Chapter 12: Am I... A Freak?

"What's going on up ahead?" Yae called out, stopping the Hundred Ghosts.

Yae had draped her cloak over her head, completely hiding her fox ears from view. To these monsters, she appeared human.

Her powers consisted of pure spiritual energy and unique sword force; not even a hint of demonic aura emanated from her.

Combined with her traditional Wisteria shrine maiden outfit, as long as her ears remained concealed, she looked like any ordinary miko.

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"Who does this mere shrine maiden think she is, daring to block our path?"

"The girl behind her smells sweet. Eating them will surely replenish our strength."

"A weak shrine maiden doesn't even run away when she sees us? And she asks about something too? How amusing!"

The crowd of ghosts and demons laughed as they saw a shrine maiden standing in front of a frail human girl, blocking their way.

Is there something wrong with that shrine maiden's head?

With so many monsters around, she actually had the nerve to stop them instead of running for her life.

-

"Figures... we can't communicate with them..." Yae Sakura muttered.

Seeing the monsters about to pounce, she shook her head silently. It seemed even if she wanted to spare them, it was no longer possible.

"Natsuki, take this!" she said, handing Natsuki a large SU-22 Howitzer Cannon. "Use it like I taught you before! Protect yourself!"

The SU-22 Howitzer Cannon was one of the worst 2-star weapons in Yae Sakura's arsenal. Bronya had long since discarded it, but Yae hadn't bothered to throw it away.

Although only a 2-star weapon, early-game Bronya didn't have many options. The SU-22 could still be useful for her as a stepping stone.

Of course, by now, all the Bronya characters had access to much better weaponry. Even Valkyries like Dimensional Boundary Breaker, despite being recommended for new players, were considered outdated.

Ah... understood! Natsuki quickly took the SU-22 Howitzer Cannon, still shocked by its size.

Yae Sakura had already shown Natsuki how to use it earlier on their way here—it was simple: just pull the trigger. Even someone like Natsuki, without any special strength, could fire powerful shots.

The problem was the cannon's kickback—after two rounds, Natsuki couldn't handle it anymore.

-

In truth, Yae Sakura had intended for Natsuki, Kiana, and Kallen to use... pistols. But... not only could Natsuki never hit her target, but low-rank guns were also too weak against monsters.

High-rank guns were beyond her capabilities, so this SU-22 howitzer was a suitable alternative.

Yae Sakura's in-game inventory contained numerous weapons and artifacts. Even outside the game, she wasn't limited to using just a katana.

It's just that the katana best suited her; it was simply the weapon she wielded most effectively.

-

But... looking at all these monsters before me...

Damn it all! Where's my big gun?!

Suddenly, a five-star weapon appeared in Yae Sakura's hand: Hand of Tyr.

She aimed at the approaching Hundred Demons and fired Hand of Tyr's active skill—a powerful charged shot—without needing to build up energy first.

The blast instantly shredded the demons before her eyes!

However, since Yae wasn't Bronya, she didn't get any weapon bonuses. This meant she couldn't fully unleash the potential of this type of weapon.

As a result, not as many monsters died as expected, but quite a few were injured.

Then... Yae quickly put away Hand of Tyr, drew Sakura Blossom, and charged forward.

Falling Cherry Blossoms Slash!

Without giving the monsters a chance to react, Yae Sakura charged into their midst and unleashed her signature attack.

Five massive waves of sword energy sliced through the air, each cutting down over ten meters.

The final wave—the most powerful strike in basic swordsmanship—locked onto its target: a monstrous creature with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a spider, known as a Roku-shin-fu.

In an instant, the sword energy pierced clean through the Roku-shin-fu's body before continuing on for another five hundred meters... where it finally vanished.

"You..." The Roku-shin-fu began, looking at Yae Sakura as if there was something it wanted to say, but before it could finish...

Its body split in two.

"Chief!"

"Avenge our chief!"

Witnessing the gruesome death of their leader, the remaining monsters didn't retreat; instead, they lunged towards Yae Sakura in a frenzy.

It seemed the Roku-shin-fu had been highly respected among them.

Within seconds, dozens of creatures surrounded Yae Sakura. Yet she did something unexpected—she sheathed her spiritual blade and gave the horde a calm, dismissive glance.

This move only enraged the monsters further, and they attacked en masse, each using its unique abilities against the hated shrine maiden.

"Unleash! The Mark of Murderous Intent!"

Suddenly... within Yae Sakura's body, countless powerful sword glares erupted outwards. With her as the center, within a hundred-meter radius... the sky filled with a sea of sword glares!

The surrounding monsters were reduced to nothing more than chunks of torn flesh...

Yae stood amidst their corpses, her body splattered with blood—none of it her own.

As she gazed upon the bodies around her, a sickly smile naturally appeared on Yae's face. She looked at the monster blood caked on her fingers, then without hesitation:

She popped them into her mouth...

Wait... what am I doing?!

Suddenly, reality hit Yae like a ton of bricks...

What was she doing? Why had she instinctively moved in such a manner?

Then she glanced over at Natsuki, noticing that she too wore an expression of utter shock, even a hint of fear as she stared back at Yae.