"Liu Mei'er!"

"Who's that?"

"Half-demon swordsman! She's a half-demon swordsman, so you don't have to hide here! Aoki climbed up the slope and turned back to Hadron and said, "You go to Nana, don't go out yet, wait for my signal!" ”

"Wait!"

Qiangzi was a little hesitant, he seemed to have heard of the half-demon swordsman before, and they were all very powerful people. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info but......

"It doesn't matter. Liu Mei'er is very powerful, she will definitely kill the demon. Believe me! ”

“…… Well! ”

Seeing Hadko's back disappear into the darkness, Aoki turned around and climbed out of the waterway.

"Liu Mei'er!"

In the middle of the battle, Liu Mei'er was also surprised to hear Aoki's voice, she had just been in the chapel garden when the bell was ringing, compared to the long and long sounds heard in the town, what she heard here was almost deafening, but in the interval between the bells, she faintly heard a cry for help.

Luckily, I arrived. Liu Mei'er breathed a sigh of relief without even noticing it.

The half-demon swordsman swung sideways, almost sweeping the demon's ankle. But the demon flapped its wings a little and dodged.

"Liu Mei'er? But a half-demon swordsman, still need a name? ”

The strange sound that came out of his throat scraped across Aoki's eardrums, and he couldn't help but shudder.

"Put the child down."

"Kid?" The demon looked up and thought for a while, then suddenly smiled and shook the ankle of the child in his hand, "You said this breakfast?" Let me think...... No, it doesn't. ”

Another whisper stuck in his throat, Aoki watched as the demon lifted the child to his chest, protecting it like a shield.

"You mean!"

"Forced? Hey...... What about you? It is you humans who take the initiative to provide food, these devotees of gods and Buddhas...... And the servants...... Hey, hey, hey......"

Aoki suddenly remembered the way Hadron wanted to speak in the waterway just now, could it be ...... No...... No......

"It's not lying," Hadron was already standing behind Aoki for some reason, "the laymen, and the people of the town, who sent orphans to Jizo-an for the sake of Yamaguchi Town, and then ...... There are not enough orphans in the town, so the laymen go to other towns to adopt them, and now there are orphans everywhere......"

"What about you...... You know? ”

“…… No...... Even if you know, you can only pretend not to know, otherwise you will be 'adopted'......"

"Abominable ......"

Qiangzi looked at Liu Meier and the demons fighting fiercely in the center of the court, and suddenly began to believe in the myth of Santotivil and the Trevi Fountain, believing that the wishes he had made again and again could one day be fulfilled.

"Originally, I wanted to hide there with Nana until it was over, but, but I would love to see the half-demon swordsman you said, and the half-demon swordsman you said could end everything, she is really good, I can leave here several times, but Nana wants to stay and be with her brother...... If I hadn't left my sister behind, if I had taken her with me that day and hid in the waterways, she would still be alive...... So I can't leave Nana behind...... Soon, soon, it's over......"

"Hmmm! Liu Meier will definitely defeat ......"

Aoki turned his head, only to see Hadron's body pierced by sharp claws, and his smile still on his face.

It's all coming to an end.

"Hadron-!"

"Difficult to ......" Liu Mei'er recognized the true appearance of the demon that was gradually revealed, and she still had the string of Buddhist beads that she held in her hand all the year round around her neck, "Aoki, dodge!" ”

Liu Mei'er threw the half-demon swordsman in her hand towards the Monk of Difficulty, but it jumped out of the way.

"I warned you a long time ago, if you go back honestly, you and this kid might still hear the bell tomorrow morning."

"What's going on...... Hadron...... Where's my sister?! It's hard to get married! ”

Chiayi, who came after Liu Meier, had been hiding in the rose bush just now, if it weren't for the fact that the Troubled Monk suddenly joined the battle, he wouldn't even see the strong son, and there has always been a strong son in the place where there is a strong son......

"Shh Aoki pulled Chiayi into the flowers, "Nana is in the waterway over there, it's safe......"

Chiayi let out a long breath.

"What the hell is going on? Why is it difficult to ...... the people?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Nana...... Nana: They're all the kind of food that the people raised. ”

"Impossible! How can it be...... Laymen...... I, when I first came, because I was much older than Nana and the others, the laymen asked me to take care of the garden, and I ...... Bastard! I actually left Nana here, she never told me, I was such a bastard. ”

“…… You go find her. She has always loved you. ”

"Thank you, thank you," Chiayi took advantage of the demons and Liu Mei'er's struggle to run towards the mouth of the waterway, and suddenly stopped again, "By the way, thank you for me!" ”

"Celestial Maiden?! Hey, wait, who's the goddess? ”

Aoki watched as Chiayi climbed into the sewer, and then turned around to see Liu Mei'er's magic sword pass through the demon's chest, splitting it in half.

The Daughter of Heaven - the brave and warlike Celestial Maiden.

"Hehe, I see...... Come on! Heavenly Maiden! ”

When Liu Mei'er heard Aoki call her a celestial maiden, the sharp claws of the difficult monk just crossed the white rose pinned to her chest, and the delicate, pitiful flower suddenly shattered its bones, scattered into taunting petals and fell to the ground. Liu Mei'er turned sideways, and the lightness was more difficult than the shoulders of the layman.

The true face of the demon gradually revealed by the monk broke through the monk's dark clothes, and the Buddhist beads hanging around his neck were also torn apart, and the beads fell to the ground like tears, and then bounced high, like the echo of the bells that echoed over the town of Yamaguchi, making a crisp but fainter sound.

The demon roared as if to announce its wrath to the people of the town.

"If you leave now, maybe the people of this town will thank you, otherwise they will all be my food after I kill you!"

"You can't get out alive."

Liu Mei'er rushed towards the demon with a sword.

Although this demon does not have wings like the previous one, it is more powerful, but this thorny courtyard is an excellent natural trap for Liu Mei'er, she gradually pushes the demon into a corner, and sure enough, the demon jumps up, but because of the limited space around it, it can only land in the maze woven by rose vines.

It is not difficult for humans to pass through the rose vine flower path, but for demons, that space is too small.

"You ......" The demon's limbs were entangled in rose vines, and the spikes of the rose bit into the demon's skin like the sharp teeth of a trap, and the more it struggled, the tighter it wrenched, "You think this kind of thing can trap me?!" ”

"Just a second, no," Liu Mei'er's half-demon swordsman swung, "as long as it can trap you for 0.5 seconds." ”

The demon's head fell into the mournful rose bush, and Aoki saw that the rose bush stained with countless blood was like a bloody mouth from hell, devouring the demon's remains.

"Qiangzi said that there were originally white flowers planted here, but they were dyed pink by blood, so they were replanted......"

Rose!

Chiayi is the gardener here, they have been here for almost two years, how could he not know about the garden to be planted with roses?!

-- Three ...... --

Hadron's words swirled in his ears, and Aoki clutched his chest, and he felt his heart beat violently.

"Liu Mei'er! And one more! ”

Pointing to the sewer entrance, he could almost see Rhona's petite body lying in a pool of blood. His hair was a chaotic brown stained with blood, and those honey-like eyes were probably closed, never to be opened again.

"Follow me."

The sewers were still shrouded in darkness, but Aoki remembered that going straight and turning a corner was where Rona was hiding, and he took Yoo Meier all the way here, but the corner was empty, only a strawberry fruit candy lying quietly.

"It should be here...... It should be," Aoki picked up the strawberry candy and clenched it tightly in his hand, "Bastard, if I had thought of it earlier, bastard-!" ”

"Let's go after her."

"It's useless! It's the same here as the labyrinth. We don't know where to go...... Damn ......" Tears flowed down his cheeks to his mouth, the salty taste was different from the strawberries that Lorna gave him, "Qiangzi, Qiangzi, he treats Nana as his sister to protect, but I can't do anything, I ...... anything"

"Aoki, we can catch up."

"What?"

Liu Mei'er closed her eyes, and she could feel the thin demonic energy remaining in the waterway like a thin line, leading them towards Rhona.

"This way."

Holding the half-demon swordsman tightly, Liu Mei'er ran wildly towards the depths of the waterway, until the demonic energy disappeared at an exit, and she stopped.

"It's here."

She could almost feel that at the other end of this exit, the demonic aura was gradually engulfing the abode of the god that had been over a hundred years old. Liu Mei'er leaned over and climbed out of the waterway, and the familiar Jizo statue in front of them made them immediately understand their location.

"...... this?"

"Jizo."

"Jizo."

Liu Mei'er's voice and Chiayi sounded at the same time, as if the pair of Liudao and Jizo, who symbolized death and rebirth, reunited in the garden.

"It's ironic that we all passed through the narrow and dark passage from the Six Paths of Death to Jizo, which represents rebirth."

"Let go of Rhona!"

"Rhona? You said...... My dear sister? ”

"Don't play dumb! Let her go! ”

"I'm most annoyed by disobedient kids...... Unlike the group of guys who like children's internal organs, from the day I ate Chiayi and disguised myself as him, I looked forward to little Nana growing up, making a cut in her snow-white belly, allowing the internal organs to flow out slowly, and then her hair would be dyed brown and flashing in the firelight...... Like her brother......"

“…… Bastard...... You bastard! ”

"Don't go over," Liu Mei'er pulled Aoki over, "she's not dead yet." ”

"Hey...... If you're not a half-demon swordsman, I'd love to cut through your pretty skin, but ...... Your ugly half-demon body is so unattractive...... Little one, have you ever seen the body of a celestial maiden? That half-demon ugliness......"

"Shut up!"

Liu Meier raised the magic sword and rushed towards Chiayi, but he leaned over and ran into his arms.

"You should thank me for being so gentle, even if you die, that little imp will never see your ugly body."

Sensing Chiayi's intentions, Liu Meier knew that it was impossible to dodge that blow now, so she had to twist to avoid the vital organs, and in an instant, Chiayi's hand passed through Liu Meier's abdomen.

"Liu Mei'er!"

With the power of Chiayi, Liu Meier jumped back and retreated to Aoki's side.

"Is this a half-demon swordsman? Heavenly Maiden, this is so boring, I thought you would be more powerful. ”

"Don't come here!" Aoki opened his arms in front of Liu Meier, he couldn't protect Qiangzi, and he couldn't protect Rona, but only Liu Meier, only her...... Absolutely not, "You don't want to come here!" ”

"Don't worry, we still have a lot of time, I'll take your time to taste your offal...... Where to start ...... first"

"Brother?"

“…… Rona......? Chiayi turned around and found that Rona lying in the rose bush had woken up at some point, "Rona, Nana, come, come to my brother." ”

"Chiayi? Chiayi...... You're not an older brother...... My brother likes strawberry-flavored berries the most, and he likes to hold Nana the most...... You're not ......."

Chiayi's hand stopped in mid-air.

“…… Lorna ......"

"Brother...... Brother? Is that you? Is it really you? ”

With his arms outstretched, Chiayi said in his characteristic low tone, "Come to my brother......"

"Brother......

"Don't!"

Aoki wanted to rush over, but his chest seemed to be caught by invisible hands, and he could only watch everything slide in front of his eyes like a continuous flash of oil paintings, second by second, minute by minute.

"Lovely Nana, if you don't wake up so early, I can still be your Chiayi brother for a few years, and when you grow up, you can enjoy this meal again."

Chiayi's index finger passed through the artery on the side of Ronna's neck, and the moment it was withdrawn, blood seemed to gush out, rising and falling with the pulse.

Rhona's petite body fell on the bluestone path of the garden, and the candle flame fell on her body at this time, and her long hair seemed to turn a cloudy color.

"Immediately, immediately it will turn into a beautiful dark brown, and when her blood is drained, hehehehehe-hee-"

The laughter in his throat made Aoki retch, and the courage he had left was squeezed out of almost every cell, so he could barely rush past Chiayi's side and pick up Rona as he pressed his hand tightly against the wound that kept gushing blood.

"Nana, Nana, look at me, you'll be fine, look at me."

"Brother? Brother...... I already knew, I already knew...... My brother likes to call me 'Little Nana'...... But if you pretend not to know, you can still be together...... Before coming here, my brother ...... But I don't want to go anywhere else...... I don't want to leave ......."

Thinking of the strawberry candy in his pocket, Aoki understands why Nana is so obsessed with herself, just like Hadron treats Nana as her sister, and perhaps she also thinks of herself as Chiayi.

Aoki pulled out the candy in his pocket and stuffed it into Rhona's hand.

"Look, your strawberry candy."

Rona held up the candy in her hand, and in the sunlight the small pink candy looked like a kaleidoscope of changing colored beads.

"Brother, give you ......"

The candy fell to the ground, and the kaleidoscope shattered to the ground.

"Rhona—"

The sadness surging in Chiayi's chest of "Little Nana ......" belonged to the undead, and it was the memory engraved in his body that fed Luo Na to weep.

"It's ridiculous...... Is this kid crying...... It's okay, I'm tired of this body, he'll disappear sooner or later, after killing your half-demon swordsman and this little guy...... I'll pick a new body in town......"

The demon gradually changed into its original form, but when it seemed to walk towards Liu Mei'er, its body seemed to be restrained at the feet of Jizo, motionless.

"What's going on?! Bastard, this kid ......"

Liu Mei'er's magic sword slowly passed through Chiayi's chest, and she could almost hear the sound of muscles and bones tearing, closer to the sound of death, leading to hell than the bells of Yamaguchi. Liu Mei'er rotated the half-demon swordsman 90 degrees and cut off the demon's body horizontally.

Looking at the quiet and peaceful face of the Jizo Bodhisattva statue, Liu Meier never believed in miracles, but the memory left in Chiayi's body controlled the actions of the demon, is this considered a rebirth?

She didn't know, but if God existed, how could he allow such a thing to happen.

Liu Meier...... Are we all guilty, as you say, to be washed away with our own blood one day, as you say? ”

Aoki wiped the corners of his eyes hard, but his vision was still blurry, he couldn't see Rona's face clearly, only the spreading brown seeped into the cracks of the bluestone.

"I don't believe in God."

Liu Mei'er casually folded off a rose and pinned it to the silver armor.

Standing up, Aoki hugged Rona to Chiayi's side, even though it was just a demon's corpse, but for Lorna, it was still Chiayi's brother.

Wipe Rhona's face with his cuffs, he still can't see those honey-like eyes.

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why make a wish to him? Liu Meier, why are you always making wishes to those indifferent gods and Buddhas? ”

“…… Because...... They must have been more afraid of death. ”

When looking at the stone doors of the chapel, Aoki feels like he has locked a world in this gate from hell to heaven. He turned around and saw Liu Mei'er standing in the empty small square of Yamaguchi Town.

As the midday bell rang, Aoki seemed to see someone peeking into the chapel through the gap in the building, it was the townspeople. Aoki suddenly felt angry for no reason.

Rhona, Qiangzi, and the children whose names he didn't even know were sent to the slaughterhouse by these people.

There were more and more people in the small square, as if they had all heard about the victory of the half-demon swordsman.

"This half-demon swordsman killed the demon, what should we do?!"

"That's right! There will be demons coming, and it may not be so easy to be satisfied! ”

"Get out!"

Barely able to believe his ears, Aoki's anger clogged in his chest welled up in his throat.

"Bastard! These bastards! ”

Liu Meier grabbed Aoki's arm.

"Someone will collect the money, and put it in the designated place as it says in the letter of entrustment."

Dragging Aoki through the crowd, Liu Mei'er's silver eyes swept over the townsfolk who surrounded them, and those who were watched by those demonic eyes unconsciously stepped back and made way for a narrow corridor.

"Liu Mei'er! Is that ......?"

"Here, someone wrote a letter of entrustment."

“……？”

"Not everyone is willing to send those orphans to Jizo-an. Everyone here makes their own decisions, and it's not something I can meddle in...... We're just going to kill those guys......"

Aoki gritted his teeth, will this place return to its original state in the future.

He didn't know.

But this is a village with the attention of the gods.

Like the opposition between the six realms and Jizo, there is also death and new life here.

"Liu Meier......"

"Huh?"

"If Nana's brother can control the demon, is it possible that he sent a letter of entrustment?"

“…………”

"Forget it, don't answer, I just have to believe my answer."

The midday bells of Yamaguchi struck twelve times, and the long, heavy weeping bells echoed in the air above the town, like a song of the soul. (To be continued.) )