mission

Kifune shrine, Kyoto

The shrine is shrouded in darkness even in the scorching light of the day, tinting the surroundings.

The shrine has a legend that, when a lady dressed in white, having a crown that has with 3 burning candles on it, placed a straw doll against the tree inside the shrine and hit a spot on it for 7 nights. The curse will manifest on the intended victim and eventually kills the victim. If anyone sees the woman during the Ritual, the curse will be nullified.

However as a side effect of the Ritual and rumours spread, this place formed a powerful cursed spirit in the past having the power of the Ritual in more simple form. Eventually becoming a cursed place.

The infamous shrine is a tourist spot that is famous for being a cursed place. Though, tourists don't take it seriously which reduced the wariness of local people reducing the power of curse persent in the shrine drastically.

But, it does spawn cursed spirit ocassionally and it should be exorcised.

"...and that's the information we have about this place"

The auxiliary manager explained to Yoshi.

"if you find any new information during the exorcism, please inform us"

Yoshi nodded, to be honest she already knew about this place as she grown up here and studied about various supernatural phenomenon but the manager didn't listen to her at all.

The auxiliary manager also took out a small and ugly worm like cursed spirit in a cage and handed it over to Yoshi.

"What should I do with this cursed spirit?"

"Since this mission may take atleast 7 days to solve due to the cursed spirit's ability, you might need this. This grade-4 cursed spirit is given to all official sorcerers who take long missions. Consuming this cursed spirit can allow you not feel hunger for atleast 2-3 weeks."

Seeing the disgusting crawling cursed spirit and thinking about eating it. Yoshi visibly gagged.

"I would rather die of starvation than consuming it"

"Very well, it's your Choice" The auxiliary manager took the cursed spirit back. It's common occurrence to him.

"I have one more doubt, did you guys really evacuate everyone from shrine?"

"Yes, why would you ask?"

"I sense a group of people inside the shrine. Well they are inside a barrier to be precise. So, it's not surprising you would not notice them"

The auxiliary manager immediately tensed "There are still people in there? How many did you count? "

"12, but they are fine though. It seems one of them is even a sorcerer, although he probably don't know it. He looks tense too. "

"Haa~, I should have expected it, but the situation is still better if they are just locked up. Please make sure there are least number of casualities"

It is unrealistic to save everyone when curses are involved. Even if one person is saved, it's a better outcome. Yoshi is also a new sorcereress. So, The auxiliary manager just told her to do her best.

Stepping on the hill, Yoshi watched a cutain fell behind her as the auxiliary manager chanted the incantation.

"It's just me and the curse. I can do it"

Yoshi took a talisman from her Dark armory and activated it. Her shikigami , which is a small octopus like tentacles spreading from the eye in the middle appeared, although it looked smaller in size, it is at most the size of a basketball.

"Meki, go and provoke the curse and don't get killed by it"

ordering the shikigami , she began walking up the stairs. The shrine is on top of the small hill.

She summoned the hammer and went to rescue the civilians first.

The secondary barrier is inside the shrine where the civilians are present, just as she stepped in the shrine, she felt like like she's in an entirely different space, the civilians are inside a room with no windows or doors.

It's just a large closed cubical room.

Reinforcing her body with cursed energy, Yoshi went near the Civilians who are visibly scared by a goth girl in black dress holding a hammer who spawned out of no where.

Yoshi understood it. So, she stopped few feet away from them and explained the situation to them

"I know you are scared but I'm here to rescue you. Look, I even brought a hammer to destroy the walls."

Although it's a bad lie, one of them bought it and came forward towards Yoshi. He's the guy who Yoshi thought was a sorcerer. He held her hand while trembling.

"R..Really! Ar..are you here to save us?"

Just as he touched Yoshi, she immediately sensed the change in the cursed energy of the trembling man, at the same time, the cursed spirit her shikigami provoked vanished.

Yoshi jumped back instantly away from the man.

The timid man's face changed into a smirk, his cursed energy spiked.

Yoshi felt her hand empty.

"Are you looking for this? Miss Shifuin?"

The curse user who acted as a timid man mocked as he showed his hand equipped with her Dark armory glove.

"I must say, this is a rare piece of art. A storage type cursed tool is rare even 100 years back, you know. "

The curse user summoned various cursed tools Yoshi stored inside the glove. Finally he held the Naginata, and swung it in the air.

The head of 11 civilians rolled down.

"Even the cursed tools in this gloves are not bad"

Yoshi just watched as she knew she could do nothing more than observe. This is clearly another assassination attempt on her. The enemy knew about her information that she relies on cursed tools and even her dark armory.

"Right, you won't know my old name so, I will just go down to business. My cursed technique i-"

"No!" Without letting him complete, Yoshi punched him in the face.

But the curse user simply blocked it with his hand. Yoshi tried to kick him in his groin but a shield appeared making her legs feel numb.

"My~, a special grade cursed tool too? I'm envious of your treasury. Even I was not this rich back in my day"

He backed away with a smile and replied "You are a fiesty one. Anyway, My cursed techniques is called 3 faces, you know like the poem , One I show to everyone, One I show to my close people, One I never show anyone."

Yoshi stood far from the curse user. In the next moment, she blitzed at him and kicked his leg.

But, nothing happened.

"Ack!" She felt a strong punch to her gut, but this time she was ready for it and blocked it.

That's when they began exchanging blows with each other.

Yoshi felt a strong kick to her chest, which brought tears to her eyes due to pain and then, she felt a cursed spirit hold her from the back. It is the cursed spirit that should be 'cursing' this place.

'A shiki..gami? 3 faces... A shikigami, Ability to swap objects and there's another ability that I don't know'

"Now then, how should I kill you~" The curse user pondered.

"...theti..." Yoshi muttered.

"What was that?" The curse user asked.

"Your cursed technique is just pathetic"

"Hm... Are you trying to get the information out of me about my complete cursed technique? "

"I failed? Screw it, I will kill you either way"

Yoshi overloaded her contact lenses with cursed energy destroying them as a consequence. With her golden eyes exposed, she directly looked at the curse user.

"ARGHHHHHH!!!"

A scream echoed throughout the room.

The curse user didn't know why but suddenly he felt excruciating pain like his organs are being churned.

And from Yoshi's point of view, that's what exactly is happening.

'It's been so long since I used this cursed tool, the curse is not killing, but the organs, nerves, and muscles are being twisted and compressed . No wonder all of these people die with a horrible scream'

Being released from his hold, she looked down at the writhing body of cursed user as he died, his shikigami vanished. Looking at the scene of blood and corpses, she could not think about them as she fell down holding her stomach and lying down.

The strong scent of blood and flesh made her nose twitch but that's it.

"Arghhh! I hate Pain!!."

Yoshi held her stomach in pain, although she has some pain tolerance, she still loathes being in pain.

Looking at the body that morphed into another person in place of curse user and a trace of familiar cursed energy. A realisation dawned on her.

"That damn Geezer!!"

...

The auxiliary manager Shiki, looked at the crumbling reality inside the veil, an image of a vibrant hill appeared, along with the shrine that looked completely different.

"She's quick"

Not thinking much, he entered the veil and then the Shrine, to see Yoshi holding her stomach with painful expression and rolling around cursing. Seeing the scene, he didn't made a judgement yet.

"I will killl you before you die!!! You old fuck!!"

After sometime, manager Shiki got the information he needed and gave the Dark Armory back to Yoshi.

Yoshi didn't suffer any serious injury but her stomach is bruised.

"anyway, why are you not looking into my eyes? Did you suffer an injury to the eye?"

Shiki asked seriously. Yoshi is trained to close her eyes in the presence of others if she doesn't have contact lenses by her grandmother. Due to that habit, she never opened them after she used them on cursed user.

"it's easy to show you, You see that raven?"

Yoshi pointed at a raven near the shrine. Shiki looked at the raven and saw Yoshi cross him. The raven flew away a little before it crowed in pain mid air and fell down with blood flowing out of its beak.

"That's what happens if I look at you now without my contacts or shades"

Shiki gulped seeing the bloodied raven.

"Anyway Manager, can you please find information on Ogami for me?"