Chapter 4

From Suigun Gakuin, following the crisscrossing streets, and passing through the urban architectural complex that resembles a maze, one can see a vast, lush hill.

The sunlight filtered through the dense trees, with only a small portion allowed to penetrate the foliage and sprinkle onto the ground, creating a beautiful and intricate pattern like a carpet of broken flowers.

Deep within this forest, teeming with life and warmth, a stone staircase quietly traversed the entire hill, leading to the famous Yanagido Temple at its end.

After finally bidding farewell to Fujimura Daigawa, Yanagido Reikan, with a pleasant mood after school, walked through the woods and climbed the stairs back home.

Pushing open the ancient wooden door, he saw his father, the head priest, sitting on the corridor facing the mountain gate, holding a cup of clear tea, seemingly waiting for someone.

"Reikan, come here."

Seeing Yanagido Reikan return, he immediately beckoned him over, then pointed to the mat beside him, indicating for him to sit down.

Yanagido Reikan curiously smacked his lips and obediently sat down.

"Father, is there something you need?"

Upon hearing this, he placed the cup on the floor beside him and looked at his eldest son seriously, "Reikan, you will go out with me shortly. I just received a request to exorcise a demon."

"What?"

Yanagido Reikan was surprised.

In his memory, his father had never taken him along on exorcism missions. What was different this time? Why did his father decide to bring him along?

Although he found it strange to be involved in an exorcism, Yanagido Reikan did not feel afraid; instead, he felt a surge of excitement. His surprise stemmed from the unexpected change in his father's attitude, especially since he had been severely punished by his father for a failed exorcism attempt not long ago.

As if reading his son's mind, his father smiled and explained, "Reikan, I have taught you all I can. Now, you need real combat experience. Only through actual combat can you hone your skills and spiritual power to become a true mage. From today on, I can only protect you from the sidelines."

"I understand, Father!" Yanagido Reikan responded solemnly.

—With his extraordinary powers, he was finally about to step into that dangerous yet exciting world!

Seeing that Yanagido Reikan was not affected by his previous failure and instead showed a more determined expression, his father felt very satisfied. "Go and prepare. We will set out shortly."

"Okay!"

Yanagido Reikan nodded, stood up, and walked back to his room.

He threw his schoolbag onto the futon, thought for a moment, opened the drawer, and put the talismans he had drawn over the past few days into his pocket, thus completing his preparations.

Leaving his room and closing the door, Yanagido Reikan quickly returned to his father's side.

Because his soul was from the modern world, Yanagido Reikan did not particularly like the robes worn by mages during exorcisms; he found them too cumbersome and less convenient than school uniforms during battles.

Moreover, by casting protective talismans on his school uniform beforehand, he could achieve effects comparable to exorcism robes, so he wore his school uniform for this mission.

At this moment, his father had already put on a gray monk's robe and was holding a staff, dressed in the standard attire of a mage performing an exorcism.

Seeing Yanagido Reikan's attire, he frowned but did not say much, leading the way to the mountain gate, thinking to himself, "You are still a child. Once you suffer a setback, you will understand the importance of exorcism robes and the staff!"

Seeing this, Yanagido Reikan hurriedly followed.

Leaving Yanagido Temple and heading to their destination, Yanagido Reikan asked, "Father, what kind of demon are we dealing with this time?"

"Not 'we,' but 'you.' This time, you are the one truly responsible for the exorcism!" His father corrected him and then explained, "In a dilapidated house near Fuyuki, a monster appears every night, luring passing animals and people to devour them. Your task is to find a way to eliminate it!"

"Do you know what type of demon it is?"

"No, the person who requested the exorcism has never seen its true form. Everything depends on your judgment!"

"Unknown type of demon..." Yanagido Reikan frowned, lost in thought.

The methods used by mages to exorcise demons are highly targeted. If the type of demon cannot be accurately determined, the talismans used by the mage will be much less effective, and there is a risk of being killed by a demon weaker than oneself. He had to be cautious!

Beside him, his father remained silent, leading the way without a word.

Their walking pace was neither slow nor fast. When they reached the dilapidated house, the sky was already dark, and a crescent moon was slowly rising from the east.

"This is the place where the exorcism is required. It's up to you!"

"Okay!"

Yanagido Reikan stepped forward and carefully examined the house.

The house was not large, surrounded by broken walls. The main building was dilapidated, as if it would be blown away by a strong wind.

The surroundings were gloomy and damp, and Yanagido Reikan could sensitively feel the residual impurities in the air. His rationality told him that there was indeed a demon inside the house!

He thought for a moment, then flipped his hand and took out a talisman from his pocket. Gathering his spiritual power, he threw it out.

"Poof—"

With a light sound, the talisman suddenly emitted a white mist, and a black crow emerged, circling in the air a few times before flying into the house.

"Using a familiar to lure the demon, not bad!" His father nodded slightly in approval behind him.

Yanagido Reikan focused his attention, controlling the crow to fly around the house. To lure out the demon, he deliberately made the crow fly slowly, occasionally landing on furniture to pretend to rest.

After a while, when the crow was about to land again, there was finally some movement inside the room.

"Boom—"

The floor was suddenly broken from below, and a black shadow quickly shot up, grabbing the crow.

"It's out!"

At the same time, Yanagido Reikan's eyes sharpened, and he casually threw a lighting talisman.

When he clearly saw the figure, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Not far from him stood a large, sturdy human skeleton!

Seeing a supernatural being for the first time, Yanagido Reikan instinctively froze.

"Reikan!"

At his father's call, Yanagido Reikan quickly regained his senses and saw the skeleton, which had shifted its attention to him due to the disappearance of the crow, rushing towards him.

The skeleton's teeth were neatly arranged, white and sharp, making a terrifying grinding sound in the air. If bitten, even steel would bear clear marks!

Yanagido Reikan instinctively extended his right hand, palm facing the skeleton, and shouted, "Spiritual Power Impact!" A small energy ball quickly shot out and hit the skeleton.

"Ugh!"

The skeleton let out a惨叫 and was thrown back, rolling on the ground and crashing into an old, paint-peeled wardrobe, shattering it.

With the first strike successful, Yanagido Reikan did not become careless. He took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and held a talisman between his index and middle fingers, carefully guarding.

"Crack, crack, crack, crack!!"

The skeleton slowly crawled out of the wardrobe, its movements less agile, clearly showing that Yanagido Reikan's spiritual power impact had caused significant damage.

"It's not that impressive!"

Seeing this, Yanagido Reikan quickly threw the talisman, which stuck to the skeleton's forehead. Spiritual power burst forth, emitting a brilliant light. Instantly, the skeleton let out a terrifying roar, the sound echoing throughout the house.

"Without a throat, where does the sound come from?"

As Yanagido Reikan pondered this, the skeleton's body rapidly disintegrated, suddenly exploding with a "boom," creating a shockwave that blew away the surrounding debris.

The long-abandoned house also trembled from the impact, dust swirling down.

"It's over..."

Just as Yanagido Reikan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, an ominous "crack" sounded from above.

"Huh!?"

Yanagido Reikan and his father looked up simultaneously. The main beam of the house was severely bent, with large cracks visible, and fragments were falling.

The dilapidated house, which had already been standing improbably, seemed to have exhausted its last bit of strength after the skeleton's explosion.

"Go!"

His father made a quick decision, grabbing Yanagido Reikan and dashing out.

"Boom!"

Just as they emerged from the house, the entire structure collapsed behind them...