Boom!
In an instant, a violent gust of wind swept through the entire underground palace, forcing everyone to instinctively shield their eyes. Then, an evil chakra began to spread wildly, and countless blood-red lights flickered beneath the sealing formula.
"This... such terrifying chakra!"
The members of Sunagakure, who were preparing the barrier, were all startled by this malevolent chakra, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.
Kamiya and Jippō, Miroku's guards, were even more horrified, their faces filled with fear as they anxiously watched Miroku at the center.
As for Miroku, the Priestess destined to seal Mōryō, she was now about to face the nightmare from her dreams head-on. She was even more nervous and terrified.
Fortunately, a comforting voice sounded in her ear at that moment.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Although Rasa didn't turn around, Miroku felt her rapidly beating heart gradually calm down as she looked at the broad, mountain-like figure standing protectively in front of her. She nodded heavily.
At that moment, the violent wind finally subsided, and the underground palace returned to silence. The air was so quiet that even the sound of breathing could be heard. Everyone turned their gaze toward the stone gate at the center of the seal.
As the seal was broken and the stone gate shattered, a door filled with deep purple chakra appeared before everyone. Though it was just a simple door, the space inside seemed vast.
It appeared to be another dimension!
But where was Mōryō?
Just as everyone was wondering, a hoarse voice echoed from the otherworldly space in the silent underground palace.
"Hmm... how nostalgic, the scent of the living world. Who has awakened me..."
The voice sent a chill down the spines of everyone present, and the temperature in the air seemed to drop significantly.
Miroku trembled, her voice trembling with panic as she said,
"Is this... Mōryō's voice?"
"It must be."
Rasa turned to give her a reassuring look, then took two steps forward and declared,
"It's me. Are you Mōryō?"
The same low voice responded.
"Hmm... who are you? And this... a Priestess... how strange. To think the seal would be undone willingly... hehehe... Huh!? There's even a trace of that guy from Hirazaka Clan... How lively. What has happened in the living world... Hmm... No... this scent is..."
Accompanied by a surprised tone, the energy within the deep purple dimension began to fluctuate. Eight streams of deep purple energy slowly emerged, transforming into eight massive dragon heads that appeared before everyone. Their eyes glowed with a crimson light, fixed intently on Rasa as the voice exclaimed in astonishment,
"Impossible... in this era, to see an existence like you..."
At that moment, Miroku, who had thought she would have to face Mōryō alone once it emerged, felt a strange mix of emotions as she watched Mōryō completely ignore her and focus entirely on Rasa. Despite the oddity of the situation, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Facing such a monster alone was something she truly had no confidence in.
On the other hand, the Kazekage from Sunagakure remained calm and composed in the face of such a terrifying monster.
He was truly impressive!
As for Rasa, hearing the words spoken by the eight-headed monster that Mōryō had transformed into, he became genuinely intrigued.
"What do you mean by 'an existence like me'?"
The crimson glow in the eyes of Mōryō's eight heads flickered, and its voice, low and filled with anger.
"Hehehe... Ever since that monstrous woman descended upon this world a thousand years ago, bringing the power of the Ten-Tails to this land, all the power in this world has been tainted by that woman's consciousness. Yet, in your body, I sense none of it..."
"That woman!?"
Rasa pondered for a moment, then asked curiously,
"Are you talking about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki!!!"
At that moment, the underground palace was once again filled with turbulence. Honoka and Miroku, standing close by, could clearly feel the drastic change in the monster called Mōryō when Rasa uttered that name. It was a mix of fear and anger.
"How do you know that name!?"
The eight heads of Mōryō turned dangerously focused, their gazes piercing as they stared at Rasa.
Honoka was also visibly curious. Who was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki? How could her name evoke such fear in a demon like Mōryō?
Rasa didn't answer directly. Instead, he said,
"It seems my guess is correct. You must have been born before Kaguya Ōtsutsuki descended upon this world, right?"
"..."
Mōryō suddenly fell silent. Its eight heads shifted their gaze between Rasa, Honoka, and Miroku, as if deep in thought. After a moment, it said,
"Hmm... You didn't break my seal just for my power, did you?"
Rasa shook his head.
"No, I came here for your power, but also to help the Priestess destroy you."
Miroku, seeing this, stepped forward and mustered her courage to say,
"That's right, Mōryō! The destiny of the Priestesses ends here. This time, I will destroy you completely!"
"Destroy me? Take my power?!"
Mōryō listened to Rasa's words and then looked at the naive Miroku. Instead of getting angry, it laughed.
"Hahahaha, how amusing!"
This made Miroku feel somewhat belittled.
"What are you laughing at? I've been training hard in sealing techniques every day to seal you!"
"Hahahaha!"
Mōryō laughed even harder.
"It seems you know nothing, Priestess of this generation."
This left everyone stunned, and Rasa frowned as he asked,
"What do you mean?"
"Hahahaha."
Mōryō's laughter grew even more eerie, echoing throughout the underground palace.
"Naive Priestess, how unfortunate. The moment you arrogantly undid the seal that bound me, your fate was already sealed."
"???"
Miroku suddenly felt a wave of unease. Could Mōryō be telling the truth? Was there something she didn't know? She could only look helplessly at Rasa, the only one she could turn to for help.
Rasa reached out his hand.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you won't be harmed."
However, he was also curious. After all, he had mostly forgotten the details of the Mōryō storyline, and the information the covert operations team had gathered was limited. Could there really be something he had overlooked?
But as soon as Rasa spoke, Mōryō laughed even harder. Miroku visibly grew more anxious.
"It seems, Priestess of this generation, your mother not only failed to tell you the secret of the sealing technique but also didn't teach you to be wary of men. Hehehe..."
Rasa, seeing this, also asked curiously,
"Whether I'm trustworthy or not is up for debate, but I'm quite interested in the secret of the sealing technique you mentioned."
Seeing Rasa's calm demeanor, Mōryō became intrigued and said with a laugh,
"Hmm... The secret? I suppose there's no harm in telling you."
With that, its eight heads turned to Miroku.
"That is... hehehe... Priestess, the so-called sealing technique passed down by the Priestesses is, in essence, nothing more than you and I becoming one!"