“…I’m impressed. To think you actually managed to track down the entrance to the otherworld.”
“So shrine maiden–type jobs really do have abilities like that.”
The floating “bits” like small spheres around Tsukiko fired lasers one after another, blasting apart the charging Human-Faced Dogs, while Sarina incinerated a Slit-Mouthed Woman with her black flames.
Yes—afterward, Inari had used the power of Nenekirimaru to pursue the culprit and had successfully located and forced open an “entrance to the otherworld” concealed at a little-used crosswalk.
“Well, I know not about other shrine maidens.”
Detonating a Rokurokubi-sama (Tall Woman) with a burst of foxfire, Inari said it as if it were nothing at all. In truth, she had never encountered anyone else with the “Shrine Maiden” job. What kind of people they were, what skills they had—she neither knew nor cared. Whether there was any difference if compared to her… that kind of thing simply didn’t interest Inari. But in fact, if compared, one would quickly notice: the standard “Shrine Maiden” job was a magical one. They certainly did not go about swinging swords.
“In any case, we’ve broken into enemy territory. Let’s press the advantage and finish this!”
Shidou slashed through a pack of raging monkeys with his glowing sword and shouted in high spirits. His excitement was plain, but that was understandable. Even though the goal was rescuing Shion, it was rare to see such a dream team gathered. Truthfully, Shidou didn’t know much about Inari, but her skill in finding this place was enough to show she was no ordinary fighter.
“Mm? What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I’m counting on you.”
“Mm. If so, then I must answer the call.”
As Inari loosed foxfire shots in rapid succession, everyone present could tell—each blast carried immense power. Sarina, watching, pulled a face of disbelief. Even as essentially the top long-range magic dealer, she recognized just how extraordinary this was.
“What is that… isn’t it insane? At the very least, that’s Magic B… no, A, right? No, but—our elements clash, so I’m not losing…”
Indeed, her Dark Magic was significantly weakened here, so her “I’m not losing” thought wasn’t entirely baseless… but still.
“But this place… it’s the ‘Village Not on the Map,’ isn’t it?”
“That was an urban legend, aye.”
“Yes. One other otherworld was ‘Kisaragi,’ and this one is ‘The Village Not on the Map’…”
The Village Not on the Map. A collective term for several similar Japanese urban legends. Though locations and names differed, all shared the trait of “villages not found on maps.” They could not be reached through ordinary living, and once stumbled into, one never returned alive. Other details included phones not working, police unreachable… all in all, a “never return” type of legend.
And since multiple variations existed, they provided the basis for an otherworld that concealed its exact location and whose entrance could shift.
“The problem is that none of this was recorded in Saitama Dungeon No. 4. Just ‘Kisaragi’ becoming real is shocking enough, but could these monsters really have that much adaptive power?”
“Well, who can say. That a mastermind exists is certain, but beyond that…”
“Either way, now that we’ve come here, it’s over.”
Tsukiko was right. Other than the absent “Hero” and “Fortress,” these were without doubt Japan’s strongest fighters. Tsukiko even acknowledged that Inari, who had solved Toshima’s incident alone, rivaled their power. In fact, here and now, she might even be better suited than they were.
As her bits ceased their volley of lasers, Tsukiko surveyed the surroundings. They had at least cleared out the enemies near the village entrance—but she could feel many more within the buildings.
“Ahh… guests are coming…”
“Then we must give them welcome.”
“Welcome, welcome… and goodbye.”
Smiling villagers emerged, carrying sickles and hatchets—and immediately rushed forward with terrifying speed.
“Hiihyah-hahahahaha!”
“Die, die, die, diiiiie!”
“Denied.”
“GyaaAAAAAA!”
Inari’s foxfire blew the villagers apart—but left behind not even a single magic stone. They clearly weren’t human, but weren’t monsters either… so what were they?
“Most likely, they’re treated like traps. That’s what this is.”
“And what be this ‘trap’?”
“A snare. A mechanism tied to the houses here.”
“Ohh, like the bird that springs forth from a clock.”
“…Yes.”
“That example is ancient… what era are cuckoo clocks from…”
Still, Tsukiko thought, it was oddly fitting. Like the bird that pops out when the hour strikes, once defeated they vanished, but would surely appear again whenever triggered. To truly stop them, they would have to erase this otherworld itself… and that would be no easy feat.
“All the more reason I worry for Shion. We must find her at once.”