-93- Preparation complete!

At the center of the forbidden land, the shrine.

When the roaring sound that shook the air resounded and drew nearer, the hovering Enenra suddenly stopped in its tracks near the shrine.

In the mist, the face of a woman appeared, resembling a cold and indifferent female demon. She turned her head to gaze in the direction of the approaching sound.

Not long after, a colossal creature crashed trees aside and trampled over the grass, making its way towards them. In front of this creature, two children were running frantically.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Gasping for breath, Rozen was exhausted, looking as if he could collapse at any moment, but he continued to push forward.

"Na... Narugami-sama, please hurry."

Domon Hinowa, who was originally being pulled by Rozen, had somehow turned around and was now holding onto Rozen's hand. Despite running with sweat pouring down their bodies, Domon Hinowa seemed to be in a better state than Rozen in terms of stamina.

This made Rozen feel ashamed and furious.

"Why did I take on this kind of task? Why!?"

To some extent, Rozen had actually foreseen this development. He knew that even with the enhancement of "Rigid Body," he would eventually run out of stamina, and Domon Hinowa would have to take over.

If possible, Rozen really didn't want to be humiliated like this.

But among the group, only Rozen had the ability to protect Domon Hinowa to a certain extent. The others wouldn't be able to do anything against the enraged mountain god.

Therefore, Rozen and Domon Hinowa teamed up as a precautionary measure.

Additionally, the rest of the group had other tasks to complete. As a result, Rozen couldn't help but take the lead.

"It's really a case of misfortune falling upon a genius!"

Rozen could only let out a frustrated cry, squeezing out the last bit of strength from his body and running after Domon Hinowa, desperately trying to keep up.

"Roar------!"

The roars of the mountain god approached from behind.

Seeing this happening with it's own eyes, Enenra's mist rolled in agitation.

Obviously, Enenra had become alert.

If it weren't for the fact that the Izanagi family ordered it to stay near the shrine and not leave, Enenra would have taken action due to the abnormal situation in front of it.

But now, Enenra could only issue warning sounds ahead.

"Oooo------!"

The face floating in the mist let out a creepy cry, reminiscent of a woman sobbing.

This cry truly sent shivers down one's spine, giving an eerie sensation.

However...

"Just waiting for this moment!"

Rozen's spirits finally lifted upon seeing the shrine and hearing Enenra's cries.

"Hinowa! I'm counting on you!"

Rozen shouted at Domon Hinowa, who was running ahead.

"Yes!"

Domon Hinowa knew it was not the time to hesitate. She displayed a decisiveness different from her usual shyness, once again taking out the bell used for prayer.

The crucial moment was about to begin.

Because Domon Hinowa needed to redirect the mountain god's anger onto Enenra.

In gaming terms, that meant transferring the aggro of the enemy to someone else.

"If we only wanted to lure the mountain god to the shrine, there are plenty of ways to do that."

As long as someone hesitated and wandered in front of the mountain god, it would undoubtedly attack and be led here.

However, it was not easy to make the mountain god transfer its hatred and target Enenra.

In this forbidden land, all the shikigami had only one task - to expel intruders.

In other words, the mountain god would only attack those who entered this forbidden land and wouldn't attack other shikigami. Otherwise, this place would have long become a battlefield for shikigami killing each other.

Similarly, Enenra also had its own task and would only guard in front of the shrine, not rashly attacking shikigami of equal rank.

If it was just about inducing them to fight each other, it would be nearly impossible.

This is where Domon Hinowa's ability becomes extremely valuable.

By praying to the mountain god and continuing to provoke it, Domon Hinowa could achieve the transfer of aggro.

If Domon Hinowa had enraged the mountain god before, now, through prayer, they needed to tell the mountain god that it was Enenra who orchestrated these provocations.

In other words, Domon Hinowa's task was to frame and shift the blame.

"Ding!"

The sound of the bell rang out from Domon Hinowa again.

"------!"

The charging mountain god suddenly hesitated.

"Ding... Ding..."

As the bell continued to ring, the mountain god seemed to have a sudden realization, slowly turning its head towards the direction of the shrine.

In its field of vision, Enenra's warning appearance directed towards this side entered the mountain god's sight.

Now, in the mountain god's eyes, Enenra's warning seemed no different from a provocation.

As a result, the mountain god became furious.

"Roar------!"

Driven by anger, the mountain god abandoned Rozen and Domon Hinowa and charged towards the shrine.

"Ahh------!"

Seeing the mountain god charging towards them, Enenra also emitted a piercing cry.

Enenra's task was to guard the shrine and prevent anyone from approaching. Therefore, it wouldn't attack those who showed no interest in the shrine.

But now, the sight of the mountain god rushing towards the shrine informed Enenra that this colossal creature was about to attack.

So, Enenra no longer needed to hold back.

"Whoo!"

The sound of whistling wind erupted.

The commotion was caused by the swirling smoke-like storm that Enenra had stirred up. Enenra, like a fierce gale, rushed towards the mountain god with astonishing speed and instantly appeared in front of it.

"Roar!"

The mountain god roared and raised its heavy fist, swinging it towards Enenra, who was swirling towards its direction.

"Woo!"

Enenra ignored the incoming fist, its mist-like body moved like the wind, entwining the mountain god's body.

In the next second, the two highest-ranked shikigami of the Izanagi family in the forbidden land engaged in battle.

"Did we...succeed?"

Not far away, Domon Hinowa knelt on the ground, seemingly exhausted, with sweat dripping down her face.

"It's pretty obvious..."

Rozen was even more fatigued, he simply lay down on the ground, not caring about the dirt, and replied weakly.

However, Rozen's "Heaven's Eye" continued to work, keeping a close watch on the intense battle between the mountain god and Enenra, to be prepared for any unexpected changes that they might need to adapt to.

"Next, it's up to those guys."

Rozen said with a touch of exhaustion, causing Domon Hinowa to turn her gaze towards both sides of the shrine.

There, two figures emerged from the distant bushes.

"Thank goodness, lady Hinowa is alright."

Seeing that Domon Hinowa was unharmed, Kamo Subaru let out a sigh of relief.

"Then, it's our turn, right?"

Yuge Mutsura smiled eagerly.

Upon closer inspection, there was a magical formation beneath their feet.

Meanwhile, Akabane Raishin was being chased by a group of shikigami in another direction, desperately running towards them.