“No… No… No…” Yua shook her head in disbelief. Her eyes were already hot with tears. “This is not possible…. I came here to save those vigers….”


    “Years ago….” Taka looked down deeply. “There’s news about a demon that can turn humans into demons too…. Those demons couldn’t be killed, only sealed…. However, it would beplicated to seal that many demons….”


    “Yes, that’s why my predecessor did the sealing in this way,” Yamaya exined. “So, now you know why we want to prevent you from breaking the seal, right?”


    Taka sighed. “You said that now it’s a full moon, so things will be tough, Yamaya-san. Actually, we came herest night, but one of the vigers said to postpone our mission.”


    Yua bit her lip. Now she realized how suspicious the old man was.


    Yamaya didn’t answer and went to the big seal again. Several soldiers hade with papers, arge brush, a wooden bucket filled with ck ink, and a set of musical instruments. The musical instrument consists of several drums, a bamboo flute, and a stringed instrument.


    “Apparently, they haven’t been able topletely transform.” One of them gave a report.


    “We still have to be vignt.” Yamaya taped a piece of paper to the floor. “I will seal the surroundings of this ce first.”_.


    Yamaya knelt down and recited an incantation that sounded like an incoherent slur.


    “One has escaped!!!” A guard’s voice was heard from a distance. “He infiltrated our ce!!!”


    Yua and Taka turned their heads toward the source of the voice, which came from one of the room’s entrances. In the passage, they saw a soldier running very fast from a distance.


    No, it’s not a soldier because the skin on his face is green, his eyes look like they’re about to fall out of ce, his nose is long, and he has a small horn on his forehead.


    The guards near Yamaya immediately took out their respective weapons, preparing to fight.


    The demon was getting closer and showing its long fangs.


    However, he stopped before passing through the door and couldn’t enter the room. He then shouted in a voice that sounded like it was not humannguage. Not long after, several soldiers stabbed him in the back. Blood gushed, and that demon fell.


    “He wouldn’t have died with a wound like that.” Yamaya, who had just made calligraphy on paper, exined again. “They will resurrect again, even if their heads are chopped off.”


    Yua couldn’t help but gulp after hearing that.


    The priestess then did the unexpected. She started to untie the knots in Yua’s body.


    “Yamaya-sama, what are you doing!?” One of the guards looked bewildered.


    “They have seen what happens when the seal is broken.” Yamaya switched to untied Taka’s body. “The magical barrier in this ce is limited in duration, and there are still demons that can prate it. I can’t make it any better due to time constraints. So, I will ask them to cooperate with you to protect me.”


    Yua and Taka, who were still sitting, could not help but stare at the priestess.


    “But they are still the ones who made all this happen!” One of the other soldiers added.


    “They were able to break through the defenses all the way here, and you said earlier that this guy can beat arge number of you, right?” Yamaya looked at the two ninjas. “They arepetent ninjas.”


    “But…”


    “This is their way of taking responsibility for this incident.” Yamaya cut off the soldier’s words, then took out a small bamboo container from the fold of his clothes.


    All the soldiers who were there gasped.


    “Many people say that taking these pills is a worse punishment than death,” Yamaya said in a cold tone. “But, you’ll be able to move faster and stronger, even with these injuries you’ve sustained. However, after that, you are at high risk of lifelong paralysis. That’s because your muscles are forced to work beyond their capacity.”


    Yamaya threw the container on the floor, rolling it towards Yua and Taka.


    “I’ve wasted a lot of time talking to you two.” Yamaya moved to the new seal affixed to therge chunk of wood. “You can’t choose anymore. If you refuse, my guards will force you to take those pills.”


    Several soldiers sat lined up on the floor, then started ying musical instruments. The slow rhythm that emerged was soothing, and the priestess started a dance movement by circling the seal. Her mouth also started to cast an enchantment simr to the one earlier.


    The movement was so beautiful that Yua froze with her mouth slightly open.


    “I’ve always hated medicine like this.” Taka looked at the ck pill already in his palm, then put it in his mouth. His face contorted to the max as he swallowed the pill.


    Yamaya looked at Taka for a moment, then looked up.


    “Well, it seems you really don’t have a choice.” Raymund sighed. “Don’t worry, Yua. You won’t be paralyzed after taking that pill. You are no longer an ordinary human. Well, maybe you’ll feel more painter.”


    Yua closed her eyes to strengthen her resolve again. Yes, she made a big mistake, but now there is a way to make amends. There’s no point inmenting what happened.


    “I feel like there is a new flow of energy in my body.” Taka got up and looked at his hands.


    The kunoichi took the bamboo container, scooped the contents out of her palm, then tossed the pill into her mouth. She tasted an intense bitterness in her mouth, but her expression did not change.


    The woman then stood up. The pain in her body had disappeared. And just like what Taka said, she also felt a surge of new energy in her body.


    “He’sing!” One of the soldiers guarding Yamaya shouted.


    Several soldiers standing guard outside screamed in panic. The bodies of some of them were thrown in the hallway. There was one demon who attacked them easily.


    “Do not go there!” The soldier gave a warning to the two ninjas. “Your job is to stay here!”


    Taka narrowed his eyes, observing the face of the red-skinned and two-horned demon. Unlike the previous demon, the being’s face still resembled a human’s. “Tamaki-san?”