HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"I said, I have killed the Gashadokuro," Yae Sakura repeated firmly. She studied the woman's face intently, gauging whether she might strike first. If she moves against me, thought Yae Sakura, I'll return the blow without hesitation.

"Is that so..." responded the woman coolly. Despite Yae Sakura's declaration, not a trace of anger flickered across her visage—it was as if the news held no consequence for her whatsoever. "As I mentioned earlier, my role was minimal and incidental. Anything beyond that has nothing to do with me." Her voice remained steady, betraying neither surprise nor concern over the creature's demise.

"Very well..." Yae Sakura sighed, deflated.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave now."

At that moment, Shiranui's presence over the ocean began to gradually fade away.

"Do you go by Ari?" Yae Sakura asked once more, recalling Tsuki's tale.

"Perhaps... Once upon a time, someone may have called me that," the woman replied thoughtfully, as if lost in reminiscence yet not quite anchored to any specific memory.

"Fight with me for just one match!" Yae Sakura pleaded, watching the woman prepare to depart. Even if she isn't Shiranui, he reasoned, she must still be some great yokai. Completing this main quest should take precedence; after all, who knew where she might vanish off to next?

"Agreed." The woman consented without hesitation.

"Huh?" Seeing her immediate agreement, Yae Sakura found himself momentarily speechless—his prepared speech caught in his throat at how effortlessly she had acquiesced.

"This is your objective, isn't it? You wouldn't let me leave quietly until you've achieved what you came here for, am I right?"

"In a manner of speaking... Then consider yourself obliged to oblige me."

Noticing her acceptance, a smile blossomed across Yae Sakura's face—a fleeting glimpse before their confrontation commenced.

However, at this altitude above the sea surface, Yae Sakura was not truly in her element—thankfully for her, Higokumaru stood by her side.

Yae Sakura mounted atop Higokumaru's back, gripping her sword firmly at her waist with both hands.

"Let's go!" she exclaimed. "Higokumaru..."

The fox rider Yae Sakura charged forth!

Higokumaru transformed into a massive fire fox over ten meters tall, its body engulfed in blazing fox flames. Remarkably, these infernal fires caused no harm whatsoever to Yae Sakura upon his back.

With a mighty roar, Higokumaru opened his colossal maw and unleashed a torrent of foxfire towards their adversary. Meanwhile, Yae Sakura half-crouched on his back, channeling all her sword energy into the Spiritual Blade within its scabbard.

"Draw Slash!"

In perfect sync with Higokumaru's fiery assault, a Sakura Sword Force nearly ten meters wide cleaved through the air before them—as if it were splitting the very ocean itself in two. Yet... Shiranui vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, streams of flame appeared in the sky, hurtling downwards like arrows aimed directly at them.

As these fiery projectiles bore down, Higokumaru let out a piercing cry. His five enormous tails lashed out, dispersing the flames effortlessly; they posed no threat to him as a fire-controlling fox immune to most thermal damage.

"Inihama..." A melodious voice resonated across the heavens. Beautiful fire butterflies materialized one after another, streaking across the sea's surface like shooting stars as they swiftly closed in on the fox duo.

"Slaying Intent Mark!"

The Beast Eared Miko leaped from atop the fox, unleashing the Sakura Sword Force to intercept the approaching butterflies—a deadly dance between light and shadow unfolding against the backdrop of the vast ocean.

"I concede! No further need for combat!"

Realizing she couldn't harm Higokumaru no matter her efforts, the woman admitted defeat after only a brief exchange.

Both wielded control over fire, but while Higokumaru's fox fire brimmed with destructive power, the woman's flames lacked strong aggressiveness. Instead, hers boasted versatility and a lifelike quality.

This was evident in the butterflies formed from her flames—they were nearly indistinguishable from real insects.

Since she could not inflict any injury, there was indeed no point in continuing the battle.

"Ah..." Yae Sakura found herself somewhat taken aback by this decisive concession. After all, she hadn't even managed to seriously hurt the woman...

However... seeing that this main quest could be considered complete with her defeat made Yae Sakura wonder if she had overthought the challenge...

So this is enough to count as victory?

"Very well!" she conceded. "Let's call it quits for now..."

With the task accomplished, Yae Sakura refrained from pursuing further combat. Battling on the open sea was truly unfavorable ground for her.

If not for Higokumaru's presence, she wouldn't have dared engage in such a fight here at all.

-

"Kikyō, are you two alright?"

Upon returning to the remote island, Yae Sakura spotted Kikyō and Tsuki on the shore. She leaped off Higokumaru's back as they both transformed back to their human forms.

"We're fine," replied Kikyō, her curiosity piqued by the woman standing behind Yae Sakura and Higokumaru. "Who is she?"

"That's Shiranui!" exclaimed Yae Sakura. "Oh right, what happened to the old man who brought us here earlier? How did he disappear so quickly?"

Only Kikyō and Tsuki remained on the island; the elderly guide had vanished without a trace, leaving them bewildered.

"He left just moments ago..." Tsuki hurriedly explained, though her eyes betrayed no less curiosity than Kikyō's, both fixed intently on Shiranui.

"I see..."

So he'd actually allowed someone else to take his boat away. Now they'd have to rely on Higokumaru to ferry everyone back later.

"You must be the legendary Shiranui?" Kikyō asked, scrutinizing the woman before them. Surprisingly, not even a hint of demonic energy emanated from her presence.

"Well...not exactly," the woman responded after a moment of silence. "The true Shiranui—the one you encountered before—is merely fire itself. It has no consciousness or feelings, much like wind, water, or flame."

"As tales of Shiranui multiplied over time, more people began believing it was either the dragon god's lantern or some great yokai entity. Thus, something that never existed gradually came into being through belief alone."

Even so, it was not enough. It wasn't until over a hundred years later that a songstress fully merged with the legend...

Only then did the true great yokai Shiranui come into being."

"A songstress? And you're saying this is truly based on legend? Ari—wait, you are Ari!" The group stared at her in astonishment.

"Not entirely..." she replied softly. "The legends of Shiranui were vast; I emerged from those very tales. While Ari is indeed one part of my story, I now inhabit her form." She gently touched her face as she spoke.

"Have you ever seen that onmyouji again since then?" Tsuki asked curiously, standing beside Kikyō despite her lingering fear. Her curiosity won out over her apprehension.

"Onmyouji..." Shiranui gazed towards the bay thoughtfully before continuing. "As I've said, I am neither Ari nor the original Shiranui. However... after their union, he would visit this island every day.

But alas, humans have lifespans barely spanning a century. He has long since passed away. Before his death, he adopted a child who, upon cremating him, scattered his ashes across the ocean according to his wishes."

"How pitiful!"

"Indeed..."

"Earlier... you two were..." Kikyō gazed at Yae Sakura and Shiranui, bewildered by their sudden shift from a fierce battle to casual conversation with friends. The commotion they had caused moments ago seemed incongruous with their current demeanor.

"I suppose it's what they say: no clash, no friendship!" Yae Sakura replied lightly.

"It was merely a sparring match," Shiranui added. "We didn't mean any harm."

"A spar that loud though..." Kikyō couldn't help but marvel at how such intensity could be dismissed so casually.