in Rachina's shadow hands.*
" Burn it... " Ragna orders Rachina to burn that accursed thing in disgust while looking at the two corpses.
" It's been too late for them, they were infested into the Core. " Ragna 69 shows up to him with his Spiritual Body.
" They must've been concocting this for a long time, do you know the reasons? " Ragna asks 69.
" I know, since I've seen many in my Timeline before... " he says while seeing the burned 'Branded Worms'.
" These worms are one of the greatest materials for the 'Kodoku Ritual'*, I don't know if it still exists in this Timeline's Japan but... "
" I see, it's 'Kodoku' huh... "
" I've sensed some 'battle royale' must've happened if this was the case. " Ragna says as he sighs.
" Kukuku, guess everything is getting out of hand, we better do something regarding this, shall we? " Ragna asks 69 as he burst laughs after knowing some things.
" Bahahaha! " Ragna laughs as he ends the day with laughter while still enjoying his time in [Tsukiyo Brothel] while the Deviant Branded Worms burn.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Extra:
* 'Kodoku Ritual':
The sacred ritual of Kodoku consists of filling some sort of ritual jar with poisonous critters, such as insects, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes while also giving some Deviant Object or Material to make the creatures more vicious inside the jar. These creatures would then be sealed within the jar for a long time as they were filled with great Deviant energy, as the Deviant Energy amplifies the creatures' animalistic nature, they began to horrifically prey upon each other in order to survive.
In some cases, as these creatures feast on each other, the only surviving creatures often became a 'Deviant Branded Worm', a worm combined from centipedes, spiders, and many creatures, an unexplainable Deviantic creature with different kinds of proportions since this creature is made through many mutations and combinations from the creatures that were mostly 'Chimeraic' so it can't be classified.
This kind of Demonic Ritual is popularly used in the late 69th and the 100th Timeline, where in both Timelines, things like Sorcery are still at their peak before the Diviners managed to suppress this factor in the latest Timelines and finally managed to get rid of it in this Current 1.111th Timeline.
Until now...