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Not far from Tokyo Tower, nestled among high-end hotels, schools, television and radio stations, and embassies, lay a serene forest dotted with beautiful shrines and temples.
Winding paths crisscrossed this wooded expanse, leading to hidden sanctuaries.
One such path, a series of two hundred stone steps ascending through lush greenery, led to the Shichiou Shrine.
Enveloped by ancient trees, the shrine exuded an aura of tranquility and tilessness.
In the courtyard, near the main hall, stood a small, unassuming building with a sign that read "Shrine Office."
Inside the office, Mariya Yuri was getting ready.
Dressed in a white blouse and a red hakama, she stood before a mirror, combing her long, shoulder-length hair.
Her silky hair had a rich, dark brown hue. Despite her youth, she possessed a delicate beauty, hinting at a future of captivating allure.
Suddenly, with a snap, the comb in her hand broke in two.
"A bad on. I hope nothing terrible happens," Yuri murmured, expressing a sentint that defied scientific reasoning.
She had a nagging feeling that sothing ominous was about to occur. An ordinary person might dismiss it as a fleeting premonition.
However, for a Hi-Miko, a maiden priestess skilled in clairvoyance, such foreboding often signified a divine warning.
With a heart filled with trepidation, Yuri, now fully dressed, left the shrine office.
As she made her way to the main hall, she passed several Shinto priests.
She politely returned their respectful greetings. Their deference towards the priestess was not without reason.
This shrine had been managed by the Hi-Mikos of the Mariya family for generations.
"Oh my! Hi-Miko. It's nice to see you again. Can we talk for a mont?"
A cheerful voice called out to her. Although the speaker used the title "Hi," there was no hint of respect in his tone. It was almost mockingly playful.
The owner of the voice slowly approached Yuri. Despite wearing leather shoes on the shrine grounds, his footsteps were silent as he walked across the gravel.
Witnessing the man's stealthy gait, the signature of a ninja's assassination technique, Yuri's unease intensified. "May I ask who you are?"
"Ah, my apologies. I haven't introduced myself yet. My na is Amakasu. It's an honor to et such a beautiful Hi-Miko. Let's get acquainted." As Amakasu introduced himself, he walked up to Yuri and presented her with a business card.
Yuri accepted the card and glanced at it. It bore the ordinary na "Amakasu Touma."
However, what caught her attention was the title printed below the na - "Head of the Tokyo Branch of the History Compilation Committee."
"A mber of the History Compilation Committee. What business do you have with ?" Yuri asked, puzzled.
Dressed in an ill-fitting, ordinary suit, he looked like an unassuming young man in his early twenties.
However, he was the head of the Tokyo branch of an organization that governed the entire Japanese magical community.
Yuri had to be cautious and interact with him carefully.
Despite her young age, Yuri knew sothing about the world's cruelty. The sudden visit of a high-ranking mber of this committee...
It can't be good, Yuri thought to herself.
"Don't you rember ? We t once on the Balkan Peninsula," Amakasu Touma said, his voice light and teasing, but his words struck Yuri like a cruel blow.
Yuri's mind was flooded with mories she had tried so hard to suppress.
Her trip to Europe half a month ago, her capture by a secret society in Austria, being offered as a sacrifice for a Heretic God summoning ritual, witnessing the brutal battle between three Devil Kings.
It was a horrifying experience for a young girl.
Selective amnesia had been her coping chanism, but now, this young man had torn away that protective veil.
Seeing the trembling girl before him, Amakasu Touma sighed. "The King wishes to see you."
Yuri's body jolted, and her pupils dilated as she looked at Amakasu Touma as if he were a demon under the command of a Devil King. "Which King wants to see ? Wasn't the Heretic God already summoned...?"
Her voice cracked with fear, and tears stread down her young face.
"It's the Godslayer who rules over Japan, the one who rescued you," Amakasu Touma clarified. Yuri's terror was giving him a headache. He was a ninja, not a therapist. This wasn't his forte.
Hearing Amakasu Touma's words, Yuri stopped sobbing. In a hoarse voice, she said, "Is it another Heretic God summoning ritual? Then, Mr. Amakasu Touma, after I'm gone, please take care of my parents and my sister."
Amakasu Touma felt a surge of frustration. Suddenly, an idea struck him.
"Hi-Miko, have you perhaps misunderstood sothing?"
"Misunderstood? Is there sothing I don't know?" Yuri asked, puzzled.
"It seems you've misjudged His Majesty!" Amakasu Touma said with a wry smile. He gestured to a nearby bench and sat down.
"Please tell more," Yuri said, taking a seat opposite him.
"Why do you think three Devil Kings engaged in a bloody battle in the Balkans?" Amakasu Touma asked, his gaze fixed on Yuri.
"Wasn't it because of the Heretic God's ritual?" Yuri had a feeling things weren't as simple as she had initially thought.
"It was because of you!" Amakasu Touma stated emphatically, leaving Yuri speechless.
"You should know that the current King is only sixteen years old, at an age when young n are impulsive. What do you think a King would do when he discovers that the girl he admires has been taken away?"
With leading questions, Amakasu Touma encouraged Yuri to think for herself, hoping to guide her toward the answer he desired.
"Take her back...?" Yuri had witnessed this kind of behavior many tis. Her classmates in elentary school often intercepted love letters addressed to her from boys in other classes, even getting into fights over it.
It was nothing new to her. But she never imagined that the person who had taken an interest in her would be a Devil King.
"So, although the battle was triggered by the Heretic God, you were the true catalyst by attracting the King to the Balkans, weren't you?"
Amakasu Touma nodded in satisfaction, watching the girl caught in the web he had spun. He decided to add fuel to the fire.
"My, my, to engage in a bloody battle with veteran Devil Kings for the sake of the girl he admires and erge victorious... What do you think a young Devil King would want to do next?"
"Claim his... prize." Yuri blushed crimson, her heart pounding with shyness. A hero who had risked his life for her and rescued her... A young girl's heart was easily swayed by such romantic notions.
Looking at the blushing girl, Amakasu Touma felt a pang of sympathy, but he quickly hardened his resolve. The deed was done, and they had to see it through.
The magical world was a dark place, and perhaps only those seven supre beings could truly ignore its shadows.
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