21st Century Necromancer

Accompanied by Saegusa Mikie, Chen Yu once again arrived in front of the small shrine within Kawakami Cemetery.

Calling it a shrine was a bit of a stretch, as it was just a tiny Torii gate and a shrine that was far too small for anyone to enter. But since there was a Torii gate and a shrine enshrining a divine body, this place was the abode of the deities, sacred land.

In order to show respect to the deities, Chen Yu clapped his hands twice before the Torii gate according to the customary rites, then led Saegusa Mikie, who performed the same clapping gesture, through the Torii gate.

The Torii gate holds significant meaning in Shintoism, marking the boundary between deities and mortals. Stepping through the Torii gate symbolized entering the divine domain.

However, this divine domain was not delineated by the deities themselves but was based on the territorial extent of the shrine. Essentially, the Torii gate demarcated the shrine's boundaries.

Having visited quite a few shrines, Chen Yu was familiar with the so-called divine domains. Strong shrines had their Torii gate at a considerable distance from the main hall enshrining the divine body.

Places as mighty as Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine allowed one to feel the Power of Faith cloaking the shrine's land even before passing through the Torii gate; whereas weaker shrines, like the nameless tiny one before them, even upon reaching the shrine housing the divine body, Chen Yu felt only a faint Power of Faith wafting from the shrine.

However, compared to Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine, whose Power of Faith had already formed a domain, this small shrine with its faint Power of Faith surprisingly alerted Chen Yu to the presence of a deity.

The Power of Faith at Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine was strong due to a thousand years of history and dependent on the strategic array or Barrier that enveloped the entire Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine. When Chen Yu visited, he had not sensed the presence of any deity, nor felt even a hint of Divine Power.

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But this small shrine was different. As Chen Yu approached the small shrine that housed the divine body, he could clearly feel a powerful Spiritual Body... or rather, a deity residing within.

"Is anyone home?" Chen Yu asked very politely after paying his respects, shouting toward the shrine. Of course, he employed a small technique with his shout, one derived from a signature skill of the Banshee—Death Howl. It was a variant that would undoubtedly be heard by a spiritual body.

However, the Spiritual Body inside the shrine seemed to shudder twice, then the Power of Faith surrounding it shrank back towards the shrine. The door of the shrine, which had been open, also slammed shut with a bang, presenting an unwelcoming facade.

Seeing this, Chen Yu couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and frustration. It seemed that the deity before him had been frightened by him.

"Doctor Chen..." Although Saegusa Mikie could not feel the Spiritual Body within the shrine, she still picked up on the peculiar atmosphere and couldn't help but inquire.

Chen Yu raised his hand to signal Saegusa Mikie to wait and continued to speak in another language, "Please come out for a moment. I mean no harm; I just wish to ask you a few questions."

What Chen Yu used was the Necromantic Language, which strictly speaking was not a language, but rather a means of 'conversation' between spiritual bodies. Not quite understanding the nature of the deities in Japan, he deliberately used this universal way of communication among spiritual bodies as recorded in the 'Multiverse Universal Necromancy Spell Compendium'.

However, much to Chen Yu's surprise, the spiritual body appeared even more afraid.

The Power of Faith surrounding the shrine was repelled. The being clearly conveyed a sense of reluctance, and yet, it still pushed the Power of Faith away, as though telling Chen Yu, "Take these and let me be."

Seeing that Chen Yu didn't move, the spiritual body inside the shrine, with great reluctance, separated from within an even purer force of faith than that enveloping the shrine... no, it should be called refined Divine Power, seemingly offering it in exchange for Chen Yu's departure.

Chen Yu was indeed curious about this pure Divine Power, but he hadn't come here to exploit what seemed to be an impoverished spiritual body; he just wanted to ask some questions.

But witnessing the spiritual body's attitude of spending wealth to avoid disaster, he couldn't help but feel a full head of black lines.

After taking a deep breath, Chen Yu finally chose the most direct approach, releasing all of his aura and pressing it onto the shrine, then with an authentic Death Howl shouted toward the shrine, "Come out, or I'll dismantle your nest!"

"Don't eat me! I don't taste good!" At last, a little girl who seemed on the verge of tears opened the doors of the shrine and crawled out.

The little girl was dressed in a luxurious deep purple twelve-layered kimono, holding a golden Shenluo bell in her arms. She did not have a normal human figure, but resembled the three-head-tall proportions from manga; most surprisingly, she had a pair of large fox ears on her head and a fluffy tail trailing behind her.

Seeing the little girl emerge, Chen Yu then reined in his aura, and helplessly said to her, "Wouldn't it have been better to come out earlier, without making me resort to such methods?"

Although Chen Yu had put away his aura, the little girl didn't feel safe and clung to her Shenluo bell, hiding inside the shrine, "I really only have this little Divine Power, very few people come to worship me, and there isn't much Power of Faith... please let me go!"

Looking at the little girl's pitiful appearance, Chen Yu shook his head helplessly, raised his hand to condense a strand of Necromantic Power at his fingertips, and using it to draw upon the Negative Energy from the entire Kawakami Cemetery, he then said to the girl, "If I really wanted to consume you, would you have a chance to resist?

If I wanted to consume you, after living here for so long, I would have done it already."

Saying so, Chen Yu pointed in the direction of his home and asked the girl, "You know I live just across the street, right?"

The little girl looked at the power Chen Yu was channeling with a face full of terror, nodded dumbly, and shrank back into the shrine, clutching the doorframe and asking Chen Yu, "Then what are you here for?"

"I just have some questions I want to ask you," Chen Yu replied, gazing at the Divine Power the little girl had released earlier. It seemed to be dissipating slightly, and as the girl looked at it with pained eyes, Chen Yu said, "Take it back, or it really will scatter."

Upon hearing Chen Yu's words, the little girl hurriedly, and with much distress, gathered the Divine Power, while also reconvening the surrounding Power of Faith back onto the shrine. With all the commotion, the already sparse Power of Faith became even sparser, apparently losing about a tenth, causing the girl's distressed face to wrinkly even more.