The Sword Deity In Tokyo

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

In the past, one had to choose a suitable mountain spot with great feng shui if they wanted to create a typical formation. Formations were extraordinary, and they exhibited mysterious effects.

 Then came the era of recuperation of reiki, where formations could be drawn anywhere, be it on a piece of paper or a piece of wood, basically anything could be used as a material to draw a formation. As long as the formation was perfectly drawn out, and with the help of a Spiritual Stone to trigger the reiki from the heavens and earth, the formation would finally be complete.

 Although it was currently the era with weak reiki, the Human Body Tactical Formation itself was unique all along. It could be formed even on a flat ground, and coincidentally, the place where Sakagami Village was holding the ritual was indeed a s.p.a.cious flat land.

 “s.h.i.+geru-sama, allow your s.h.i.+kigami to disconnect the key points on Otome Sakagami"s formation.”

 Sei s.h.i.+geru was a little stunned by Kimura Kazuki"s words. How could you just expose the plan out loud, wouldn"t Otome Sakagami hear it as well? However in the next second, he realized that not a single soul at the scene reacted to the words. While he was still in a state of shock, he knew it must be one of the opponent"s strategies.

 He did not say a word, but only nodded slightly. Kimura Kazuki acknowledged his nod, and he too did not say more. Sei s.h.i.+geru should know what to do.

 Otome Sakagami was still in the process of drawing the formation. She was like an art student painting an outdoor scenery. All Sei s.h.i.+geru had to do was to order his s.h.i.+kigami to silently sabotage the unfinished formation and destroy it.

 The complicated patterns were the basics of a formation, even the Human Body Tactical Formation was no exception. The slightest difference in the patterns would render the formation useless. This was also the reason why the big companies in the past that invented the complicated formations decided to simplify them for the future generations.

 Only simple, convenient, and effective formations could be drawn the quickest. It saved time and lessened the burden on the formation master.

 Kimura Kazuki wanted to destroy the patterns. In short, he wanted to destroy the flowing blood on the ground as it would easily ruin the whole formation. With this plan in mind, Kimura Kazuki did not say anything else. He continued listening to Otome Sakagami while she talked about the grudge and hate between her and Sakanoue no Tamuramaro.

 “Unfortunately, on the day of his death, Sakanoue still failed to figure out a way to achieve immortality.” Otome Sakagami"s voice echoed through the s.p.a.cious place. The people in the area were listening to her carefully and as they did, they felt as if they had gone back in time to more than 1,000 years ago, watching memories of their ancestors fighting each other to achieve immortality.

 Immortality… Countless Huaxia emperors were ruined because of that very word. Countless emperors committed absurdity because of that word. It never crossed Kimura Kazuki"s mind that a Shōgun would be so obsessed with life and death.

 However, after a change of thought, did he himself not cultivate to achieve the path of immortality as well?

 If others could not see through it, then how could he?

 “I thought that as long as I exhausted Sakanoue to death, I could be free.” When she said this, Otome Sakagami showed a pitiful smile. “Never would I have thought that Sakanoue would seal me up before he died.”

 The reason for sealing her was simple, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro knew he could not figure out a way. Although it was a pity, he accepted death frankly given that he was a soldier. Keeping Otome Sakagami sealed was to allow his descendants to continue the research on immorality.

 “In the end, after this b.a.s.t.a.r.d sealed me using the Jade of Four Souls, he died and became a specter.” Otome Sakagami sneered. “Before he died, he was all carefree and fine but who would have thought that he never let go of his wish to achieve immortality.”

 Choosing to turn into a specter instead of a wraith was obviously a sign showing that Sakanoue no Tamuramaro could not let go of his persistence to achieve immortality. He lived a prosperous and grand life, earned t.i.tles, and got conferred formally. Yet in the very end, he could not let go of his lifetime wish, which was immortality. Therefore after he became a specter, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro together with the Onmyojis and shrine maidens continued their research of immortality and it has been more than 300 years since then.

 A lot happened within the 300 years. The most significant change was that the Onmyojis and shrine maidens under Sakanoue no Tamuramaro were replaced generation after generation. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro had also trained his descendants to be the next Onmyoji.

 As time went by, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro"s mind became even more distorted when he was in his spectre form.

 As a spectre, he did not resolve his obsessiveness and as time went by, his thoughts became more distorted and his mind delirious. When the negative emotions filled his thoughts, he would eventually become a demon, bringing harm to the people. Although Sakanoue no Tamuramaro might not understand how the transformation was going to take place, the many different forms of negativity burdened him a lot. He knew he could not continue on this way, because each time he set foot on the sealed ground, the Jade of Four Souls would start to reject him.

 Sakanoue no Tamuramaro knew that if this went on, he would eventually become a wraith and it would go against his obsession for immortality!

 Therefore when the Abe family developed a type of s.h.i.+kigami that could enhance the power of an Onmyoji, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro decisively told his descendants to activate the lineage power and turn him into a s.h.i.+kigami.

 Otome Sakagami knew everything. Although she was sealed, it was more like an imprisonment as she could not move at all. There were some matters that Sakanoue no Tamuramaro did not bother hiding from her.

 “However, Sakanoue had no idea that his thoughts were filled with negative emotions. Those days, his gaze and emotions grew increasingly violent.” Otome Sakagami chuckled coldly. “In the end, the bloodline merged and as he was being transformed into a s.h.i.+kigami, Sakanoue went out of control and murdered the majority of Onmyoji and shrine maidens of Unto Shrine. This was also the reason why Unto Shrine had fallen in the end.”

 Back then, Unto Shrine might not be the first shrine in Kyoto but it was very well-known locally, and it watched over the entire Kyoto. There were a lot of Onmyojis and shrine maidens in the shrine but because of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Unto Shrine started to decline back then before slowly disappearing into nothing.

 Sei s.h.i.+geru nodded, acknowledging Otome Sakagami"s rightful words.

 Immortality was really an unresolved obsession. Kimura Kazuki actually had speculations after he heard that Sakanoue no Tamuramaro had become a spectre.

 There were obviously no methods available to deal with the unresolved obsession back in that time. The best way would be to let him die in peace, absorb his obsession and transform it into a cultivation base. He researched immortality for a few hundred years yet to no avail. In the end, his mind was so distorted that it turned him into a demon, but still he had the vain hope of becoming a s.h.i.+kigami. Unfortunately, he ended up destroying Unto Shrine instead, and it was indeed a rather sorrowful ending.

 “However, in the end, Sakanoue still became a s.h.i.+kigami, but he had lost his mind and could no longer think straight, hence becoming a puppet with no power.” Otome Sakagami spoke with an indifferent tone. “In the end, with the main Onmyoji and shrine maidens dead, the weaker Onmyoji took over Unto Shrine and a.s.sumed that I was the culprit behind their destruction, so I remained sealed. As time went by, containing me under the seal even became Unto Shrine"s duty.”