327. Abyssal Nightmares

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"You are right!"

Hagoromo nods and taps his staff on the ground.

Whoosh…

The surroundings change and an image of the Kaguya, Urashiki, and Isshiki Otsutsuki appears in Izuna's vision. A plethora of emotions surge through Hagoromo's eyes as he sighs in reminiscence.

"Back then, mother was obsessed with the arrival of Otsutsuki. Her dread for them clouded her sanity and as her son, I could only helplessly watch and seal for all eternity. However, it was much later that I became aware of the truth."

Haah…

Hagoromo sighs and shakes his head.

"Alas! It was too late."

Swoosh…

The surroundings change to the aftermath of the battle between Ten-tails and the Otsutsuki brothers.

Izuna silently stares at the various flashing images as Hagoromo recounts his experience.

"… along my travels as I preached Ninshu to the shinobi world, I discovered traces of activities of other otherworldly beings in one of the Otsutsuki ruins. Out of curiosity or perhaps wariness, I approached those creatures in an attempt to understand them."

"Demons?"

Izuna interrupts Hagoromo.

"Mm… you can put it that way. Though demon is a broad term. These unfamiliar beings crawled out from the depths of the earth where they might have been lurking for who knew how long. Their foul chakra slowly corrupted the leylines; eroding the vitality of the entire planet.

Hamura and I eliminated waves after waves of them, but there were countless of them. Our battle with them lasted for a decade, during which I came to know their names. These creatures were called Abyssal nightmares."

"Abyssal Nightmares?"

Izuna frowns.

'There is already no lack of enemies. Now an entire faction of enemies joins the fray. First Otsutsuki, then that unknown guy from god knows which factions, demonic gods, and now these abyssal creatures. Shinobi world is in a far bigger threat than I previously imagined.'

Oblivious to Izuna's worries, Hagoromo continues.

"These creatures are very tenacious and almost impossible to kill. They don't have a physical form and exist as spiritual bodies. They feed on negative emotions and use them as a conduit to influence living beings and possess their body.

Their corruption is like a plague, which slowly spreads throughout the entire world. There is no definite way to get rid of them except for sealing them."

"Then how did you get rid of them?" Izuna interrupts him again.

"Quite impatient, aren't you?"

"Nah… I am just curious about these spirit life forms." Izuna denies it with a straight face.

'These somehow remind me of youkai from the Japanese folklore. I wonder how many similarities they have?'

"Did you ever try to exorcize these nightmares?" Izuna asks another question.

"Unfortunately, all our efforts were in vain. In the end, a Miko from an ancient clan used a sacrificial ceremony and their heirloom weapon to seal all those nightmares in a separate dimension. Despite our best efforts, a few nightmares still escaped in the end."

Hagoromo grimaced in self-mockery.

"Then you mean…"

Izuna points towards the dense red barrier around the hole.

"Ama-no-hoko or the spear of heaven tore through the fabric of reality and ripped apart a portion of this dimension to create an isolated space to act as a prison for one of three commanders of the army of Abyssal nightmares.

That ancient weapon was so powerful that it created a permanent hole in the very fabric of space of this dimension."

"So powerful!"

Izuna sucks a breath of cold air. He clutches his fists and mutters to himself.

'Will I be able to reach such a level of power? If my enemies grow stronger in the future, then I have to surpass my limits too.'

Shiing…

The tomoes in Izuna's Rinne-Sharingan rotate in a clockwise manner.

"For now, our chief concern is to fix the seal and prevent the release of abyssal nightmares." Hagoromo's words pull him out of his thoughts.

Sigh…

"That's a lot to take in old gramps!" Izuna takes a deep breath.

"This world is more f*cked up than I thought it is."

Huh…

Hagoromo tilts his head in confusion.

Ahem…

"Nothing… nothing! What I meant to ask is there a way to fix this seal? I mean… I can't even enter this place in the first place. Also, all my friends and family are trapped there. I am worried about their safety."

"There is still some time before the seal is undone. To fix the seal, you need to find the control device Saezuri and tune the sound according to a certain pattern to activate the sealing mechanism.

As for the barrier, it is a defensive mechanism to contain the tide of nightmares in case of a contingency. You can get the entry talisman from the high priestess of the Land of Demons. The fate of the world rest upon your shoulders."

Hagoromo extends his hand and passes one of his truth-seeking orbs to Izuna.

"This is the most help I can provide you at the moment. The rest depends on you."

"Tch… stingy!" Izuna clicks his tongue and grabs the truth-seeking orb as it slowly revolves around him.

Ah!

Hagoromo speechlessly stares at the fading remanent of Izuna.

"I have high hopes for you, boy. A big storm is approaching, ready to engulf the entire world into chaos and misery.

His gaze trails off in the vast, starry sky.

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Swoosh…

Izuna reappears in front of the crimson energy barrier.

"The high priestess of Land of Demons should be that Miko Lady Miroku whom I met during the wedding ceremony. At that time, she said I will soon come looking for her. Did she prophesied the future?

Also, what's the connection between the demon Moryo and this group of Abyssal nightmares? So many questions, but no answers…"

Izuna helplessly rubs his forehead.

"For now, I will head for the Land of Demons."

Whoosh…

With a burst of red and black lightning, Izuna disappears from the spot.

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Land of Demons,

Outside the main shrine,

Boom… Boom…

The sound of explosions drowns the silence of the night.

Whoosh… whoosh…

A squad of shinobis garbed in black clothes with a red kanji for 'demon' on the back appears at the main tori gate of the shrine.

"Enemy Attack!"

The captain of the demon guard squad flickers on top of the Tori.

"Jin, Mori, Hanzo! Lead a team to protect and safely escort her highness, the high priestess, to the safe house. Kira, Akihito, Ami… follow me to intercept the enemy."

"Yes, captain!"

The shinobis guards bow and disperse in two squads.

The squad captain and his team quickly approach the direction of the explosion.

Screams and miserable cries echo in the village as a cloaked figure slowly walks towards the shrine.

Crack… crack…

The cloaked figure snaps his neck and fingers.

"I have yet to gain complete control over this temporary body."

A deep and eerie voice echoes under the hood.

"My lord, your true body is still buried in the Land of Swamp. This humble vassal will soon fulfill his mission." The lips of the figure move slightly as a subservient voice talks to itself.

"Mm… before that, we have to remove the only obstacle in our path. The only power which can oppose and reseal us. This time I must fulfill the order of his highness."

The figure slowly walks towards the temple as numerous thin larvae of dark purple chakra squirm out of its body.

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Mm…

"Who is releasing the fireworks so late at night?"

A little girl with pale lavender eyes and light blonde hair that falls past her waist walks out of a room while yawning.

"So sleepy! I will go to mother's room to hear a story."

Creak…

One of the nearby doors opens and Miroku walks out of the room with a pale face.

"Guards! It's an emergency. Quickly evacuate princess Shion to a safe place."

Whoosh…

Whoosh…

A batch of guards hurriedly arrives in the hall. Miroku turns around and faces them as her Reigan flickers with a kaleidoscopic pattern.

"Quick! Take princess Shion as far from here as possible."

Miroku takes out a bunch of paper talismans and seals and hurriedly packs them in a bag.

"If possible, go and seek shelter from Konoha. By now, they must be aware of the impending crisis."

"Mom! Don't… don't leave me. I… I don't wanna go anywhere. I want to stay with mom."

Shion grabs Miroku's leg and wraps around it.

"Mother won't go anywhere!"

Miroku bends down and hugs Shion.

"Promise!"

"Promise!"

Miroku's eyes flicker once and Shion falls asleep in her embrace. She wraps the girl in a blanket and passes her to the guard captain.

"Quick, take her out of the Land of Demon."

"But… Lady…"

One of the guards tries to interrupt her.

"Don't worry about me. Captain Shinji has already dispatched a squad to escort me. I will be fine."

"Then please take care, your majesty!"

The guard captain bows and quickly leaves from the backdoor with his squad.

Sigh…

Miroku heaves a sigh of relief.

"At least Shion will be able to survive this calamity."

Bleurgh…

Miroku pukes out a mouthful of blood.