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Inyouchuu Gaiden Chapter 1 Part 1

CHAPTER 1: The Three Exorcists

It was a peculiar-looking empty space. The floor and the walls were made out of what looked like pulsating flesh or bloated internal organs, and a fishy odor wafted around, irritating the nostrils. Not to mention that there were youmas crawling around such empty space. They looked like caterpillars but were the size of human babies, ugly flowers with sticky tentacles wriggling all around them, giant worms coiling like snakes or springs…… the list could go on and on and on in that fashion.

There were also two girls standing in the middle of this empty space, surrounded by youmas on all sides.

One of the girls was a girl with long and fiery red hair tied in a ponytail and wielding a huge and long Japanese sword. Her slender, lean body was hidden by the white uniform that she was wearing, while she turned her slightly bluish eyes toward the youmas surrounding them. But contrary to what people would think in a situation like that, there was no fear to be seen in her eyes. Instead, there was a spark of strong will in them, shining bright like twin flames.

「Seriously now, give me a break! They just keep on coming ,one after another! When will they learn that this is not going to work out for them!? …… But no, seriously, where are they even coming from in the first place!? Surely you think the same, right, Takeru?」

Exhaling and shaking her pleated skirt that hid her fresh and thick thighs, the red-haired girl called out to the other girl standing right behind her —— Shiratori Takeru.

「…… Getting tired already? That does not sound like you at all, Mikoto? Since when are you the one to complain?」

There was a smile that bloomed on Takeru’s well-proportioned and cool face. Her eyes, which had an intellectual glow to them behind the cover of her glasses, complimented her face which also did not show any kind of fear. Her hair was cut short and she was wearing a man’s blazer and slacks. At first glance, she looked like a boy, but from the smile that appeared on her lips, one could feel the delicate gracefulness that was characteristic of someone of feminine charm and beauty.

Stillness and motion. Light and shadow. Sun and moon. At first glance, the two girls were polar opposites of one another, but they seemed to be inseparable.

「…… Who? Me? Complaining? Just who do you think I am?」

A fearless smile appeared on Mikoto’s lips, as fire lit in her eyes even more brightly. At the same time, the youmas that were crawling around the two girls in this strange enclosed space rushed at the red-haired girl all at once.

As they aimed at her overly feminine body, their deformed bodies split apart and opened up, as grotesque-looking tentacles started to stick out from their mouths and bodies.

「I am……」

But the red-haired girl kept a smile on her face at all times, not letting it waver even for a single moment. It seemed as though she did not care about what kind of grotesque monstrosity was about to come her way.

「I am Shiratori Mikoto, god damn it!!!」

At the same time as she spoke those words, the sword that she held in her right hand, the Exorcism Sword ‘Raikou’, flashed brightly.

SLAAAAAASH~~~!!!!!!

The long and pale blade of the sword cut the youmas standing in its way without fail, cleaving them in half. At the same time, the girl’s red ponytail swung and danced around.

「Yes, you got that one right.」

Takeru said while smiling at Mikoto, her twin sister.

A grotesque space where the two were standing continued to pulse and shift in front of their very eyes, actions that would make any normal person go insane in a matter of moments.

The two sisters have been together since they were born. They have never parted their ways and lived together helping each other in their times of need. They were twins who did not look alike at all or had similar personalities. However, there was no wavering trust that they had for one another. So even if they were on their own, they were never truly alone. For they always had one another to rely on. There was no way that they would lose here, not to that kind of opponent —— they had the utmost confidence in that fact.

「Then, I hope that you know what to do?」

「Of course.」

The two of them exchanged glances for a moment and then started to move as if they had made an arrangement from the very beginning. And the way in which they moved was as fast as the wind. Mikoto’s skirt danced, and Takeru’s bangs swayed.

「Chop the animosity into nothingness, ‘Wind Flower Blade!’」

At the same time as she chanted the words of power, Takeru threw the ofuda talisman in her hand in the air.

PIERCE! PIERCE! PIERCE!

Once activated, the scattered spell shredded the youmas around the two Exorcist girls like a violent storm of arrows.

「There’s more of them coming! You’re up, Mikoto!」

Takeru did not even pay attention to the scattered pieces of youma’s meat flying around the place, and she just continued to fire more spells. The youmas were slowly being driven away by Takeru’s attacks that were fired at rapid-fire pace, gradually being pushed back.

「…… Sure thing! Just leave it to me!」

Mikoto quietly stared at the youmas that were blown away by her sister’s precise attack, and slowly prepared ‘Raikou’ in her hands. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and concentrated her awareness and strength at one precise point. What followed was the sound of the girl gently and quietly letting her breath out.

「Mikoto!」

Her eyes widened as soon as Takeru’s voice reached her ears.

「Shine bright……!」

She gazed at the youmas gathered at one point by Takeru’s precise series of magical attacks. The arm that gripped the hilt of the sword with enough strength to cause her knuckles to turn pure-white. She then said the words of power. And then ——

「…… Like the sun!!!」

She swung ‘Raikou’ that she had prepared to attack while the blade was sheathed back in its scabbard.

ZAAAAAAPPPPPP~~~!!!!!!

At the same time, a tremendous lightning bolt was shot from Mikioto’s blade. The light hit the youmas without fail, instantly turning the hideous monstrosities into an extinguished pile of smoldering charcoal.

The flesh-like barrier disappeared at the same time as the youmas disappeared. The reddish-black mass of flesh, born of the youmas’ lewd energy that was floating around disappeared as well, and the real world returned to how it used to be, with white walls, white floors, and a quiet, calm space all around the two Exorcist girls.

「Well, I guess that takes care of that, huh?」

Just like before, Mikoto let out a deep sigh. However, this time she also relaxed her body as she lowered her guard down. Then, as if to match this weakened and relaxed state of its wielder, ‘Raikou’ shined brightly and changed into a small black cat doll or a keychain. ‘Raikou’ was an Exorcism Sword created by the spiritual energy of Mikoto. Since its existence itself was a mass of enormous spiritual power, just by manifesting it into physical form, it would usually drain a whole lot of Mikoto’s physical stamina and spiritual power. For that reason, she usually would keep it sealed away in a small doll and carry it around, manifesting it as needed.

「Thank you for your hard work. As always, a splendid job.」

「That’s only thanks to your impeccable support, Takeru.」

The sisters looked at one another and then smiled broadly. Unlike when they were facing the youmas just now, their expressions that came to mind were that of young girls of their appropriate age.

「But even so…… I really think that we need to think about this whole matter some more.」

Mikoto looked around the room while changing her smile to a wry smile. It was a pure white room filled with a sense of cleanliness and sterileness to it. At first glance, it was hard to believe that a youmas had appeared in a place like this, it was just way too unbelievable and far-fetched. However, there were certainly some peculiarities about this entire situation.

A huge glass case was placed in the center of the room. It was something so big that two or three people could easily fit inside of it. And that same glass case was cracked heavily. It seems that it was broken from the inside, and glass fragments were scattered on the floor. It was probably tempered glass, but for something to be able to shatter it so easily, it was truly horrible. Shards of broken glass had some pieces of torn ofuda talismans attached to them, and Takeru, who approached it, peeled it off and stared at it. She stroked the talisman several times with her fingertips.