Chapter 128: Mountain Conquest
Saki Jingūji stepped out of the phone booth, and the person waiting in line immediately picked up the receiver to make a call.
The line was not very long, with about sixteen or seventeen people, and each person had around five to ten minutes of talking time on the phone.
This phone call was arranged by the shrine as a small act of kindness, so that people wouldn't have too much regret,
She didn't look at the woman who started crying inside the phone booth. Instead, she silently went to the right side of the road where another long line had formed. She entered a makeshift shelter and registered her name.
"Have you finished your phone call?" asked the elder shrine official in charge of registration. Their demeanor was gentle and humble.
"Hmm."
"What did they say?"
"Small little things, not very important."
"Good, most people would choose to say their last words, but that doesn't necessarily make it easier." The shrine official nodded. "Seems like you have a stable mindset. However, that young girl over there is struggling a bit. We might have to send her back for some rest later."
Jingūji turned around and noticed that there were two or three girls in the line who seemed sad and hopeless. One of them covered her eyes and started crying inside the telephone booth.
"Crying like this, her mental state is no longer suitable for participating in the mission. Even if she is forced to join, she would just be a burden," said the shrine official.
"Should I maybe cry to make things better?" Saki Jingūji jokingly asked.
"If you don't want to take part, you can also apply to leave."
"But this also means leaving the shrine, which is a compulsory call to service, with no right to refuse."
"Yes."
"That's okay, then." Saki Jingūji picked up three amulets from the table, saying, "I can't handle something so exaggerated, it's not like I will definitely die."
The shrine official praised her optimism, but didn't comment on the second half of her sentence.
The shrine initiating a compulsory call to service means that the situation has worsened to a certain degree. Most disasters can be handled by experienced individuals beforehand, but when even rookies and reserves are summoned, it must be an urgent and critical situation.
As a sword witch, Jingūji had no right to refuse because sword witches were the absolute elite of the shrine, like the ace combat team in an army. This time, there were a total of nine sword witches summoned, along with thirty-two priests and reserve members. It wasn't a large-scale gathering, but it was already very close to being of medium size.
In all of Yingzhou, there are less than one hundred sword witches. Here, one-tenth of that number is gathered, and nobody knows what kind of enemy is lurking within this mountain.
She tidied up her mood and came to the front row. The women here carried weapons with them, each of them having a unique and distinctive style.
The reason why someone is a sword witch doesn't necessarily mean they are skilled in swords. It could also be other weapons. One of the girls with a baby face carried a red tassel spear, while the one on the right was wiping a pair of butterfly-shaped axes.
There weren't many who honestly used swords and knives.
Saki Jingūji's female sword is called "Fubuki." It was a gift from the shrine's priestess when she graduated from the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It wasn't a famous sword, but rather a special present for her.
She was astonished to discover that all the sword witches around her were actually very young. The youngest one was around her age, and the oldest one seemed to be less than forty years old.
Though she had completed several missions, she was still considered a rookie in general. Facing these unfamiliar people, she found it difficult to approach them and greet them, unlike social butterflies with exceptional social skills. Everyone, including the sword witches, was busy preparing themselves for battle, doing various things to keep themselves calm inside.
Not long after, the person in charge of this forced enlistment appeared.
She was a chamberlain named Fuma Tsuru, slightly over fifty years old, but she had artificial limbs for her left hand and right leg.
"Get ready to change clothes, I only brought standard size ones for now. You have ten minutes."
Saki Jingūji was still lost in thought, while on the other side, the shrine maiden quickly covered the tent with a swoop and decisively began taking off her clothes and putting on her battle attire.
She blushed at first, then slowly and leisurely took off her clothes. The doll-faced girl who held the red tassel spear next to her found her too slow and took the initiative to help. She forcefully pulled her pants down and sneered, saying, "No wonder you're from Edo, wearing such mature lace panties at such a young age."
This girl seems to be from the Shikoku region. She has a carefree personality and carries a red tassel spear on her shoulder. If she also had a gourd hanging from her, she would look just like a heroic figure from the stories.
Jingūji changed into her new clothes, struggling to squeeze into the battle attire. This outfit was entirely black, tight-fitting and strong. The material was not ordinary, providing protection against bullets and stabbings. It even had multiple layers of protective charms embedded within. Additionally, it was imbued with the power to move lightly and swiftly like the wind. Each set of battle attire also included three doses of adrenaline and painkillers, which could be manually injected for herself or others whenever necessary.
Fuma Tsuru said, "This set of battle attire was not designed by the shrine, but purchased directly from the Ming Country's official channels. It is said to be outdated compared to the current equipment of the Imperial Guards, but even so, it is much better than the leather outfits made by those useless people from Onmyoryou. There were originally accompanying items like Longhu Mountain charms, but they have a different system, so installing them would only cause more chaos."
"Over here, we have modern guns. You have all taken shooting lessons, so you should know how to use them. Please bring them along. A gun can be a lifesaver in a critical situation. Just remember, the bullets and guns are specially made and purchased from the Ming Country. Each gun only has six bullets, but they are very powerful. Make sure not to misuse them."
"I really wish that one day we can be like the Ming Country, where they can solve difficult problems by using powerful weapons and overcome any obstacles. Unfortunately, our government is not willing to deploy such a level of military force to deal with challenging situations. So, all I can do is upgrade our weapons within my capabilities to help you as much as I can."
The Chamberlain's face turned serious.
"Ladies, this might be the toughest battle you'll ever face in your lives, but we have no other choice. We can't let the disaster spread any further. The situation is urgent, but don't easily sacrifice yourselves. Even if things seem hopeless, never give up your lives. Even if you lose your limbs, you must crawl back alive!"
"Yes!"
The sword witches replied in a deep tone.
...
The Mountain Conquest began.
In the Ming Country, "Mountain Conquest" referred to destroying beliefs of different kinds. The land of the Ming Country is vast, and beliefs in different regions were not unified. In some places, there were severe immoral worships.
The term "immoral worships" refers to rituals that are not proper, not allowed by the government, and cause harm to people.
In this world, it was never easy for each dynasty to fall and rise again. In this world where people practiced special skills, the old lion was especially terrifying when it fought back while nearing death. It had sharp teeth, one of which was called "Ghost God."
In every dynasty and every region, there existed local beliefs that were complex and ever-changing. These beliefs ranged from deceased demon generals to folk witches and spirits.
So, in each dynasty, they would do the same thing - they would put an end to immoral worships and start a Mountain Conquest!
Mountain Conquest referred to tearing down the immoral worship sites completely, to prevent the possibility of any further development of different beliefs.
In Yingzhou, no matter how many times the ruling dynasty changed, they never truly overthrew the emperor. Therefore, there was no need to dismantle the old beliefs of the previous dynasty.
In this place, when they start a Mountain Conquest, they only broke mountains and didn't destroy temples.
Its essence was a very simple task... to slay monsters and demons!
Some beings, using different methods, lure humans, hold rituals, and through various means, they come from the spiritual world to the physical world. These beings are often ancient and powerful, and they must be expelled as soon as possible.
But what is truly frightening is that the coordinates of the spiritual world and the physical world don't intersect. It could come from Yingzhou or from another country, not necessarily from our own land. Before encountering it, no one knows where it comes from, like opening a mystery box.
When the sword witches stepped foot at the base of the mountain, they realized that the entire peak was undergoing a strange transformation, gradually turning into a different realm.
They divided themselves into three teams. Most sword witches were skilled at fighting alone, but when there were too many people, they would get in each other's way. The experienced ones took the lead, while the beginners were placed in the middle.
They walked up the mountain trail, a place that had been abandoned for many years. The moss on the mountain path was slippery and smooth. Although it was still the afternoon, fog began to rise in the mountains. The thick fog spread all around, clearly a mist filled with dangerous enchantment.
They walked along the mountain path, and they started to worry about getting lost. However, they were equipped with a set of tools that included a GPS, a compass, night vision goggles, and thermal imaging. This high-tech gear was quite expensive, but it helped them avoid any misleading tricks and go straight into the heart of the mountains.
...
Deep within the mountains.
"What a foolish mistake."
"Even though they knew nothing, they had to make a decision to go into the mountains."
"A group of ordinary people, who have been practicing for just a few years and have a little bit of magical power, can at most deal with low-level wild animals."
A young boy wearing ancient clothes stood on a wooden platform. In his open palms, there were two eyeballs.
It let out a deep chuckle.
"But it's okay... After sleeping for so long, I really couldn't bear the hunger I've been waiting for."
"Magical maidens are an exquisite delicacy, let's celebrate, my friends!"
"This is the first feast after breaking the seal! Enjoy it fully, tonight we will revel and drink the blood of humans!"
Glowing red lights flickered deep within the forest, illuminating the surroundings with their brilliance. There were hundreds of them.
The man-eating demons licked their sharp teeth, eagerly waiting for their prey to come to them.
Clearly, the shrine didn't know what kind of enemy they were about to face.
...
"Jingūji, why are you daydreaming? Hurry up and let's go."
"I just... felt like there was some danger."
"There are enemies, in which direction? But no one else has explored it yet."
"It seems like there might be, but it's hard to say for sure..."
Saki Jingūji gently placed her hand on her forehead, and deep within her eyes, a soft pink light was sparkling.
Mysterious beings at the same level could sense each other's presence. In her subconscious, she began to realize that there was something in this mountain, like a door.
"Maybe, we have been surrounded..."
