The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 82

♦ ♦ Annie PoV ♦ ♦

“Alice, I’m going to the restroom for a bit, so keep watch alone for me.”

Yuuma said this as he moved away from the wall.

“…Restroom? Will you be okay alone?”

“No problem. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Yuuma left the premises.

However, I didn’t miss seeing him place some sort of talisman as he exited.

Cyrus and his gang must have come…

Yuuma went to deal with them.

“Annie, should I go too?”

Lily approached me and whispered. She must have sensed Cyrus and his gang coming, thanks to her keen magic detection skills.

“Leave it be. Just trust our leader.”

I knew this would happen from the beginning.

I’ve known Cyrus for a long time. He’s short-tempered and prideful. No matter how much Byron, the clan leader, tries to stop him, it’s useless.

And most likely, both Yuuma and Layla know this too.

That’s why Yuuma assigned that cat shikigami, Tama-chan, to Pamela.

They anticipated Cyrus and his gang would bear a grudge, and planned to deal with it today.

“Do you think it will be okay?”

“It should be fine. Just don’t think too much about it.”

Lily is still inexperienced…

Alice aside, Natalia would likely worry too.

Well, that’s probably why Yuuma went alone without saying anything.

“Okay…”

Lily nodded and resumed her gathering work.

After a while, as we continued gathering, AI-chan, who was diligently drawing a map nearby, stopped and looked up.

“What’s wrong?”

AI-chan, who had been continuously drawing the map, suddenly stopped, which caught my attention.

“Hostile reaction detected. I never expected someone to slip through Master’s barrier…”

As AI-chan stood up saying this, I also stopped what I was doing and hurriedly got to my feet. I drew my staff from the space magic and prepared myself. Alice, Natalia, and Lily did the same.

“You noticed quickly…”

I heard a woman’s voice, and then a young woman suddenly appeared at the gate. Her skin was pale…

“A demon, huh…”

AI-chan stepped in front of us and muttered.

“Hello. You were the one near the man named Yuuma, right?”

“What business do demons have here?”

A demon… A real one?

“I was waiting around, and it just so happened that Yuuma-san left your group, so I thought I’d take care of you now.”

As the woman said this, her magic power began to rise.

“Damn! She seems to be a real demon…!”

This magic power is definitely that of a demon.

“What? Really?”

“Why here of all places!?”

Lily was dumbfounded, and Natalia panicked.

“…Flame, please… huh?”

Alice, the only one who remained calm, raised her staff and tried to cast a spell. But no fire magic emerged from the tip of her staff.

Alice stared in shock at the tip of her staff.

“Sorry. I could tell at a glance that you were magic users, so I used a magic-sealing talisman.”

The demon woman laughed as she waved the talisman.

“A magic seal…!”

She used something incredible… It’s extraordinarily expensive and not something ordinary humans can possess. And this demon used it so effortlessly…!

“…Oh no, it’s over.”

Alice seemed to have sensed defeat early on. Well, that’s understandable. There’s nothing we can do without our magic.

“Well, I can’t use magic either, thanks to this. But it’s more than enough…”

The woman pulled out a knife. At the same time, Koma-chan stepped forward and stood next to AI-chan.

“Oh, how cute. But magic sealing also works on familiars, you know? Let’s see how well it can fight.”

What should we do? Running seems the best option, but the only escape route is blocked by the demon woman. We don’t have the strength to climb the wall; we’ll have to rely on Koma-chan…

“Koma-chan, you understand the priority, right?”

AI-chan murmured while patting Koma-chan. Koma-chan took a few steps back while still facing forward.

“Oh? What’s wrong?”

The demon woman laughed.

“Alice, get behind us.”

When AI-chan said that, Alice, who was near the wall, came over to us.

“Is the little one going to handle it alone?”

“Initiating synchronization… Installing, installing, installing…”

AI-chan started muttering strange words.

“What are you babbling about? No matter. Die!”

The woman readied her knife and attacked AI-chan, who continued muttering strange words. She swept AI-chan’s legs, causing her to fall, and then drove the knife into AI-chan’s chest, pinning her to the ground.

“AI-chan!”

“Damn it!”

Natalia screamed and Lily readied her bow.

“Installing, installing, installing…”

AI-chan continued to mutter strange words, even with blood trickling from her mouth.

“What is this girl? Creepy… No, she’s not human; she’s a familiar…”

“Installing, installing, installation complete. Synchronizing… Manifesting the Golden Fox of Tsubaki Mountain.”

As AI-chan finished her mysterious incantation, the atmosphere changed. The once bright surroundings felt as if they had turned to night, filled with an ominous magical power.

Heavy… dark…

What is this?

My vision began to blur.

“Damn it!”

The oppressive weight almost made me collapse, but I managed to support myself with my staff.

“What are you!?”

I looked up from my crouched position to see the demon woman, who had been laughing moments ago, now stepping back from AI-chan with a severe expression.

“A child will always be a child… Can’t even protect his own women.”

The voice came from AI-chan, but it wasn’t AI-chan’s voice. It was similar but not the voice of a child.

“Who are you!?”

The demon woman demanded as AI-chan slowly stood up.

AI-chan now had animal ears on her head and a large golden tail sprouting from her back, exuding a twisted, monstrous magical power.

“Did you ask me? Not knowing this Golden Fox…”

“Damn it! A beastkin? No, beastkin don’t possess such magic! A divine beast!?”

A divine beast?

It doesn’t look sacred at all. Rather, it seems quite the opposite.

“Call it what you will. But what is this barrier? It looks like Yuuma’s, but there are others too. It’s making it difficult to move.”

AI-chan pointed her finger towards the sky.

In the next moment, I felt a sensation like something breaking.

“What? Th-this…!”

The demon woman’s face turned to shock as she took out a talisman.

The talisman was tattered and fell apart, crumbling into pieces on the ground.

“What kind of spell is this of yours? Using such useless things…”

“Y-You monster!”

“If I’m a monster, then so be it. What can you say to the Great Youkai, the Golden Fox-sama…”

This shikigami, unlike Big Spider-chan or Koma-chan, has a different level of danger.

In fact, it doesn’t seem like AI-chan…

She calls herself the Golden Fox-sama.

“Damn it!”

The demon woman readied her knife.

However, she gradually began to step back.

“Whether you run or fight, make up your mind. Such an attitude seems to be inviting trouble. Or perhaps you want me to devour you? You don’t look very appetizing, but if that’s your wish, I’ll gladly oblige.”

AI-chan stepped forward with a smile.

“Eek!”

The demon woman dropped her knife in fear and stepped back.

Then, turning her back, she leaped into the sky.

“Ho! So you can fly? Amazing!”

AI-chan exclaimed with excitement as she watched the demon woman.

“Damn it… Remember this!”

“Huh?”

“Eek! S-Sorry! Dammit!”

Initially trying to act tough, the demon woman was intimidated by AI-chan’s glare and hastily flew away.

“What a joke… Acting tough for nothing…”

AI-chan turned towards us.

Her face bore a grotesque smile.

Scary!

Feels like she could eat us…

“…Who are you? And where is AI-chan?”

Alice asked calmly, her usual sleepy expression.

“Huh? Can’t hear you. Speak up clearer.”

Alice’s voice is always so quiet…

“…Annie, take care of this.”

Alice handed it over to me with a hint of disappointment.

Oh, she wants me to ask…

Well, Natalia and Lily wouldn’t be able to do it, so it’s up to me…

“Um, excuse me, who exactly are you?”

“You haven’t been listening to me? I said I’m the Golden Fox-sama.”

“Oh, well, I know your name, but even so, calling yourself the Golden Fox-sama…”

This fox is definitely up to no good.

“Hmm… Well, what to do? Ask Yuuma. Seems like I don’t have much time to talk.”

“Um, what do you mean by that…”

“You’ll see when you look. It’s fatal.”

As the Golden Fox-sama spoke, she touched her blood-stained chest.

“Um, should we heal that?”

Natalia asked cautiously.

“I don’t need it. Shikigami can’t be healed, and either way, Yuuma will just call me again. Hey, Komainu… Huh? Komainu, eh?”

The Golden Fox-sama called out to Komainu, but upon seeing it, she tilted her head.

“Oh, looks like you’ve changed into something cute.”

“Oh… That’s right, Suzune started crying, so he changed it into this. Komainu, I’m disappearing now, so protect them until Yuuma returns.”

Saying so, the Golden Fox-sama nodded to Komainu.

“Very well. Now, shall we go back? I thought I was summoned for something, but it’s just to guard these girls… But he still keeps gathering only women, as usual. Who on earth does he take after…”

Muttering to herself, the Golden Fox-sama disappeared.

“What… was that?”

As the Golden Fox-sama vanished, Lily muttered.

“I-I don’t know?”

“…Wasn’t ‘Golden Fox’ the name of Yuuma’s mother?”

“Come to think of it, AI-chan said he’s the child of the great Golden Fox-sama.”

Wait, she’s Yuuma’s mother…

No wonder… huh?

Wait, she’s not human!

Why was she here!?

Ah, my head’s spinning.