Both guardians stood furiously against the adventurers, both wielding swords that were equally made of stone.
"Genta, you might want to keep a long distance," Shizu said to her, "but not too long so you would be able to use your multiple kaifuku on anyone of us who needs it."
"Yes, Master," Genta replied, taking several steps backward.
"Alright, the rest of you, take on the defensive formation I told you about," Shizu instructed. So Kazuya and Kenpachi stood at the forefront, while Orihime and Shizu stood behind them but kept a wider distance from each other. Then, the moment the two statues took the first step, Kazuya and Kenpachi sprinted forward, running with all the speed they could muster.
The guardians both swung their swords down at the duo, who quickly ran out of the way, aiming for the legs of the statues. The swords that were meant to crush them cut deeply into the ground, while Kazuya and Kenpachi ran forward, each getting closer to the lower limb of the guardian they were each facing.
Kazuya got to close range, and with his sword swung backward, he cried out...
"Explosive Spectacle!"
Then he cut through the foot of the guardian with his sword, and barely a second after he did so, the foot exploded, triggering cracks that crumbled its entire leg. This sudden loss of a limb caused the guardian to trip, and given its large mass, it could no longer support itself, and it fell facedown to the ground. The moment it fell, it crumbled into pieces, and its destruction was complete.
Kenpachi did the same thing to his guardian idol coming after him, and with all the momentum he had, he cut through the foot of the guardian, crying out...
"Instant Petrification!"
This caused the foot of the guardian to instantly freeze, but given the momentum the statue had along with its immense weight, it couldn't be supported. So its foot broke off from its body, and like the other fallen statue, it too stumbled and fell face-down to the ground, instantly crashing into several pieces.
Kazuya and Orihime were surprised to see Kenpachi's technique for the first time, although Shizu and Genta were well aware of it. Perhaps it was because Kenpachi seemed to be someone who had no affinity for magic and relied solely on his brute strength and intellect. But seeing him use an ice technique in such an advanced way was entertaining to watch, so much so that Kazuya was almost jealous about it.
With both guardians destroyed, all that remained was the idol of Sarasa herself, looking more lifeless than the guardians were before their destruction. Unlike the guardians, her eyes didn't glow, and neither did she make any reaction when her temple was being desecrated by rebels or when her guardians were being destroyed.
The statue remained there, idle, doing what a dead idol was expected to do at a time like this: nothing.
Then Kazuya and Kenpachi looked back at Shizu, who gave a nod of approval, and in response, they both ran forward towards the statue of Sarasa. As they ran forward, Shizu and Orihime ran forward as well, but maintained their formation, keeping a fair distance between them and the duo at the forefront, while Genta kept hers from behind them as she ran forward as well.
"Mind if we both get this over with as one?" asked Kazuya.
"No," Kenpachi replied.
"Good," Kazuya responded as they both ran towards the statue. Kenpachi cut through it using his "instant petrification" technique right before Kazuya cut through the now-frozen idol, and with his "explosive spectacle" technique, the idol exploded into hundreds of broken, frozen pieces.
That was it. The two guardians of the temple were destroyed, as well as the sacred idol of the goddess. They had successfully raided and desecrated the temple. A declaration of rebellion couldn't get more apparent than this, and the goddess would have to respond to this if she had a thread of pride in her. But nothing happened.
Kazuya looked at the others, and they all looked back at him and the others among them.
It was obvious that they all had the same question lingering in their minds since nothing had happened.
"What now?"
They looked around, and the temple looked just the same as it had before they got in, with the only notable difference being that there had been no destruction before they came in.
But right at the moment when Orihime was about to voice out the question that lingered on everybody's mind, a powerful wind blew into the temple, a wind so powerful that everyone had to brace themselves out of the fear of getting swept away by the breeze.
The wind caused all the doors and windows of the temple to close, including the large gate that served as the entrance and exit of the temple. All the ways out and into the temple were sealed, and it was a clear indication that the goddess was about to declare judgement on the desecrators, and it was exclusively meant for them.
Thanks to the several candelabra that illuminated the temple from within, the area was not completely dark.
"Genta!" Kenpachi cried out.
"I'm here!" Genta replied, "I'm fine!"
Forget the formation! "Stay closer to Shizu for now!" he commanded.
"Hai!" Genta responded as she went closer to Shizu for protection.
It was at that moment, in the same spot where the statue of the goddess once was, that a bright light shone, one that was so brilliant that it made all other lights of no value. Everyone present in the temple, including the unfortunate pilgrims who refused to heed Orihime's warning, braced themselves to avoid getting struck blind by the intensity of the light.
Then, the bright light began to dwindle, and they could now open their eyes, and right before them was a woman.
A woman with a beauty unrivalled by any female on all of earth, a woman with so much grace and charisma that people took note of her even before she could utter a word. The moment she appeared, everyone stood in awe of her greatness, including the adventurers who desecrated the temple.
She was dressed in a transparent white kimono, and her glowing white hair naturally waved through the air as if she were underwater. Her silver eyes glowed brilliantly, and her skin was as white as snow. Her lips were plump yet not too tender; they were vibrant pink in color but not too dark. Her shape was slender but not pale.
She was beauty at its perfection; perhaps that was why everyone was in awe, and there was no irregularity about her in that regard.
She came down, setting her foot on the stump of what remained of her grave image. She looked down at the scattered frozen pieces of what was once the graven idol that glorified her as if she were mourning for it. Then she looked back at the people standing before her.
The worshippers who were also trapped in the temple instantly recognized it as the spitting image of the idol they worshipped in flesh. Without getting reminded, they bowed down and worshipped her, reciting prayers and singing spiritual songs in obeisance.
She wasn't just any beautiful seductress dressed in a transparent white kimono. It was the person for whom this temple was built. It was the person to whom all the pilgrims and worshippers came to pay their respects. It was the goddess of wisdom, war, and the arts.
She was Sarasa.
Unexpectedly, the look she gave them wasn't one of anger or spite, but rather one of apathy and a condescending attitude. She looked like someone who rightfully couldn't take this too seriously, as she knew that she could make quick work of destroying everyone in the temple as she wished.
Her face was cold and docile, showing no passion for or against what had just been done to her temple.
"I assume you all are the people who raided and desecrated my temple," she said to them as she stretched forth her hand.
The moment she did so, a long sword appeared within her grasp, and she grabbed the weapon as she began walking towards the adventurers.
She turned to the worshippers at the edge of the temple, who were bowing and worshipping her.
"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at the worshippers as if they were doing something bizarre. But they kept on singing and worshipping without ceasing, and Sarasa sighed, ignoring them and focusing on her prime targets—the adventurers.
Kazuya and Kenpachi stood before the goddess, but before they could react in any way, within a fraction of a second, she appeared right in front of Kenpachi, bringing down her sword for his head. Thankfully, Kenpachi was quick enough to jump out of the way. He widened his eyes in amazement at how quick her movement was, and then, within the blink of an eye, she came from behind him, ready to strike again.
He quickly blocked the attack with his sword, but didn't have enough time to fully turn backwards before blocking her attack. She took advantage of this by kicking him to the ground, and he fell facedown with a mighty thud. Then she stomped her foot on his head before running her sword through his lower back, causing him to scream out loudly in pain even though his head was pounded into the ground.
Then she slowly pulled out the sword before facing the other adventurers, while a pool of blood formed underneath Kenpachi's body.
"Kenpachi!" Genta and Shizu cried out, while Kazuya and Orihime stood frozen in disbelief at how easily the goddess had bested Kazuya without manifesting any sort of magic whatsoever.
Then the goddess, with a frighteningly cold stare, swung off the residual blood from the sword before facing the rest of them.
"Now then, who is next?" she asked.