!!!
Mōryō's words left the three people in front of the sealing formula completely stunned.
"Become one!?"
The most shocked was Miroku. Like most Priestesses, her mother had passed away early, so she knew very little about Mōryō.
"What does this mean?"
She asked, her eyes filled with confusion and unease.
Mōryō, seeming generous and magnanimous, explained.
"What does it mean? Hehehe... It's simple. You and I are originally two hearts sharing one body."
Now Miroku understood. Not just Miroku, but Rasa and Honoka also grasped the meaning. Mōryō's words implied that the so-called Priestess and Mōryō were actually the same person.
"No... that's impossible..."
This was unacceptable to Miroku, who had always upheld the duty of destroying Mōryō.
Seeing Miroku's vehement denial, Mōryō became even more pleased with itself.
"What... can't accept it? Then let me tell you. Thousands of years ago, there was no Mōryō in this world—only the Priestess. But the Priestess's power was too great. To avoid misusing this power, the Priestess split her heart in two. Over time, this gave rise to two distinct identities and names: the Priestess and Mōryō. So, you can't destroy me. Our destinies are intertwined, and they will remain so until the day you devour me, or I devour you. Hehehe."
At that moment, Miroku's pupils contracted, and her entire worldview seemed to crumble.
"H-how... how can this be? You must be lying to me, right..."
"No... Priestess, Mōryō is not lying to you..."
A sudden voice came from behind Miroku. It wasn't Mōryō, but Yomi, the minister of the Land of Demons, who walked in with five oddly dressed attendants.
"Y-Yomi..."
Miroku was also startled.
Yomi glanced at Rasa with a dark expression.
"Shinobi from Sunagakure, huh?"
Then, with a look of reverence, he turned to the freed Mōryō and said to the disbelieving Miroku,
"I'm sorry, Lady Miroku. You were too young at the time. The Priestess, worried that you wouldn't be able to accept this, told me everything and asked me to inform you when you grew up. However, I never expected that the Priestess would trust shinobi from another village so much and directly undo Mōryō-sama's seal. This saves me some trouble."
Yomi's words essentially confirmed what Mōryō had said, which struck Miroku like a blow. She trembled and stepped back in disbelief until she bumped into a broad chest.
She turned her panicked gaze and saw Rasa's calm eyes.
"Don't worry. Since I promised I wouldn't let you come to harm, I'll keep my word. Honoka, take care of Miroku."
Honoka, though also shaken, obediently stepped forward and took the trembling Miroku from Rasa's arms. Seeing the fear and unease in Miroku's eyes, Honoka thought for a moment and comforted her, saying,
"Don't worry, Miroku. Although this guy's chest is a little tight, he always keeps his promises."
Hearing this, Rasa twitched a little. Seriously, little girl. Choose your words wisely.
Meanwhile, Yomi had already stepped forward with an excited gleam in his eyes and knelt before Mōryō, saying,
"Finally, Mōryō-sama, I can meet you in person!"
Seeing Yomi before him, Mōryō asked in a puzzled tone,
"Who are you?"
"My name is Yomi, Mōryō-sama. I am your loyal follower. I learned of your existence from ancient texts of the Land of Demons, as well as the kingdom you founded a thousand years ago. I am here to help you rebuild that kingdom."
"Hmm..."
After a moment of contemplation, Mōryō coldly rejected Yomi.
"Not interested."
This left Yomi stunned.
"W-why?"
"Hehehe, why? Because you're too weak. Now that my seal is broken, I can rule this land on my own. Why would I need you?"
Yomi was at a loss. He had planned to earn Mōryō's favor by taking credit for breaking the seal, but Miroku had undone it herself, ruining his plans.
As Yomi was racking his brain for a new approach, Rasa, who had already pieced together the so-called "secret" of Mōryō, let out a disdainful laugh.
"Another frog at the bottom of a well, dreaming of ruling the shinobi world."
!!!
This immediately drew the attention of both Yomi and Mōryō. Yomi saw an opportunity and stood up, glaring at Rasa with a dark expression.
"Shinobi from Sunagakure, are you underestimating Mōryō-sama's power!?"
Yomi was trying to provoke a conflict between Mōryō and Rasa to gain Mōryō's approval. But he hadn't expected Rasa to be so direct.
"That's right. A mere demon like you, dreaming of ruling the shinobi world? How laughable."
Yomi was momentarily stunned, then inwardly delighted. Mōryō, on the other hand, grew visibly angry, its voice low and filled with malice as it asked,
"Human, do you know what you're saying?!"
Rasa, unflinching, shrugged his shoulders.
"Of course. And if I'm not mistaken, you being sealed here wasn't exactly voluntary, was it? It means someone stronger has sealed you."
!!!
Mōryō shuddered, its tone turning icy.
"What are you talking about?"
Everyone could sense the shift in Mōryō's demeanor, and even Yomi's expression changed slightly.
Rasa didn't hold back.
"Let me guess. The one who sealed you here was the Sage of Six Paths!"
!!!
The moment that name was uttered, the underground palace was once again filled with turbulence. Deep purple chakra erupted from Mōryō like sparks, whipping up violent winds that forced everyone to shield themselves.
"Bastard... bastard...!"
Mōryō's voice was filled with hatred.
This was enough to confirm that Rasa was right—Mōryō had indeed been sealed here by the Sage of Six Paths.
Even Honoka, who was comforting Miroku, paled. As a member of the Uzumaki clan, she was familiar with the name, but she had always thought it was just a myth.
After roaring for a while, Mōryō finally calmed down. Its eight massive heads lowered, glaring intently at Rasa as it asked,
"Who told you this!?"
Then, its gaze shifted to Honoka.
"I see. It was that bastard from Hirazaka, wasn't it?"
This left Honoka confused. She had no idea who Hirazaka was.
Rasa, however, suddenly understood and asked,
"You mean the Shinigami, right?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Mōryō became even more enraged.
"So it was that guy! Damn him!"
Honoka was shocked. She hadn't realized that the Shinigami summoned by the Uzumaki clan had its own name. However, Mōryō quickly regained its composure.
"Hmph! Don't think you can scare me by bringing up that old fool, the Sage of Six Paths. He's hiding in the Pure Land and won't come out. As for you, human, you've thoroughly angered me."
"Oh?"
The information Mōryō inadvertently revealed caught Rasa's attention.
"The Pure Land, huh?"
Mōryō was momentarily stunned, then realized it had let something slip.
It was growing increasingly annoyed with this human. At first, it had held all the cards, but now it was losing control of the situation. And this was only the beginning.
Rasa, recalling everything Mōryō had said, suddenly pieced things together and declared loudly,
"I see now. No wonder you were so eager to explain everything to us. It's because you don't actually want to kill the Priestess, do you? Am I right?"