I followed the passageway even further until I reach a small room filled with bookshelves. They were riddled with tomes and scrolls, which struck my fancy.

I took one of them and read it. But it's not a magic spell, rather than it's just notes.

"The blood and abilities of the Moriya Miko is divine. They were able to cause miracles that defies our understanding, and sharpen our magical abilities, as well as healing the sick and weak."

Another note from this Okazaki Yumemi, it seems that she has found Sanae, and it turns out that her blood is also Divine? Well, she is Suwako's descendant after all.

The room is noticably warmer than the cavern behind me, so I took off my coat and put it into the magic storage. I looked around the small room, after rummaging through more books and knick-knacks, I find a sword case. I open it to reveal a rusted katana which is vaguely familiar.

This is, what was supposed to be Hakuroken, the wakizashi which is a heritage of the line of Legendary Swordsmen of the Konpaku. The current Konpaku is Youmu, a half human half phantom of Hakugyokuro.

"I need to find a blacksmith to restore the blade."

I stored the case along with the sword in it into the magic storage, and I stood up. I walked to the other end of the room, which leads to an ornate lift. I entered it, and the cage door behind me closes as the lift descends down.

It is slow, but I took the time to read some of the books that I have read.

"Sanae-Sama has ascended. Now she is beyond humanity and is on the same level as her ancestor and Goddess Suwako, inheriting her blood and the power to curse. However her power to instill miracles upon people still lingered, and she has total control on it. Her power to curse others however, can become out of control."

Again, there's Okazaki's signature at the end of the page. When I try to turn the page, the elevator shook before it stopped. How many feet under did I travel down? And somehow it is warm despite the location being damp and dark.

I walk out of the elevator as the elevator's cage doors opened, and stepped out, before putting my torch onto one of the posts in front of me.

I walked ahead, and I see a huge slithering figure crawling around the huge clearing. It stopped to look at me.

I have no words at what I am seeing right now. She is Sanae... The Moriya Miko, but she is rather different. Her hands are webbed, her underbody has a tail of a snake, no legs at all, and she had a pair of glowing eyes and a long tongue. She is not clad in her miko uniform, but rather in a simple white kimono.

"Ah... Marisa. What brings you here to my domain?"

"Sanae? Is it really you?"

"Why, yes. Although I am still not used to this new body I was reborn into... You haven't answered my question yet."

"What is going on? People who used magic became bloodthirsty maniacs, and the humans at the village are going on a literal witch hunt."

"Ah, I see that their faith on the shrine has reached it's extremities, and now they are waging war towards you and fellow magicians."

"Is it really true? That after you ascended, your blood enhances magic?"

"You've found that book Yumemi wrote, did you? Well it is true, as well as the miracles I casted to the entire land, I have made it prosperous."

"I don't think prosperous is a good word, considering that the people I met went insane and mutated into beasts."

"Is it true? Well, I still couldn't control curses unlike Suwako-Sama did. Maybe I can do something about... Marisa? What are you doing with that broom?"

"It's simple, ze! If I kill you, then this incident is over."

"We can talk this out, Marisa. Drop the spear!"

"As if I'm gonna listen to an abomination of a God like you."

I dashed forwards, covering the blade of my broom-spear in oil, and lit it with the fire from the torches behind me.

As soon as I got close, Sanae used her arm to swipe me off, causing my body to collide with a rocky wall. Coughing out some blood, from the impact, I took a vial from the magic storage and injected it's contents into my bloodstream.

It's more blood, to replace the blood that I have lost.

I got up slowly, but then Sanae spat out her tongue, which is now as long as a frog's, which I barely dodged. Using this opportunity, I stabbed it with the blazing blade of my broom-spear causing Sanae to cry out in pain.

She retracted her tongue back, before screaming much more, and spat out some black substance.

I dodged them, and I see that the substance is able to corrode the rocks behind me. She then moved her entire body, her snake underbody slithers all over the cavern, blocking the elevator. She begins to bang onto the ground with her hands like a wild animal, to crush me out of fear.

Dodging her moves, I pulled out my Mini-Hakkero to charge a master spark. She continued trying to strike me with her arms and spitting more of her venom to me, which I dodged.

And after a moment, the Master Spark is ready, and I aimed my Mini-Hakkero at Sanae.

"Farewell, Moriya Miko."

And with one final flash, I see Sanae's gigantic figure bathed in the master Spark's wave of light, and her body disintegrated into dust after the light dissipates. I knelt down, feeling the sense of bloodlust still filling my veins.

Why?

I thought I already dealt with the problem!

I looked at where Sanae once lied, and there lies a fragment of an umbilical cord, which I recognized due to one of the anatomy books that I have read before.

I put the cord fragment inside the magic storage as I stagger my way back to the elevator and head back to the room with bookshelves. Maybe I have missed something?

- To Be Continued