<h4>Chapter 137: Viin Simtor, Ch 136</h4>


    "Then... I''ll be on my way," Lucas said awkwardly, feeling stifled by the heavy atmosphere. "You should head back soon too."


    "Wait."


    Just as he turned to leave, Asase Hibiki''s low voice stopped him in his tracks.


    "Is there something you need?" Lucas asked with a sigh.


    "Do you have time right now?" Hibiki''s expression darkened as she posed her question.


    "I... I haveundry to hang," Lucas replied, grasping for an excuse.


    At that moment, a distant rumble of thunder broke through the air. Dark clouds swiftly nketed the sky, and rain seemed imminent. His excuse fell apart under nature''s timing.


    "Looks like you''re free now," Hibiki said tly. Stepping out of the shrine''s barrier, she effortlessly lifted a heavy basket of sake jars, each weighing over twenty pounds. "Come on, drink with me. I know a good spot."


    The truth was, Lucas could think of no better time to drown oneself in alcohol. If someone could lend an ear to his grievances while drinking, even better.


    Unluckily for him, Hibiki had chosen him for that role.


    As he racked his brain for a way to decline her "invitation," Hibiki added, "If you drink with me, I''ll tell you how to break the barrier."


    Faced with such a tempting offer, Lucas had no choice but to relent.


    He couldn''t deny it—though Reizenbou, the tengu chief, had the strength to break Kitsune Saiguu''s barrier, Lucas wasn''t sure he could reach such power within the allotted ten years of training.


    If Hibiki truly had a shortcut, he couldn''t afford to let the chance slip away.


    ---


    Hibiki''s "good spot" turned out to be an abandoned shrine.


    Legends imed Inazuma housed eight million gods. While the number was an exaggeration, shrines dedicated to lesser deities were not umon.


    When those deities vanished and their followers faded into obscurity, the shrines were left unattended, either overtaken by nature or forgotten entirely in the wilderness.


    The shrine Hibiki led him to wasn''trge, and the statue it once housed had eroded beyond recognition.


    Yet, contrary to what he expected, the ce was remarkably clean. It was clear someone had been maintaining it.


    "Konbumaru and I used to drink here all the time," Hibiki said, setting out cups. "That idiot... he really thought of me as one of the guys."


    The knife marks on the pirs, the dice cups beneath the altar, the arrow quivers in the corners—all seemed to whisper stories of the past.


    The sake poured into their cups exuded a rich, enticing aroma.


    "You liked him, didn''t you?" Lucas asked bluntly.


    "I..." Hibiki instinctively wanted to deny it, but in the end, she could only offer a bitter smile. "I did."


    The sake, meant to be sweet, tasted unbearably bitter.


    "You''re such a coward," Lucas said after downing a cup. "I confessed my feelings to Lady Saiguu when I was only seventeen."


    "So what if I was turned away?" Lucas continued, pouring himself another drink. "I''m still here, shamelessly waiting for her."


    "If I''d had your courage, maybe things would have been different," Hibiki muttered, taking another swig. "I... I apologize for the things I said to you before. Your feelings for Lady Saiguu are no joke."


    "And you''re not some heartless old hag," Lucas replied, raising his cup. "Tonight, let''s drink until we can''t stand. Cheers!"


    The clinking of cups sounded like the shattering of hearts.


    ---


    Hourster.


    Around the roaring firepit, countless empty bottlesy scattered.


    "You bastard, Konbumaru! What kind of fool was I to fall for you?" Hibiki''s face was flushed from the alcohol, and her normally tidy shrine maiden attire was disheveled, revealing a shoulder as pale as carved jade.


    "And you, Kitsune Saiguu! You heartless woman!" Lucas, equally drunk, vented years of pent-up frustration. "I gave up everything for you, and you can''t even face me!"


    "D-don''t speak ill of Lady Saiguu..."


    Despite her inebriation, Hibiki''s respect for Kitsune Saiguu remained unwavering. She stumbled toward Lucas, only to trip and fall before reaching him.


    Lucas instinctively moved to catch her, but his own unsteady footing caused him to step on her skirt. A loud tear resounded as the red fabric ripped, and they both tumbled onto the rotting wooden floorboards.


    The flickering fire cast their intertwined shadows onto the crumbling gray walls.


    Without the real-world benefits of his talents and abilities—like the Never Drunk trait—Lucas''s alcohol tolerance proved woefully ordinary.


    Hibiki''s silhouette, so simr to Kitsune Saiguu''s,bined with her identical shrine maiden garb, blurred the lines in Lucas''s drunken mind.


    Outside, the downpour began in earnest, thunder rolling across the heavens. With no way to leave, they were trapped together in the secluded shrine.


    Their gazes met, holding for a few seconds before Hibiki leaned forward and kissed him without hesitation.


    Lucas half-heartedly resisted, his mind clouded by the haze of alcohol. From childhood to now, he had never won against Hibiki—tonight was no exception.


    "You''re mistaken," Lucas said, managing to push her away slightly. "I''m not Takamine."


    "I know you''re not," Hibiki replied, her voice tinged with bitterness and pain. "But if he can marry another woman... then I''ll give myself to another man!"


    Though she was in her thirties, Hibiki still bore the naivety of a young girl. This act of vengeance against Takamine was her desperate attempt to reim agency over her own shattered heart.


    "I..."


    Lucas tried to respond, but Hibiki cut him off with a single deration.


    "Agree to this, or else," she said, her hand pressing firmly against his chest. "I won''t tell you the secret to breaking the barrier. You''ll never see Lady Saiguu again."


    Lucas was reminded that this was, after all, the <i>Viin Simtor.</i>


    Sometimes, achieving your goals required doing things you''d rather not.


    The potent sake left by Takamine clouded his mind further, its aroma mingling with the storm''s petrichor. The shadows on the wall shifted and danced, as if mocking them.


    The alcohol dulled Hibiki''s pain—both the one in her heart and the one in her body.


    Lucas moved with practiced familiarity, aiding Hibiki in executing her so-called "revenge n."


    The abandoned shrine, shrouded in the veil of heavy rain, felt warm and alive within the confines of its decrepit walls.


    Suddenly, a heavy silhouette appeared at the door, rapping lightly on the wooden frame that seemed ready to copse under the wind and rain. "Hibiki, it''s... Konbumaru. Are you in there?"


    Both Lucas and Hibiki froze. They hadn''t expected Takamine to find this ce under such circumstances.


    The flickering firelight within the shrine betrayed their presence—who else would be here but Hibiki?


    Caught unprepared, there was no time to tidy up. If Takamine saw them, the consequences would be disastrous.


    "D-don''te in!" Hibiki bit her lip, her voice trembling. "I... I don''t want to see you!"


    "Then I''ll speak from here," Takamine sighed, his deep voice almost drowned out by the rain. "I''ve thought long and hard, and I realize... I can''t get you out of my heart."


    Hearing this, Hibiki covered her mouth, unsure if her tears stemmed from joy, bitterness, or regret.


    Lucas''s movements reminded her that it was already toote.


    "But I cannot defy the marriage arranged by the Shogun," Takamine added hesitantly. "So... would you consider being my concubine? I promise, I''ll treat you as I would a wife."


    Even Lucas knew this suggestion was a lost cause. With her prideful personality, Hibiki couldn''t stand to share Takamine with someone else, let alone agree to being a concubine.


    A bitter smile appeared on Hibiki''s face before she replied, her tone icy: "Give me an hour. I''ll think about it and give you an answer."


    "Very well!" Takamine said eagerly. "Can... can I wait inside? It''s pouring out here."


    "No!" Hibiki snapped. "Do you have so little sincerity?"


    "Fine, fine!" Takamine relented, stepping back into the downpour. "I''ll wait here."


    Perhaps, outside in the rain, he felt confident that Hibiki would eventually agree to his terms. Little did he know that this was all part of her revenge.


    "Why are you doing this?" Lucas whispered, confused.


    "Shut up and keep going," Hibiki murmured back, her tone sharp. "If you dare stop before the hour is up, I won''t tell you how to break the barrier."


    An hour.


    For an ordinary human, such a demand might be impossible. But for Lucas—strengthened by the Hakushin Spring and trained under the tengu—it was merely a test of endurance.


    Takamine, stoic under the pounding rain, grew restless from the endless wait. Though he refrained from entering the shrine, he asionally called out, hoping to chat with Hibiki. Her replies, however, were either absent or muffled, as though her mouth was upied with something else.


    For all three involved, the hour dragged on interminably.


    Outside, Takamine dreamed of a future with two women at his side. Inside, Lucas endured the "blessings" of being in the midst of a different kind of arrangement.


    Finally, the hour passed. Before Takamine could speak, the shrine''s door creaked open.


    Hibiki, her cheeks flushed, stepped into the doorway. Her cold gaze locked onto Takamine. "I''ve made up my mind. I can''t be the concubine of a hatamoto. Please leave."


    The torn hem of her shrine maiden outfit trailed loosely, strands of crimson silk scattered across the floor.


    "Why..." Takamine began, instinctively stepping forward to question her decision.


    "Don''te any closer," Hibiki said, her voice steady. "If you do, you''ll cross the line. Please, take care of your wife. You were right—I should find someone else to cherish me."


    Through the crack in the door, Takamine glimpsed a man''s clothing inside the shrine. In that moment, he seemed to understand everything.


    Had Hibiki betrayed him?


    No—he, who had married a noblewoman of his own ord, had no right to im betrayal.


    "Take care," Takamine muttered, his voice hollow as he turned and vanished into the storm.


    The downpour extinguished the young retainer''s dreams and sobered the two people left inside.


    "Don''t tell anyone about this," Hibiki said curtly, her tone reverting to its usual coldness. "And don''t feel guilty—this was my choice."


    "Now," Lucas said, cutting straight to the point. "Will you tell me how to break the barrier?"


    "You''ve already done it," Hibiki replied with a faint smile.


    "What?" Lucas asked, confused.


    "This barrier requires a shrine maiden of great spiritual power to maintain it monthly with their... pure blood," Hibiki exined, her expression unreadable. "Now that I''m no longer... pure, the barrier will gradually weaken. In time, you''ll be able to break it."


    Kitsune Saiguu and her protégé, Asase Hibiki, were undoubtedly the two most powerful shrine maidens of the Grand Narukami Shrine.


    Under different circumstances, the little fox Miko might have been poised to be the third.


    It was ironic that the loss of purity for both Saiguu and Hibiki was somehow tied to Lucas.


    He didn''t doubt Hibiki''s im. Over the years, he had learned enough about barriers to know that blood rituals were amon maintenance method.


    "So you nned this from the beginning?" Lucas murmured.


    "Not at all," Hibiki admitted. "I just wanted someone to drink with me."


    "Will you still tell me the ''shortcut''?" Lucas asked.


    "Of course. Why would I lie?" Hibiki replied, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "Whether you seed depends on your own skill."


    Indeed, Hibiki hadn''t intended to keep the secret from Lucas. She figured that even if he knew, his frustration at being powerless to act would be amusing.


    What she hadn''t ounted for was how alcohol would alter her own actions, leading to this unforeseen oue.


    Still, as she watched Takamine walk away, she felt an immense weight lift from her chest—a lingering bitterness finally purged.


    That day, Hibiki seemed to be reborn, leaving behind the person she once was.


    ---


    Returning to the Grand Narukami Shrine the next day, Hibiki looked visibly drained. After all, for an ordinary human, enduring such an ordeal had taken both physical and emotional tolls.


    To her surprise, a familiar figure was waiting at the main hall.


    "L-Lady Saiguu?" Hibiki hastily bowed. "When did you return?"


    "Not long ago," Kitsune Saiguu replied, turning to face her.


    Her appearance remained as youthful and radiant as ever, though her expression now carried an undertone of weariness.


    For years, Kitsune Saiguu had tirelessly worked to cleanse Inazuma of cmity and corruption, her visits to the shrine serving mostly as moments of brief respite.


    "By the way," Kitsune Saiguu said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "When I returned to the shrine... I noticed the barrier seemed a little... weak."


    Typical of Kitsune Saiguu—Hibiki''s loss of purity was barely a day old, and she had already detected something amiss.


    ---


    Author''s Note: NTR BAHAHHAHAHA


    OK, save your stones for after the reset if you want a lot of extra Chapters, this simtion will be even more epic! Trust