Chapter 86

【Life and Death Taiko】

【Quality: Superior Quality】

【Effect: Striking the "Life" side will attract Yaoguai within a certain range; striking the "Death" side will repel Yaoguai within a certain range.】

【——The Taiko beats on, life and death both vast and boundless.】

Uesugi Toru gazed at this "Life and Death Taiko" introduction, quite satisfied.

Although its quality isn't high, for scattered Half-Star low-intelligence Yaoguai it should be remarkably effective.

This means he can use the Life and Death Taiko to drive away the Chi Swarm, easily cross that Chi Sea at the end of the Isanuki Tunnel, and see what lies beyond the tunnel!

——The Life and Death Taiko isn't as large as the Taiko Drum's taiko, but more similar to a double-sided hand drum with small balls hanging on both sides.

The side engraved with "Life" is smooth and snow-white to an extraordinary degree; Uesugi Toru can clearly glimpse himself on it. The side engraved with "Death" is rough and pitch-black, as if it has swallowed all surrounding light.

Beating the Life and Death Taiko doesn't rely on shaking the two non-existent small balls, but uses the two tiny translucent drumsticks equipped with it.

The drumsticks are roughly one and a half of Uesugi Toru's fingers in length; beating the drum with these is truly a bit hard to hold back laughter.

"This hand drum, giving it to Nisun Adult to use is actually quite suitable."

——Nisun Adult has a small target, thick blood, movement speed isn't slow either, and also fits this overly small hand drum, simply the best candidate for holding this mocking prop.

Summoning Nisun Adult out of the Jizo Statue, Uesugi Toru hadn't even time to speak before the girl, smelling the heavy bloody smell emanating from the person before her, anxiously crowded around,

"Po! Toru-sama, where are you injured? Is the Taiko Drum still alive? What do you need me to do?"

"Don't panic, don't panic." Pressing down on the girl's White Hat, Uesugi Toru scooped her up into his embrace, immediately feeling faint warm currents spread through his limbs and bones.

Although Nisun Adult's healing effect is weaker during Incarnation Prajna, Uesugi Toru estimates that with his current physical state, transforming back would mean dropping dead on the spot.

With his vision instantly pulled higher, Nisun Adult subconsciously let out an exclamation; "Po~"

"Although the injuries are severe, holding Nisun Adult you should recover before long. As for the Taiko Drum, it was already slain by me just now."

Uesugi Toru handed the Life and Death Taiko and small drumsticks to Nisun Adult, who was staring at him with stars in her eyes, and explained the usage in detail.

"Mhm mhm! Toru-sama I understand, I'll properly help you in battle from now on!"

Nisun Adult gripped the small drum, expression serious: "I absolutely won't become a vase only responsible for looking pretty and healing Toru-sama's injuries!"

"Good good."

Facing his family Shikigami's declaration of effort, Uesugi Toru naturally chose encouragement——Nisun Adult indeed hadn't been idle while staying alone in the Jizo Statue.

She has almost touched the threshold of One-Star; perhaps just a few more hours and she can recover to the One-Star Realm, and when that time comes, Uesugi Toru's side's Combat Power will gain another boost.

Holding Nisun Adult and walking a stretch, Uesugi Toru, already in the middle-later section of the Isanuki Tunnel, still hadn't discovered that damnable Baka Bayashi.

"The Mononoke mentioned in the Main Quest, after being killed, indeed won't be restored by Kisaragi Station."

That is to say, the Mononoke needing Exorcism in Main Quest Three only leaves High-Speed Grandpa this tough nut; next the focus can be placed on Exploration of the map and the two Side Quests.

Uesugi Toru looked left and right at the tunnel interior, hoping to discover some unusual clue: "This Isanuki Tunnel, besides having no lamps installed, doesn't look any different ah."

"Nisun Adult, do you feel there's anything strange about this tunnel?"

Nisun Adult, originally gripping the small drum and staying Alert all around, froze, squinting hard and thinking for a good while before recalling Uesugi Toru's question just now.

The tunnel's strange points?

Nisun Adult seems to have a bit of a feeling, but can't say where.

So she pinched her Chin and pondered hard; regardless, today she must dig this feeling out for Toru-sama!

Not getting an answer, Uesugi Toru didn't say much more; he asked Nisun Adult purely in passing.

——Since conventional means can't find it, clues still have to be sought from the Task introduction.

Transportation Items.

The Task summary says, one must drive a Transportation Item through the Isanuki Tunnel to enter "the other side of the world".

But this is Kisaragi Station; where would Uesugi Toru get a Transportation Item?

It can't be hijacking that Train that appears at the start every time one enters the Station, right…… although it can be tried, Uesugi Toru feels this isn't realistic.

The second choice is finding the driver from the Kisaragi Station Legend Main Story, directly killing the opponent and snatching the car.

But this also needs Luck ah, can be chanced upon but not sought……

"——Toru-sama, I seem to know what's different about this tunnel."

Nisun Adult's unexpected words Interrupted Uesugi Toru's train of thought; he paused slightly, Curiosity in his voice: "Then speak."

"Po…… I felt a sensation similar to that instant of returning to the Jizo Statue; although very light and faint, I believe this indeed Exists."

The instant of returning to the Jizo Statue?

Uesugi Toru's Gaze sharpened——this is Space Fluctuation, because inside the Jizo Statue exists an independent small space for Shikigami to reside.

This matches his guess perfectly.

The reason this feeling is "very light and faint" now is because they haven't boarded a Transportation Item.

Then the distance to solving Side Quest One only has finding a Transportation Item left.

"Nisun Adult, thanks to you the answer to the problem has now appeared." Uesugi Toru patted the girl's head top, making the latter hehe laugh while using her hand to fiddle with her hat brim, revealing a sweet smile.

Before long, the two reached the tunnel's end; the Chi Sea's density hadn't decreased much due to Uesugi Toru's Last Time slaughter, but instead became even denser.

Countless Translucent Chi either stood still or Wandered, giving quite the oppressive feeling of facing an undisturbed zombie horde in a B-movie.

This was Nisun Adult's First Time seeing this scene; she immediately got scared into making a bitter melon face: "Toru-sama…… Why Not we turn around and go the other side."

"Drum." Uesugi Toru said, "The drum in your hand can drive them all away, don't believe it? Try?"

"Oh!"

Nisun Adult po-ed fiercely at herself; she thought such an important thing she actually managed to forget too.

——A Shikigami as timid and cowardly as herself is truly unworthy of such a flawless Owner as Toru-sama.

She bit her Lips, found the drum's black "Death" side, and tentatively struck it with the drumstick.

Dong——

The hand drum was small, yet the sound it produced when struck could travel very far.

They were still at least a hundred meters from the tunnel's end, but just that one tentative strike from the Adult Two Chi had already stirred the Chi Swarm near the tunnel interior into a commotion, squeezing outward.

It works!

The Adult Two Chi's eyes brightened; she clamped the small drum between her thighs and then exerted a little force, striking the hand drum continuously.

Thump thump thump!

By the time Uesugi Toru walked the hundred-odd meters to the tunnel's end at a leisurely pace, the Chi Swarm that had originally been a sea of people had already vanished without a trace.

Whether Zero-Star, Half-Star, or even One-Star and above Chi, all were driven by the hand drum into the mountain forest and onto more distant roads, scattered sparsely.

The effect of the Life and Death Taiko was somewhat beyond Uesugi Toru's expectations.

He had originally thought this drum could at most interfere with Chi below One-Star; the remaining One-Star Chi would still need him to personally deal with.

But unexpectedly, all the Chi actually fled as if avoiding a plague.

This Prop, the Taiko Bell, was truly a perfect match.

Uesugi Toru had originally wanted those few puppets or that pair of jade-white drumsticks; now it seems their actual utility falls short of this palm-sized hand drum.

Sighing twice, Uesugi Toru carried the Adult Two Chi and easily crossed the Isanuki Tunnel.

He looked back and likewise saw the three blurred characters "Isanuki" on this side, only the writing here was blurred even more severely; had Uesugi Toru not known in advance, he most likely would not have recognized them.

Outside the tunnel, besides the Chi Swarm, the classic railway-and-mountain-forest trio, there was nothing else; it appeared incomparably desolate, far more lonely than Arakawa Village.

At least there one could see buildings of different styles, and the rumbling from the factory kept the journey from becoming too boring.

Uesugi Toru had no choice but to continue walking along the railway.

But as he walked, Uesugi Toru suddenly discovered that the dense mountain forest, unchanged for ten thousand years, had actually produced a deep fork in the road?

Could it be that this is the road leading to that Mountain Inn in Side Quest Two?

But no matter where this road leads, Uesugi Toru will choose to enter it.

With his injuries almost fully recovered, Uesugi Toru had the Adult Two Chi obediently return into the Jizo Statue, then proceeded alone cautiously along the road.

He hadn't walked long before Uesugi Toru saw a clean, neat tile-roofed house; at the house's doorway hung a plaque emitting a faint fluorescence.

On it was written —

【All strange things under heaven, nothing is excluded】

(End of Chapter)