"Focus on the NONO creatures that came out of the portal while I handle putting the corruption where it belongs," Ai said, her small frame still perched atop my head. Her voice, despite its usual lightheartedness, carried an undeniable authority that sent a shiver down my spine. She wasn’t just making a suggestion. This was an order, one she fully expected me to follow without hesitation. But how could I not hesitate? The creatures slithering and crawling from the rift were grotesque, their forms flickering between reality and something far more alien. Their jagged limbs twitched unnaturally, as if they were struggling to properly exist in this world. Even though I had fought them before, the memory of their eerily silent movements and the oppressive aura they radiated still clung to the back of my mind.

  I clenched my fists, taking a shaky breath before forcing out my concern. "Okay... but what if I can't handle them?" I asked, my voice betraying more of my anxiety than I intended. My palms were already beginning to sweat. What if they overwhelmed me? What if I wasn't strong enough? What if Ai had overestimated my abilities, and I ended up dragging us both down into the abyss?

  Ai flicked her tail against my forehead, the gesture quick and sharp, yanking me out of my spiraling thoughts. "Don’t worry so much," she said, her golden eyes glinting with quiet confidence. "Only low-level class monsters will appear. Do you remember how monsters are formed?" She tilted her head slightly, waiting for my answer.

  I swallowed my nerves and gave a hesitant nod. "Yeah... monsters are a reflection of the world and mana, right?" That was something even I understood. They weren’t just random creatures. They were manifestations of energy, twisted by corruption or given form by the balance of life and magic in an area.

  Ai's ears twitched in approval. "Exactly. But fox-kins are different. They use spatial magic, which operates outside of the world’s natural laws. That’s where the corruption started in the first place, and that’s why the violet witch keeps trying to rip open the rift," she explained, her gaze flicking towards the pulsating tear in the sky. "However, as the shrine maiden, this shrine is your domain now. That means the NONO creatures that emerge will never be stronger than you. Unless something terrible happens."

  Her words sent a sharp chill down my spine, but I forced myself to push past the unease. Unless something terrible happens, that was the part that stuck with me. Hearing Ai’s explanation didn’t exactly put my mind at ease, but at least it was something. I took a deep breath, trying to steel myself as my eyes flicked toward the grotesque creatures crawling out of the rift. Their spindly limbs twitched unnaturally, their segmented bodies glistening under the eerie violet glow that seeped from the portal above. Even knowing they were supposedly “low level,” my body instinctively recoiled.

  Ai remained perched on my head, her small frame surprisingly steady despite the chaos erupting around us. “Don’t worry,” she reassured me. “As long as this shrine is under your domain, the monsters that manifest from it will never surpass your level. They’re simply a reflection of the existing corruption and the balance of mana in this space.”

  I swallowed hard. “Okay… but what if I still can’t handle them?”

  Ai flicked her tail against my forehead. “Then you better learn how to,” she deadpanned. “You’re a shrine maiden now, Mashiro. This is your battlefield.”

  I exhaled sharply, nodding despite the doubt gnawing at my gut. There was no time to hesitate. If Ai was right, then these creatures were only as strong as me, meaning I should be able to take them down.

  Unless something terrible happens… I shook that thought away and tightened my grip on my weapon. “Alright,” I muttered. “I’ll deal with the NONO creatures. You handle the corruption.”

  A translucent system window materialized before me, its faint glow casting a ghostly light over my trembling hands.

  [Removing corruption through spiritual guardian is available]

  [Proceed?]

  [YES] [NO]

  I took a deep breath, steadying my resolve. Then, with all the courage I could muster, I tapped [YES].

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The moment my finger pressed [YES], a powerful surge of energy pulsed through the air. Ai, the snow-white nine-tailed fox, leapt into the sky, her fur shimmering with ethereal light as she ascended. A spiraling trail of glowing energy followed her as she began circling the shrine, weaving intricate patterns in the air with her tails. It was the same radiance I had seen before, divine, otherworldly, and breathtakingly beautiful.

  I lifted my gaze just in time to see Yuzu still locked in battle with the violet witch. The sky above them was a chaotic storm of flashing magic and violent wind currents. Catherine hovered nearby, her crimson eyes sharp and calculating as she occasionally launched support spells toward Yuzu, but never overstepping her own boundaries. They were holding their ground, for now.

  Without hesitation, I activated Mashiro’s wings. A burst of wind carried me off the ground, and I ascended rapidly, my eyes set on the swirling abyss of the unstable portal above. The sheer pressure emanating from it made my skin prickle, like a thousand unseen eyes watching my every move. But I refused to falter.

  As I neared the rift, a familiar weight settled into my grip. My training sword materialized in my right hand, while a stack of talismans appeared in my left. Their paper-thin edges shimmered faintly, humming with latent energy. And then, in an instant, my usual black and pink dress vanished.

  I barely had time to react before my attire shifted, replaced by the sacred garments of a shrine maiden. The white kosode draped elegantly over my form, the crimson hakama flowing with the wind as if responding to the divine power filling the air.

  “I’ll take you on, you damn cockroaches!” I shouted, my voice filled with determination as I activated my Identification skill. A familiar system window flickered into view. Same as before.

  Wasting no time, I shot forward, wings propelling me through the air as I summoned a handful of talismans. Their surfaces shimmered with purifying magic, the energy thrumming beneath my fingertips. I hurled them at the swarm of grotesque, skittering creatures.

  The moment the talismans made contact, a chain reaction erupted, the dark, corrupted aura surrounding the NONO-class monsters shattered like glass, their bodies flickering before morphing back into standard Gokibura. Their HP bars instantly dropped, weakened just like before.

  Without hesitation, I zeroed in on one of the transformed cockroaches, my grip tightening around my training sword. With a swift midair maneuver, I twisted my body and brought my blade down in a clean, precise slash.

  (-13 Physical Damage)

  As expected, the moment my blade cut through the cockroach, a soft, glowing shape materialized behind me. A swallowtail butterfly, its delicate wings shimmering like fragments of moonlight. Without hesitation, the spectral creature flitted forward, diving straight at the wounded Gokibura.

  The cockroach screeched as the butterfly struck, its fragile-looking forms delivering a precise follow-up attack. The sheer contrast was almost eerie. Something so beautiful and ephemeral dealing damage in a battlefield filled with grotesque, skittering monsters.

  But I had no time to admire it. With a sharp pivot, I scanned the sky for my next target. More cockroaches swarmed from the rift, their grotesque, twitching legs propelling them toward me. I raised another talisman, prepared to strike again.

  However, just before I could act, a sharp hiss echoed through the air above the shrine. My heart skipped a beat as a new creature slithered out from the expanding rift. A grotesque, snake-like being, its long, sinuous body undulating unnaturally as it hovered in the sky. Despite lacking any visible means of flight, tiny, near-translucent wings fluttered uselessly at its sides, as if mocking the very concept of aerodynamics.

  I instinctively activated my identification skill, my vision flashing with the system interface.

  << Hebira (Lv. 4) >>

  Health Points: 321/321 [100%]

  Attack: 9

  Category: NONO

  Description: Floating snake that defies all known physics. Possesses an unsettling gaze and an even more unsettling habit of getting way too close for comfort. Approach with caution, or a restraining order.

  The snake’s narrow, slit-pupil eyes locked onto me, its jaw unhinging slightly to reveal rows of razor-sharp fangs. A flickering, forked tongue darted in and out as it let out another eerie hiss, its serpentine body coiling and twisting midair like a ribbon caught in a storm. I tightened my grip on my sword.

  I exhaled slowly, activating my identification skill again, double-checking its stats. Level 4. A step above the cockroaches, but not entirely out of my league. Attack 9. It wouldn’t one-shot me, but if I let it bite me, I’d definitely regret it. The real problem wasn’t its strength, it was its Category: NONO. Meaning normal attacks might not be as effective.

  The Hebira hissed again, this time with more intent. It was watching me, waiting. I tightened my grip on my sword, my other hand raising a talisman. If my training sword wouldn’t be enough, I’d just have to purify it.

  "Alright, you creepy flying noodle," I muttered under my breath. "Let’s see how you like exorcism!"

  With that, I lunged forward.