Chapter 14: Spiritual Vengeance

Author's Note: Hello, don't mind me

I just suddenly decided it would be nice if I can write a ton of chapters and upload them at the same time 

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Schnee Territory: 40km

"I'm starting to think (Y/n) isn't normal...."

Ren turned to his partner, Nora. The girl seemed to have a contemplative look on her face. Normally he would quietly nod along, but he was more surprised at the fact that she's starting a conversation herself

The first time he met her in that forest while both of them are hiding from the demon (Y/n)'s fighting, the girl has been scared speechless then. Even when everything has passed, Nora could not utter more than a few words due to the trauma she received- something which he can't blame her for, seeing how she was stuck in the village while everyone was massacred outside 

So....seeing her being sociable like this did caught him by surprise a little bit. But Ren was not one to be impolite

"You think?" He looked forward, where the aforementioned teenager was walking "Me too, I think he's certainly bizarre"

To hold such diverse knowledge about both philosophy and religion, at the same time being a master at combat and wholly capable of using Breath- something which takes years upon years of dedication for one to learn - All of that and he looked no older than 18 

It's clear (Y/n) must be a prodigy that came from a distinguished clan of swordsman, who also cultivate the mind through meditation taught by the high monks

Either that or he's the heir to a feudal lord who underwent strict education from a young age, a natural leader born to rule over the people

Those are the two explanation he could possibly came up with. Nothing otherwise could explain this enigma of the man before them

"I-I mean yeah, he's definitely more than he let off. For some reason (Y/n) never discuss his background with us" Nora smiled "But you know, he's really kind"

"That speech he made at the forest- it made me regain my courage" She set a hand on her chest "Which path will you choose? He made me realize that I have a choice, that I'm not alone - not when I have people I need to protect"

"And who is it?"

The ginger-haired girl didn't reply, only sending him a shy look before shaking her head

"That aside, he has his own eccentricity too"

"Like scaring children" Ren smiled

"And poking dead bodies" Nora giggled

"And talking to himself"

"And making weird gestures at the air sometime"

They both shook their head. It will be a long time before the both of them came to understand him, but that time will come

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'Please, valiant Ronin of the Moon. Please help this maiden'

Ah

The weather's pretty clear today. The sun is shining it's brightest at the zenith of a quarter past twelve, but the floating cloud above just provide me with the perfect shade needed to stay comfortable

'Kind sir. I beseech you'

If I were to meditate and connect with nature now, I'm pretty sure I could hear the wind whispering to me sweet words that seemed to bring peace to the wanderer's mind

'Those men...they stole everything from me. My dignity, my money, my beloved....' The spirit wept

Hey system, did you hear anything?

Hmm, I hear the things you want to hear, player (Y/n)

Hmm, I thought so. It's not like me previously tampering with a dead body in the process of decomposing by the sideroad could cause any harm, right? 

Yeah, that's what I thought. Apparently in Japanese mythology it's stated that once you died your soul - or 'reikon'- will go out of your body and enter the purification process to go to the other side. In case of point, the soul of the deceased are often called "Yokai" or "Obake" will rejoice with their ancestors after death

Yeah, that's what I thought. Apparently in Japanese mythology it's stated that once you died your soul - or 'reikon'- will go out of your body and enter the purification process to go to the other side. In case of point, the soul of the deceased are often called "Yokai" or "Obake" will rejoice with their ancestors after death

However, if the person dies in a sudden or violent manner such as murder or suicide - perhaps simply stuck with lingering emotion or an unfinished deed on the plane of physical existence during their lifetime - they became an Onryo, a vengeful ghost that came back to haunt the living and wander the realm until their eventual exorcism

Personally, I used to find it bullshit back when I'm still on Earth, cause I tend not to believe things I don't see with my own eyes

'If you're not going to do it for me, at least do it for honor!'

...Apparently seeing things with your own eyes doesn't make it less unbelievable either

The ghost of the woman appeared in front of me, clad in white burial kimono that wrapped around her shapely body. Her white ethereal form are see-through -and not in a sexy way, mind you- I can literally see through her....From this side to the other

'You shall not pass!' With an angry yell, the ghost spread out her arms and attempt to stop me on my track

I passed through her

'H-hey, kind stranger, beautiful stranger, I'm begging you' Chasing after me, she whimpered 'Please help me'

I turned my head around to check on the kids- they don't seem to notice the woman's spirit following me for the last hour, which means I am the only one who can see her

Even after I've acknowledged and focused specifically on the ghost - she doesn't seem to fade away- which lead to the conclusion that I'm neither hallucinating nor dreaming, because then a conscious recognition of a phenomenon would have disintegrate it into my mind

So, it means this is reality - or what I perceive as reality- seeing that this world could just be a two dimensional simulation set up with me as a character

But then how am I the only one who can see her?

Is it because of my [Necrophiliac] title?

"Help you?" Deciding that this is very much real, I answered. Might as well tell her my disinterest and get this conversation over with "Why should I?"

'The dead body that you violated on the sideroad was me' She pointed to herself 'For that, you are one of the many reasons for my predicament'

"I didn't violate your bod-" She narrowed her eyes "Okay maybe a little, but I swear I'm just interested in your assets"

She covered her breasts with a blush on her face - Impressive, seeing that a ghost is actually blushing when it doesn't even have any drop of blood left to rush to the face

"No, not that kind of assets, I mean the one in you hide underneath your kimono"

Judging by the heated look she just gave me response, I can conclude that a misunderstanding have just been made

"Keep that look up and I may just ignore you for the rest of the day" I sighed

Her face changed to that of panic 'I get it now, I don't care about your fetish' She pleaded 'Just help me and I will get out of your skin'

I nodded

It's not like I can do anything else. Here she is, a loud and annoying ghost that won't shut up, and I can't even force her to do otherwise

But still, the fact that I'm seeing a ghost with my own eyes is still incredible, even if I have seen Grimm and demon beforehand

It's not just a fictional aspect of a movie, but something that had been passed down from legend after legend, from different cultures and spanning across religion for many generation on Earth to talk and discuss about. Their existence is only a work of unreliable eye witness, nothing more and nothing less

"Alright, but first....[Call System]" 

Which is why I'm naturally curious about her

You call?

"Can you see this thing?" I gestured at the newly-appeared game window. But the ghost woman only stared blankly at where I pointed with a confused expression on her face

'What....thing?' she said, waving her hand at the spot in front of me - but her limb do nothing but pass through the notification window as if grazing through air. However, the system felt otherwise

Do not touch me, you filthy thing

'I will try not to'

No, you are fine

I smiled, knowing the omnipotent entity is not annoyed toward me for now, before my brows furrowed in thought

If even a ghost couldn't perceive it's presence, then it means the System is something that exists in another plane of existence. Either that or the coding behind the thing's AI is too advanced that the 'NPC' inside the game isn't just incapable of notice, they are not even allowed to notice it

that also means that I'm the only one who can touch it for now

Information learned. Let's move on

"Sorry about that, just my curiosity taking hold" I smiled satisfyingly "What do you want me to do?"

'I need you to avenge me' She replied with a serious voice 'To kill those who raped and killed me, that's the only way I can finally let loose of my hatred and return to the underworld' 

System, what happens if a spirit remains in the overworld?

She will become food for a Yokai, or she will become one herself

A shiver ran down my spine. 

I stole a sneaky glance at the ghost girl -who's busy intertwining her fingers together- before turning back to the screen

Yokai exists?

Demon, Grimm, Evil Spirit, Monster, these supernatural creatures are all categorized as a class of Yokai. But the type of Yokai you encounter are based on the region you're in....and your luck...and how interesting you are

that is disconcerting

I mean, I don't have a thing against Yokai. It's just that some of them are quite powerful, and manipulative, and vengeful, and brutal, and possibly hostile to human...okay I have a thing against them

But can you judge me?

A drunk monk turned demon by the people around him, who ruled a mountain of wicked Oni and commit unspeakable deeds out of hatred for his fellow monks, attacking merchants who wandered into his domain, drowning in sake while feasting on his victim's organ

A tengu who brought destruction and carnage upon those who wronged him and their descendant. Sparking violent civil war, killing the heir to the throne, and throw Imperial Japan into a state of chaos even for hundreds of years later

A nine-tailed fox who used her beauty and charm to manipulate the people around her. Thousands of head fallen, thousands of innocent lives lost, just because the woe of an Emperor falling for his favorite courtesan. Even in death, she still caused trouble for the living in the form of a cursed stone

Shuten Doji. Sutoku-Tennoh. Tamamo-no-Mae. Japan's Three Great Evil Yokai

I have a decent amount of luck, so I probably won't encounter any of them in the future, assuming they even exist in the first place- which is quite unlikely

But that's not the point

Just as much as they are prankster or helper or even protector- these things are also capable of committing violent deeds out of misguided hatred or selfish motive. Using the human desires and turn it against us, one can wreck no small amount of chaos if it truly wants to

It's fine if this girl gets eaten by a wandering Yokai, but if she turned into one, I may just have some problem when returning here

Deciding not to think more about it, I turned to the spirit. 

"You have my interest" I placed a hand on my sword "But first, you called me ronin of the moon. How do you think that I am somehow connected to it?"

The ronin part I can understand, since I don't carry a crest of a noble lord with me, nor do I carry the two swords of honor given to them - in spite of the fact that this is supposedly the Meiji era and samurai still exists even after the Meiji restoration, but since I'm only in a Japan AU of RWBY, I can assume not everything will be the same

'It is your aura' She tilted her head 'Or...spirit energy. It resembles the gentle glow of a moon shining it's life down into creation of the night. But not just that, I also sensed the mighty form of a beast hiding underneath your stature, waiting to be unleashed'

'That's why I asked for your help. You are strong, strong enough to win against those people' She bit her lips, her face looking at the ground 'Please, my friend died to them'

"Unlucky for you, I'm not one to accept something that might risk my life with no profit" I muttered "What's in it for me?"

'I-I don't have anything note-worthy on my body, seeing that you already looted them' I smiled bashfully at that 

Now that the girl mentioned, I was being quite unfair with her. That's like stealing from the household of the person you already robbed last night after beating him to a pulp

But well, that's that I guess. Her death is not one of my doings. I am just a lone wanderer, and I will continue to be one in the future

'M-maybe I'm being quite unfair' She touched her fingers together 'Seeing that the enemy has many Breath experts with them that you alone couldn't defeat'

My footstep halted on the road

What...did she just said?

'And it could not be helped that many of them possess valuable Ninjutsu scroll and high-quality weapon that could help them in battle. Not mentioning some of their member is also well versed in Taijutsu. Maybe you not accepting this is for the greater good'

"Fascinating"

'Huh?'

The spirit looked to the human, only have a violent shiver upon seeing the look in his eyes

I smiled happily

"A samurai must help those who are in need" I flashed her an All-might quality grin as I gave the spirit a thumbs-up "To protect the weak and defend them against evil. Worry not, for my blade is here to help you get your bloody vengeance"

"If the shield doesn't work, then the sword is always ready to strike. If stopping your death is not possible, then the least one could do is to give retribution to your wrongdoer. Because that is my creed as a swordsman, upon which I have fully sworn to follow with my (non-existent) honor"

You motherfucker

'Really?' The ghost girl stood motionless for a second, before she teared up 'Thank you, Ronin-sama. You are too kind. No words nor action could convey my gratitude toward you'

I smiled and shook my head "You exaggerate, I'm just a humble man who saw a girl died a terrible death. How could I not felt any disgust for the inequality you've suffered? How could I have refused when such a fair maiden like you have beseech me so earnestly for the justice you oh so rightfully deserve?"

"It is my duty to assist good people who are in need of a helping hand with no personal profit to me, even if it costs me my own life"

You motherfucker

"I-I am grateful for your considerate nature" The spirit bowed "To think I see you as an indecent man when we first met, I truly felt ashamed about myself"

"All is well, milady" I steadfastly ignore the System's motonomous reaction and let out the best calming expression I could mutter "the past is the past, now let us focus on the future"

[Bluff] has leveled up

Ahhhh...so this is what it felt like to be a stereotypical white knight character

How disgusting. I haven't felt this dirty after watching that 'Assassin's Pride' disgrace of an anime last season

"Now if you can tell me their location and their individual power, maybe I could go there and loot- I mean destroy them"

"Now if you can tell me their location and their individual power, maybe I could go there and loot- I mean destroy them"

Well, this one little sidequest probably won't alter my journey. Might as well get some cash for later use. That is what I thought

'just 7 kilometers into the forest near here, there's a camp of bandit hiding inside an abandoned shrine here-'

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"Why did you lead us here?"

"Well kids, the thing is that there's a bandit camp nearby" He said, sitting down on the ground underneath the shade of a large oak tree "And since you're just following behind me like a pair of parasites, I thought it would be good to make some preparation for all of us"

Ren frowned

'So the reason he chose this route is because he want to clean them out so that other traveler won't have to be attacked in the future? He is more good-natured than I expected'

"Since I will mostly do the fighting, you'll be stuck outside defending yourself" (Y/n) said "In that case, I want the both of you to be prepared"

I pulled out the Yari I collected back from the village from my inventory and handed it to Ren. The boy stumbled at the sudden weight on his hand, but soon got used to it. From the way the weapon is twirling in his hand, it's clear he can handle himself just fine

"This-"

"Starting from today, it's yours" I told him "I know it's not much and probably doesn't fit with your style of fighting, but I'll get you the twin sickles when we come to town"

"How did you kno-"

"Do you need me to teach you the basic first?"

"No, I'll be fine" He politely rejected, shaking his head "I've been trained in these types of weapon before"

"Nora" Said girl turned to me, only for her eyes to widen at the materials in my hand. A large stone, along with the straightest stick I could find in the the forest along with some strings knotted from my pubic hair

Heh, just kidding, it's actually taken from a torn fabric on my clothe

I used [Bond] with the threads, so they're at least as durable as normal rope now.  

[Item Creation]

[Heavy Stone Hammer] has been created

Normally, I would have used hand crafting straightaway to ensure there's no flaw to it - call it craftsman habit or something- but this will suffice for now, I can get a better one for her later

"Here you go" I handed the completed sledgehammer to the ginger "If any of them come close to you or Ren, just bash their brains in"

"...Bash their brains in-" She lifted it above her head, before slowly bringing the weapon down to familiarize herself with it. An odd glint appeared in her eyes "Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in...."  

Good, it seems like she's got the spirit

I sweatdropped, before shaking my head

Somehow this reminds me of that time I attempted a dungeon raid with my two newbie teammates. The good old times when I still played RPGs with my friends....

Well, I'm glad the experienced from role-playing still come with me to this world. Otherwise I wouldn't have survived this long

Sighing, I leaned my back against the tree I'm sitting next to, watching lazily as the children took a few swings of their new weapons in excitement   

'They're near here'

The spirit girl muttered, passing through the trunk of the tree behind me 'I've done the reconnaissance like you asked. Medium-sized camp. 21 people, may be more. The layout of the temple is quite standard. Enclosed with one heavily-guarded entrance and a backdoor that nobody used'

Ghost type are really formidable scouts

"Does the shrine looks worn down?"

'It does, it seems as though nobody had visited it for a long time'

So they didn't kill the shrine maiden like I thought. That temple was already forgotten long ago, which means the Kami they worshiped there is just a minor one- a local deity, or perhaps a mountain god of safe travel- that holds no important religious meaning whatsoever

If so, killing inside the shrine will not count as an act of defilement, which means I will not be cursed. I am kind of happy at this small revelation 

Because it means I can loot the shrine too

'Are you going to use the backdoor to enter?'

"No, too basic" I whispered with a hand covering my face, so as not to let the two children hear me talking "The back entrance could be a trap"

'So what do you propose? Just go through the front gate and kill everybody?'

"No" I part my fingers, allowing her to to look at my eyes "We're going to wait until nightfall"

There's something I want to try, but I will have to be patient about it

'If everything go wrong and we get surrounded, I still have Neo' That's not an idea I'm too keen to follow up with, but Neo as a joker card can only be used when necessary. For those who can't differentiate her illusions and percept the real one, the demon's skills can be quite a formidable force in combat

For now, let's just take our time preparing

"Wake me up when it's midnight"

[Meditate]

I closed my eyes, at the same time a feeling of tranquility took over me- the telltale sign of one going into the [Zen] state. My breathing slowed down, while everything around me seems to fade away into the background, even the surrounding noises quieted down to no more than silent whispers that echoed in my ears

Focus, (Y/n)

My breath hitched, but I steadied myself and continue 

Your way of breathing is by no mean erratic

But one needs more than stability to achieve what you're aiming for 

Hamon is the energy mimicking that of the sun, think about it

Each Breath style isn't just the way you wield you sword, but also the way in which you control your breathing. 

If I can mold them to my own without the help of weapon, I would be able to use any Breath Style in existence. Not just dragon. Not just the moon. Not even the sun

I will be able to wield nature itself at the tip of my blade

A breath escaped my lips

Concentrate. I have to create the ripples

There, I think I've began to have a feeling of it, now pinpoint that sensation and attempt to do it again. Yup, that's right, that familiar pin-prick feeling of being exposed to the sun is coursing through me. Refocusing on it again and again, with the feeling of ripples reaching farther with each course

I can do it, I can-

"(Y/n)"

God damn it

"What is it?" I replied without opening my eye

The sound of feet rustling along the forest floor's leaves. It was Ren

"S-sorry, it's just that you told us to wake you up when it's midnight"

"I guess" Opening my eyes and looking toward the full moon above my head, somehow I felt as if I had gotten stronger, if just a little bit. I turned my head to the side, where a dim light could be seen from the distance - not bright enough to eclit unnecessary attention, the typical bandit campfire

"You guys ready?"

"Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in.Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in. Bash their brains in-"

"Nora, stop it" I rolled my eyes in exasperation "Seriously"

"Mmm, am sorry...."

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Author's Note: Is that enough foreshadowing? I think that's enough foreshadowing