"This matter has to be traced back to the history of Hoori Town from hundreds of years ago."
Granny Chiyo asked, "You all should have heard the legend of the town, right?"
Nijika nodded, "It is said that the dog god helped the Mochizuki family drive away the daimyo's army... Since the divine blade exists, the dog god must also be real, so the matter is actually true? The daimyo really sent an army of over a thousand people?"
"That's artistic embellishment from later times; in fact, there weren't that many enemy troops."
Granny Chiyo shook her head, "Hoori is just a remote small town, and the terrain can't be called easy to defend or hard to attack. Of course the daimyo wouldn't mobilize a large force."
Actually, the other side only sent two hundred armored soldiers.
Though most of the armor was made of animal hides and mostly ragged, not to mention lacking full-body coverage, and the weapons in their hands varied greatly in quality.
But when facing a group of poorly clothed farmers who could only use hoes and pitchforks as weapons, it was still a dimensionality-reduction strike.
If nothing unexpected happened, these two hundred people would have easily taken Hoori Town. Unfortunately, a dog god jumped out halfway, ignoring martial ethics, and launched a sneak attack.
Letting this group of soldiers bully malnourished and timid farmers was of course their specialty. Burning, killing, looting, creating chaos, and recklessly unleashing the darkness in their hearts.
But when facing a legendary monster, they became very fragile.
Even the samurai leading the army, clad in full armor and standing at 1.7 meters tall.
Compared to his subordinates, in terms of both equipment and physique, he was several levels above.
But when facing the dog god who stood 1.9 meters tall and was covered in bulging muscles, he still seemed like a weak child, cut in half with one blow.
Seeing the boss dead, the army's morale collapsed, and everyone only cared about running for their lives.
In the end, except for a few who escaped by luck, the rest of the evil soldiers were all slaughtered by the furious dog god, resolving the crisis of Hoori Town.
The dog god also exhausted its power because of this. After leaving behind the Murakumomaru blade that helped it slay enemies, it turned into specks of light and dissipated between heaven and earth.
Among those soldiers who escaped, someone reported the matter in Hoori Town to the daimyo.
The daimyo was furious, but in the face of a legendary monster, he still had scruples in his heart, and in the end, the matter was left unsettled.
Hoori Town should have regained peace from then on, but perhaps because the dog god's killing intent was too strong, the resentment of those soldiers it killed did not disperse and turned into Vengeful Spirits, continuing to haunt this land.
With no other option, the Mochizuki family had to build a shrine, using the power of Murakumomaru, taking on the mission of expelling the Vengeful Spirits generation after generation.
"But why did the Vengeful Spirits target us?", Kita was baffled.
The matter has become obvious to this point. The Vengeful Spirits and the dog god are enemies. There's no need for them to fight for the dog god. The reason they attacked the girls must be something else.
Regarding this, Granny Chiyo was also somewhat puzzled. She frowned and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Perhaps, they didn't target you, but this honored guest instead."
The honored guest she pointed to was naturally Kaito.
Compared to ordinary people, Vengeful Spirits do indeed prefer to attack those with spiritual power. If the former is plain tea and simple food, the latter is a luxurious feast, not only more delicious but also more nutritious.
But this is just speculation. What if the Vengeful Spirits were actually moved by lust?
After all, they are monsters formed from resentment, their actions cannot be judged by common sense, and any behavioral logic wouldn't be strange.
"There are still vacant rooms in the shrine. If you guests don't mind, why not stay here? It should help avoid further attacks from the Vengeful Spirits."
"During this time, I will also lead the shrine maidens up the mountain to purify evil energies as much as possible. I believe this should calm them down for a while."
Granny Chiyo's personality carried a certain aura of decisive action, she must have been a fiery miko in her youth.
"Isn't there a once-and-for-all method?", Nijika couldn't help asking.
"No," Granny Chiyo sighed, feeling helpless too.
Vengeful Spirits are monsters born from resentment. As long as resentment remains, even if they are temporarily purified, they will rise again soon after.
Resentment does not dissipate with time; it only becomes more intense.
Just like vengeful spirits who died unjustly don't suddenly become enlightened and reincarnate peacefully just because a long time has passed.
To eliminate resentment, one must resolve their obsessions. But the Vengeful Spirits' obsession is to take revenge on Hoori, so it's a dead knot that can't be untied.
The Mochizuki Shrine certainly couldn't help the Vengeful Spirits get revenge on their own people just to eliminate their resentment.
What's the difference between that and hurting yourself tenfold to harm the enemy?
There's no other way, just like a diligent gardener removing weeds from the yard, they must go up the mountain regularly to purify the Vengeful Spirits and prevent them from growing.
Of course, for Kaito, there's actually another more direct and effective method.
If the Vengeful Spirits don't want to let go of their obsession, then just keep beating them up until they're willing to let go of it.
The so-called lingering resentment only exists because the beatdown isn't strong enough. If you directly pull out the source of the resentment and grind its bones to dust a hundred times, a hundred times, then these Vengeful Spirits naturally wouldn't have any chance of resurrection.
"That being said... isn't this method a little too simple and crude?"
After hearing this theory, Yumiko hesitated to speak and looked conflicted.
Instead, fangirl Kita had stars in her eyes, grabbing Bocchi's arm and enthusiastically agreeing, "I actually think it makes a lot of sense! As expected of Kaito-kun!"
Nijika looked a little worried, unconsciously clenching her fists in front of her chest, "Are you confident?"
Kaito said, "Close your eyes."
'Eh?'
Shimokitazawa's Archangel looked a little surprised but still obediently closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes were like fine brushes, trembling slightly.
Kaito: "..."
He coughed and said, "I meant, this kind of small matter, I can do it even with my eyes closed."
That wasn't a lie.
Even with his eyes closed, he still had divine sense to use.
"I-I see...", Nijika blushed, only now realizing she had misunderstood.
'And to think I thought...'
'N-no, can't keep thinking about it!'
Granny Chiyo originally thought this statement was a bit too confident, 'Vengeful Spirits aren't that easy to beat.'
But on second thought, the other party was able to effortlessly insta-kill two Vengeful Spirits, so he did have a reason to be confident.
Compared to waiting passively, Kaito preferred to take the initiative.
Regardless of the Vengeful Spirits' true intentions, attacking him was a fact, clearly asking for death.
Coincidentally, there was a purification operation tonight, so he planned to go up the mountain together and root out the source of the resentment.
Granny Chiyo didn't object either. Having an extra powerful fighter on the purification team at least ensured better safety.
"Can we go too?", Yumiko raised her hand, looking hopeful but also worried about being a burden.
The other girls felt the same. Purifying Vengeful Spirits... this scene was like something out of a movie. There's no way they wouldn't want to watch.
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