Tokyo Ravens

Chapter 44

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It had already been a very long time since that day--

The beautiful moon hung in the sky.

He looked up at the moon, while sitting on the porch of the residence.

He held a cup of wine. The aromatic wine diffused in the air.

Yakou-sama. A call came from within the residence, in darkness that the moonlight hadn"t reached.

Have you still not changed your mind?

He smiled bitterly and sipped from his cup in response to that question.

Then, he replied, still smiling:

"Yeah."

Then, he dropped his smile and continued:

"Sorry."

The sounds of insects that came from the courtyard indifferently and softly alleviated the silence between them.

She quietly stared at her master in the moonlight.

Then, she sat properly and slowly bowed her head.

In any case, no matter what, their time together was precious.

"Kon! I"m counting on you!"

Harutora leaped backwards, glaring at Kagami. The materialized Kon used foxfire as a fiery smokescreen, and the Raven"s Wing immediately turned to escape.

But.

"Aah?"

Kagami made a dangerous sound, casually slashing out with the katana in his left hand.

The foxfire smokescreen Kon put up was dispersed by the slicing blade. Kagami extended his right hand towards Harutora, curving his ring-decorated fingers into claws.

They tore through the air, first horizontally and then vertically. Kuji-kiri. The magical energy that had been infused into his fingers pa.s.sed through s.p.a.ce, making a grid pattern emerge in front of Harutora. "Ugh!" Harutora was knocked back by the magical wall.

It was the move that had repelled the Nue"s charge before. If the Raven"s Wing hadn"t been wrapped around him, it wouldn"t have been strange if he had died in the worst case.

Kagami stared with narrowed eyes at Harutora and said:

"Don"t run around. I can cut off a couple of your arms and limbs if you want."

Though he was also a Divine General, he was completely different from Kogure - but he gave off just as much of an overwhelming feeling. The indescribable feeling of being in front of a savage carnivorous beast. Harutora dropped to a knee after being knocked back by the magic grid, glaring hatefully at Kagami.

...Why did it have to be now!

Independent Exorcist Kagami Reiji. The National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji known as the "Ogre Eater". He had crossed paths with Harutora many times. He was the worst person to have as an enemy right now.

"You took care of "this guy" before."

After saying this, Kagami pointed the blade at Harutora. That blade was called "Higekiri" and was the vessel housing Kagami"s servant shikigami Shaver.

Kagami was talking about the Meguro Branch incident last month. Along with the Twin-Horned Syndicate sweep operation that the Mystical Investigators had carried out, Kagami had been chosen as Natsume"s guard, and he had positioned his shikigami Shaver next to Harutora and the others.

But Shaver had destroyed the magical tool that a Twin-Horned Syndicate member had brought, leading to a chain of spiritual disasters. After he had been hit with miasma and lost control, he had attacked Natsume, Harutora and the others that he had been guarding. That was the first battle to the death in the truest sense that Harutora had experienced.

"Thanks to you, his spiritual power still hasn"t been able to recover. Isn"t that quite cruel?"

"Don"t be ridiculous! Natsume and I almost died because of that guy!"

"Was it a good lesson? I heard that you "grew" quite a bit, Harutora? But......"

Kagami grinned mockingly.

"It seems like the "other one" didn"t learn her lesson."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Kon became indignant before Harutora, the fur on her ears and tail sticking up. Needless to say, Harutora felt his blood boil just like Kon. But Harutora suppressed his angry emotions with an iron will.

Who would listen closely to the howls of a mad dog? Kagami"s provocations were meaningless. What he had to do now was escape with all his might. That was all. But that wasn"t anything easy to do. He had to focus completely and make his move with all his soul. He couldn"t afford to be overcome by anger.

Harutora kept staring at Kagami and rose slowly. Kagami instantly showed an intrigued expression when he saw Harutora"s att.i.tude.

"You"ve become a bit cleverer? ......No, that"s wrong."

Of course, Kagami had already understood the reason for Harutora"s determination. Though he praised the fact that he didn"t respond to the provocation, his att.i.tude became even worse afterwards.

"This isn"t just "eagerness" to become independent, is it? Do you think you"ve become a tengu after making a fool out of Shaver[1]? Or are you being led on by the Raven"s Wing? Do you think that as the reincarnation of a legendary Onmyouji, you can match even a Divine General as long as you have the will to?"

He wasn"t an opponent that could be negotiated with. He didn"t think he could take him by surprise while he was talking either. He could only fight head-on. There was no reason to win. He just needed to escape from Kagami"s grasp.

"Come to think of it, I have some interest in the Raven"s Wing too. As well as Tsuchimikado Yakou"s reincarnation. Even though kicking you flying won"t be much fun if you"re just an arrogant wild dog......"

Kagami spoke coldly and then stepped forward with his leather boots. Harutora gradually wove his strategy in that time. Kon also wordlessly drew her blade, guided by her master"s fighting intent. The spiritual pressures of the two slowly rose, gradually approaching the critical point.

"Very good, come, Harutora. Just like I promised before, I"ll send you flying with a kick."

That became the signal.

Harutora attacked with a blindingly fast speed, throwing charms towards Kagami. He rapidly infused magical energy into the magic that he had woven. Kagami"s expression became serious once he saw those consecutive movements.

"Order!"

What he threw were protective charms. Three protective charms put up magical walls at the same time, forming a group according to their individually-woven magic and half-surrounding Kagami. At the same time, he threw charms again. This time there were five charms. Harutora rushed to the side as he watched them enclose the first magical wall again.

Swish. Kagami casually swung Higekiri without any interest.

Never mind the first magical wall, even the magical wall that had been put up afterwards was cleaved at the same time. Like a hot knife cutting b.u.t.ter. Kagami didn"t even look at the magical wall, tracking Harutora who charged to the side with a cold look instead.

"What"s this supposed to be?"

Kagami"s voice was more disappointed than contemptuous and even carried a trace of anger.

But that was Harutora"s goal. To Harutora, this was the first and greatest opportunity for victory. He had gotten the "Ogre Eater"s" blind spot.

"Order!"

Magic activated as the barrier was cut through like cloth. What activated were the two wood and fire-element charms mixed in with the second group of protective charms. "What!?" Kagami turned around and a fire-element charm ignited because of the wood aura of the wood-element charm before him.

Wood generates fire, as per Five Element Mutual Generation. Moreover, the magic had been substantially altered to make the heat produce smoke rather than flame itself. It spewed smoke like a volcano, and black smoke blossomed inside.

Then, as if to condense that smoke, the second magical wall extended inwards. The cut portion repaired itself while completely covering Kagami in swelling black smoke.

The first magical wall had two goals. First was to conceal the element charms that had been mixed in with the protective charms he threw out the second time. The other was to make him think that the second protective charm magic had been the same thing as the first, by showing off original charm magic.

The first magical wall was to deceive him, and the second magical wall produced the now expanding black smoke that had been directed inwards. Also, he had rushed away from the magic in order to divert his gaze. It was an intricate combination magic.

Of course, he didn"t think that this could defeat Kagami. But the black smoke shut inside scattered like Kon"s foxfire and then was all compressed onto Kagami again. Moreover, when he was sealed inside the fire aura of the black smoke, the fire would conquer Higekiri"s metal aura.

He had stopped Kagami. His magic had been specially woven for that goal - that strategy.

"Kon, I"m counting on you!"

"Y-Yes!"

Leaving Kon there, Harutora glided past the road with the Raven"s Wing in a flash. Before the magical wall was destroyed and the black smoke dispersed - while Kagami"s vision was sealed, he would leave the battlefield and rush into a narrow alleyway.

Leaving Kon behind was to further delay his pursuit, even for just a little. Kon would be able to dematerialize at the last moment and escape in secret. Anyway, time was precious. Moreover, it was a powerful opponent he would have slim odds against if they fought seriously. So, Harutora chose to put all he had into escaping.

He pa.s.sed through a narrow alley, moving towards the street next to it. Right as he rushed out, he was illuminated by lights from ahead of him. A car that had just been approaching braked in a panic. Right before they hit each other, Harutora leaped over the roof of the car.

The road he flew out to was a four-lane, two-way road. There was traffic even at this time. Harutora immediately raised his height by several meters, but if he flew higher than the surrounding structures, he would be spotted at a glance from far away.

...Hide!

The instant he thought that, the Raven"s Wing stealthed its wearer without Harutora needing to use magic. Though he was surprised, he felt more grateful. In this case - right as he was preparing to rise higher again.

"That"s pretty neat."

A slash of magical energy flew at him. He couldn"t dodge it. Even if the Raven"s Wing immediately flipped its hem to defend, the slash cut through the fabric and knocked the midair Harutora flying.

"Ugh!?"

He hurtled above the road, crashing violently into a sign on the other side of the road. Though the Raven"s Wing lessened the impact, he still had difficulty breathing. He desperately looked in the direction the attack came from, noticing Kagami"s figure holding a katana at the exit of the alley he had just pa.s.sed through.

...So fast!

How had he done that - as he thought this, he noticed the traces of magical energy underneath Kagami"s" feet.

...d.a.m.n! He had used the aura flow!?

It was Far Step.

An extraordinarily high-difficulty magic of Imperial Onmyoudou that allowed movement through the aura flow lacing through the ground. Kagami had ignored the black smoke and the magical walls covering him and had escaped Harutora"s trap through the aura flow underneath his feet.

He had clearly witnessed Kagami"s Far Step before, but he had forgotten it when he formulated his strategy. He had been careless. Moreover, his stealth had been overly late even for being careless. If he had hidden himself at the same time as he had escaped, he might not have been instantly caught even if Kagami had escaped from the trap with Far Step.

Harutora staggered because of the violent impact of the collision. The cars pa.s.sing by honked while frantically avoiding him. When he tried to stumble to the sidewalk, the next slash came. Though he rolled to avoid it, a car behind him sped into it.

In front of the blade of magical energy.

The slash hit the front portion of it, knocking off the hood. The tires screeched and the rear wheels skidded. It spun around. When it pa.s.sed through the line marker in the center, it hit a car on the other side of the road, making an earsplitting crash.

The two cars smashed into each other as horns continued blaring. The cars behind them braked in a panic. In front of the dumbfounded Harutora--

The next slash.

"You!?"

He desperately dodged, unable to even call out "you b.a.s.t.a.r.d". However, the next blade of magical energy flew by, as if he weren"t even seeing what was around them.

The asphalt road was mangled and cars were torn apart. The shutter doors of buildings crumbled and signs were cut flying. Cars veered onto the sidewalk. Motors stalled. Screams, horns, and brakes continued one after another, creating new crashes.

Chaos.

"I"m with the Exorcist Bureau! I"m beginning to purify a spiritual disaster. You ordinary people, go find shelter!"

After Kagami loudly warned them, he leisurely walked to the road whose traffic had been interrupted. Harutora doubted Kagami"s sanity.

"What are you doing!? You......!"

"Ah? What do you mean, it"s just like you heard, I"m "purifying a spiritual disaster". That Raven"s Wing was originally a magical tool designated as forbidden. Because you brought it out, well, there might be some damage."

Kagami spoke bluntly with an uncaring att.i.tude. In other words, he planned on blaming all of this disaster on the Raven"s Wing.

"Pretty admirable, Harutora. That trap just now was exceptional, but let me tell you that you"re putting too much emphasis on petty tricks. In real battles, you have to be cleverer."

...This shameless......!

His heart was writhing in anger. But on the other hand, he felt angry at his own superficiality.

For example, the magical battle between Ohtomo and Doman that had been engraved in his heart. Though that had been an actual battle, it had simultaneously been a "compet.i.tion of magic". The two had obeyed the silent rules and compared their techniques.

But this was different. He was greedy for victory.

The people who heard Kagami"s warning fled screaming. This would cause the spiritual disaster purification teams to arrive even earlier. Harutora desperately racked his brain. Right now, the most important thing was what to do next. But now that he had lost his best opportunity, the tables had turned and he was forced onto the most dangerous path.

...What should he do?

"What"s wrong, you"re not going to do anything? Then I"ll go."

After saying that, Kagami gripped Higekiri in reverse and raised it high above his head, throwing it out. "Hah!"

"Wha!"

Dumbfounded, Harutora had the Raven"s Wing beat its wings to escape into the air. But at that time, Kagami had already formed a seal with his free hands.

"Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!"

An overwhelming magical energy burst forth and flame whipped up around Kagami. The flame extended and became a fiery snake. It raised its sickle-like neck, attacking the airborne Harutora.

It was Harutora"s first time hearing that incantation. It was an unknown magic he had never seen.

But--

...Acala"s curse!

For some reason, he knew it. Had he once learned it in cla.s.s? But regardless, he knew. It was the same for how he should respond.

"Noumaku samanda bazaradan sendamakaroshada sowataya untarata kanman!"

He formed a seal and chanted an incantation. Acala"s protection magic. Though Kagami"s eyes widened, Harutora didn"t have the leisure to pay attention. Even if he tried to offset it, the magical energy he had instantly mustered was insufficient. He deftly retreated with the Raven"s Wing wrapped around him while desperately neutralizing the fiery snake. He slowly eliminated Kagami"s curse rather than doing it all in one go.

But, in that time--

"......Interesting."

Kagami grinned.

"Now I recall it. That...... It started with metal aura, right? Five element mutual generation - Order!"

Charm magic. The element charms he flung into the air were of the metal, water, wood and fire elements.

First, the metal-element charm became blades that attacked Harutora as he escaped the flaming snake. The Raven"s Wing deflected them in place of Harutora, who focused on his protection magic.

Then, the deflected blades absorbed the heat of the fiery snake, and water emerged on its surface. After that water was whisked off, the water-element charm activated. The generated magical energy formed a torrent that covered the asphalt road. Harutora realized and recalled when he saw it.

...This was!

This time, a wood-element charm absorbed the water flow, creating treelike vines. Harutora hastily refined magical energy. Though he had neutralized the fiery snake, the final fire-element charm was activating right now. The vines instantly ignited and birthed a serpent of flame many times larger than the fiery snake.

The five element mutual generation charm magic that Ohtomo had showed Doman. It had been none other than Harutora himself who told Kagami about it. A wave of heat rushed across the road like a tsunami, throwing the surrounding air into disarray. Harutora"s skin was scorched by the breath of the giant flaming serpent.

...That b.a.s.t.a.r.d!

Kagami had stolen the magic of Harutora"s trusted homeroom teacher and used it to attack him. At that time, Doman had drawn a magic seal in midair and controlled a black wind - a wind holding metal aura - and used it to generate a black waterfall of water aura, conquering Ohtomo"s fire aura. But Harutora couldn"t follow that no matter what. All he could do was use the Raven"s Wing to escape higher into the sky--

No.

His hands moved naturally.

"Wind!"

He ordered the Raven"s Wing in a way that even he didn"t understand. The Raven"s Wing immediately spread its winds wide - creating black wind carrying metal aura. Immediately afterwards, Harutora"s fingers wove Doman"s magic seal in midair just like how he had seen back then. The black wind produced by the Raven"s Wing became a torrent of water, heading straight for the serpent with the force of an avalanche.

Steam erupted with a roaring sound. The wind that was produced blew out and Harutora looked at his hands, dumbfounded.

...I see.

It was the Raven"s Wing. Knowledge of magic trickled from the Raven"s Wing. That feeling. Come to think of it, it had been like that when he had treated Natsume. At the time, he hadn"t had time to suspect because of his single-mindedness. But now that he thought about it, magic that he couldn"t possibly have known had appeared one after another in his mind back then.

...Could it be? Was it because of Yakou!?

But Harutora"s state of shock was instantly interrupted.

"Interesting!"

Kagami shouted. Kagami"s aura and fighting spirit were clearly conveyed to Harutora through the thick steamy fog.

"Isn"t that something, Harutora! Or is it Yakou? In that case, I"ll get serious too!"

Kagami charged across the asphalt road while slashing a kuji-kiri again. This time, the grid pattern rushed towards Harutora as if it had been thrown. Harutora instantly defended with the Raven"s Wing, but Kagami took advantage of the opening to finish his movement.

Kagami ran up to the thrown Higekiri. He used the front of his boot to kick the blade into midair, and then grasped the hilt in reverse again, thrusting the tip into the asphalt road with a thunk.

Then, he formed a basic seal in front of Higekiri, taking its spiritual power while chanting an incantation.

"Noumaku saraba tatagyateibyaku saraba bokkeibyaku sarabata tarata senda makarosyada ken gyakigyaki saraba biginnan untarata kanman!"

Fire Realm magic. All of Kagami"s magical energy merged with the spiritual power of the divine blade Higekiri, instantly developing into magic.

Appalling.

The sea of flame he had glimpsed covering the agency building from the executive office. Its might felt comparable to that magic. A destructive power clearly superior to the Raven"s Wing"s defenses. He would easily be ended if it engulfed him.

"d.a.m.n!"

With a flap of the Raven"s Wing"s hem, Harutora desperately escaped into the air. "I won"t let you run away!" Kagami shouted. The Fire Realm magic stretched upwards, becoming a flashing tower of raging flame and approaching the Raven"s Wing. As if judging that it couldn"t escape, the Raven"s Wing flitted past the front of the flame and immediately descended, brushing by the movement of the Fire Realm magic. He was probably protected by a barrier, but Harutora was quickly a.s.saulted by an intense attack that almost made him lose consciousness.

Kagami"s Fire Realm magic was focused on offensive power, and its movements were slightly slow in comparison. The Raven"s Wing decided to use its speed over its defensive power. But even so, there were limitations. Kagami"s Fire Realm magic continuously cut off their escape routes, gradually forcing the Raven"s Wing into a corner.

...Was this the end!?

If this went on, he would be killed very quickly. He had to slow the movements of the Fire Realm, even for just an instant. Water conquers fire. He would have to cast a water magic. That magic was - now he knew. It flowed to him from the Raven"s Wing.

He formed a seal.

"Tanyata udakadai bana enkei enkei sowaka!"

The master of water in ancient Indian Vedic mythology, Varuna. He was also known as one of the Adityas[2]. The Aditya of the seas.

Fresh magical energy became a drizzle that became rain and finally a downpour that battered Kagami"s Fire Realm magic. Another storm of water vapor arose, producing chaotic turbulence that tossed around the Raven"s Wing.

Water magic to conquer fire magic.

However, it wasn"t enough. It should have had strength - Harutora had infused his magical energy, which had practically grown out of control after he had broken his sh.e.l.l, without wasting a drop. But even then it was far from enough. Kagami"s strength was too powerful.

The Fire Realm magic was unperturbed.

The flame rose, a.s.saulting the battered Raven"s Wing. Harutora"s vision was tinted red by fire. He couldn"t evade. Harutora gritted his teeth--

"Scoundrel!"

The Fire Realm magic became disordered. The Raven"s Wing hastily dodged. He escaped from the jaws of death, but...... he had no time to be relieved. Harutora"s gaze flew towards Kagami.

"Kon!?"

Kagami stood upright in front of Higekiri that was stuck into the asphalt road. His left arm had been fiercely stabbed into by the blade of the pouncing Kon. The defensive shikigami that he had left behind and entrusted with stopping Kagami had managed to catch up in time for her master"s crisis.

But--

Kagami"s expression twisted because of the blood that spurted out. Pure fury burned in his eyes. Anger that was more at having the magic battle disrupted than at the pain flooding from his wrist, along with anger at himself for being negligent.

"...s.h.i.tty brat."

Without any concern about widening his wound, Kagami forcefully swung out with his stabbed left arm.

Kon"s stance broke in midair as she was flung out along with a large amount of blood.

"Hindrance."

He stabbed the blade straight at her. Kon instantly twisted her body in midair.

But she was unable to dodge.

In front of the stunned Harutora, Higekiri"s magical-energy-filled blade pierced through Kon"s chest.

It was a battle of sword magic and illusion magic.

The nighttime park. Dawn was gradually approaching. Tenma had retreated to a safe place and took care of the unconscious Kyouko while watching the magic battle before him in a trance.

Every time Kogure"s Demon Sword flashed, Ohtomo"s charms were cut in two. Also, every time Kogure"s Demon Sword flashed, Ohtomo"s charms promptly disrupted the slash.

Back and forth. But a tense feeling flashed like electricity through that indifferent footwork and finger movements. It felt like their overlapping, profound intentions and strategies could be glimpsed through the timing of their breathing and the flowing of their gazes. Of course, Tenma couldn"t surmise its true abstruseness, but he clearly understood that it was something "incredible".

Then, the magical energy that burst from the two of them formed a complete tie in their states of high output.

Their magical energies and the auras they gave off seemed almost exactly the same. In addition, even the "atmosphere" that emerged was inexplicably balanced, like the Taijitu of Onmyoudou.

A balanced, harmonious battle as they flowed intensely. Tenma couldn"t even avert his gaze as he thought of how inexplicable this scene was.

During that.

"Jin!"

Kogure shouted again.

"Think about it again. Kyouko-kun"s prediction is a separate matter from whether your actions are right or wrong! Are you really going to let Harutora-kun use forbidden magic? Do you want to turn your student into a criminal?"

"......Zenjirou, it"s not that kind of question anymore."

"Then what is it? I"m talking about a "real" question. If the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual succeeds, the Onmyou Agency will hunt down Harutora-kun as a magic criminal. Even Natsume-kun will be the same. Even if she"s resurrected, do you think she will be able to live normally in the future? First off--"

Kogure swung his blade and Ohtomo avoided it by a hairsbreadth.

"Do you think it will succeed? The Taizan f.u.kun Ritual? The chances are one in a thousand! And who knows what will happen if it fails! Things might become irreversible!"

"Irreversible things happened a long time ago."

Ohtomo replied and then slashed out with a blade seal, and Kogure put up a barrier to stop the magic.

"Hence, I"m being reckless. My students say they can do it, so what can I do but trust them?"

An incompatible argument between the exorcist Kogure who protected the nights of Tokyo and the Onmyou Academy teacher Ohtomo who guided his students into the future. It wasn"t just that their thoughts were different, their respective positions were also different.

"Moreover......"

Ohtomo glanced at Tenma. Tenma tensed up out of surprise.

"Have you heard? It seems that Suzu"s also related to this. In that case, the chance of success is far higher than one in a thousand."

Kogure"s face reddened upon hearing this. "Jin!" He spat.

"You"re still prepared to trust that woman!"

"Of course, I"ve never "trusted" that woman. But she rarely fails."

Ohtomo was very calm in contrast to the agitated Kogure. Rather than being composed, he was trying to deny his emotional fluctuation. Kogure"s anger turned to bitter remorse when he saw his appearance.

"No."

Though his voice was calm, he denied him firmly.

"I know that she had one huge failure, which was betraying you and me."

Ohtomo didn"t respond with anything, staring motionlessly at Kogure. Kogure endured Ohtomo"s gaze without taking a stance.

What kind of look was Ohtomo showing behind the lenses of his gla.s.ses at that moment? Tenma couldn"t see, nor did he feel like he should look.

Before he noticed, the two of them had stopped moving at some point, confronting each other at the center of the park.

Kogure breathed in deeply and slowly, exhaling with the same speed.

He held the Demon Sword with two hands, pointing the blade at Ohtomo. A clear-eyed stance. Then, he reversed the blade in his hands.

He took up the reverse stance with the katana[3]. Originally, the so-called reverse referred to instantly turning the blade around during the strike. His special preparations beforehand were a kind of antagonistic warning.

Kogure had swung the blade to fight thus far. However, he hadn"t meant to "hit" and hadn"t been prepared to cut Ohtomo.

However, Kogure was now taking the reverse stance. Of course, even the back of the blade could be deadly depending on the circ.u.mstances...... It expressed that he would no longer hold back. It wasn"t a command to get out of the way, but rather a proclamation that he would clear him out of the way with his blade.

How upright, Ohtomo seemed to say as he smiled faintly and wryly. His right hand moved forward, stamping the ground with the cane it held as he maintained that posture while waiting for Kogure.

"......Om chishabana shira madayama karashiya yaku kasha chibatana hobaga gatei matara hatani sowaka."

The subjugation mantra of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the G.o.d of war Bishamonten[4]. A mighty aura poured from all over Kogure"s body and the magical energy gradually converged onto the Demon Sword. The divine sword"s spiritual pressure swelled, making one feel as if the s.p.a.ce centered on the blade had begun to twist.

Tenma"s limbs trembled in fear. His throat was dry and he felt as if he were about to faint just from watching.

On the other hand, Ohtomo was composed. He stared at the aura given off by Kogure"s divine blade with a penetrating gaze as if he were overlooking the dawn from a cliff. He relaxedly took a flexible stance towards the strength that very well might take his life.

Sss. Kogure"s blade vibrated slightly. The hand Ohtomo grasped his cane with tightened slightly.

However, that moment didn"t come.

"Stop right there, both of you back up."

The auras of the two of them were disturbed. Tenma was also taken aback, turning towards the direction the voice came from.

"Hoho."

A small boy appeared in the nighttime park accompanied by a strange voice. Tenma doubted his own eyes because the intruder was so unmindful of the situation.

But Tenma"s attention very quickly moved behind the boy. "Ah." He looked there and inadvertently let out a gasp. A shikigami. Doman"s shikigami that had attacked the agency building. Also, there was another person. There was a man who was managing to stand by borrowing the shikigami"s shoulder - an extremely weak old man.

The boy laughed with a "hoh" again.

"Incidentally, those words just now were this guy"s, not mine. It seems that he can"t talk right now, so I"m speaking for him."

He spoke to Kogure and Ohtomo, who were stunned and rooted to the ground.

Who was it? Tenma stared at the boy and the old man. He didn"t recognize the boy. He wouldn"t be able to forget such a peculiar child even after just one meeting. But he felt like the old man was a bit familiar. His appearance had changed greatly, but they had met somewhere - right as he thought that.

"......Chief Amami."

Kogure spoke with a hoa.r.s.e voice. That made him remember. The old man who had visited the hospital room before them when they had gone to see Ohtomo. He remembered that he was Ohtomo"s former boss, the Mystical Investigator Chief Amami Daizen.

"That undying old man......"

It was Ohtomo who said that. His voice seemed to be uncharacteristically shaking.

"You should stop acting so recklessly when you"re at this age, it"s unfitting for an old person. You"ll make trouble for the people left behind."

The old man was extremely weak.

But he smiled rebelliously at Kogure and Ohtomo.

"Kon!"

Higekiri"s magical-energy-carrying blade pierced through Kon"s left flank.

The girl"s blue eyes opened wide as if they would pop.

Kagami pulled out Higekiri. Kon"s expression froze and her body was covered with intense lag. She stumbled as she tried to escape, used up her strength, and fell onto the road with a plop.

The lag all over her body didn"t stop. Kon lost her balance. The asphalt road on the other side of her was visible through her transparency.

"Kon!?"

Kon didn"t reply. But he felt the spiritual link between master and shikigami rapidly weakening. His mind was blank. His legs that tried to run pedaled in midair.

Kagami didn"t stop his attack.

The wound on his left hand was quite serious, but Kagami put priority on the "final blow" rather than treatment. He stepped towards Kon. The blade of Higekiri that extended from his right hand flashed white from the light remaining from the Fire Realm magic.

The Raven"s Wing flew out like an arrow, replying to Harutora"s wordless cry.

He circled around from behind and charged between Kagami and Kon. But the instant Kagami glanced at him - a glance as hot as magma - the Raven"s Wing changed its path.

"Hey!?"

The Raven"s Wing agilely pulled away, ignoring Harutora"s protest. It judged that it shouldn"t enter the range of Kagami"s sword.

By now, the Raven"s Wing had endured the slashes of magical energy that flew from Higekiri multiple times. Though it wasn"t unhurt, the blade had never pierced through to its wearer.

But Kagami"s surprise attack at the start had been different. Higekiri"s blade had cut the Raven"s Wing"s hem. In other words, a direct cut from Higekiri"s blade would overcome the Raven"s Wing"s defensive power.

It put priority on the wearer"s safety rather than his thoughts. It was a natural judgment for a magical tool that protected its wearer, but it strayed from the rules that a shikigami ought to "absolutely obey the master"s wishes". Harutora angrily gnashed his teeth. In other words, the Raven"s Wing currently hadn"t recognized Harutora as its true master.

"......Harutora. Are you looking down on me?"

As his blood dripped, Kagami spoke in a voice that felt paralyzing due to its incredible anger.

"The master"s preparing to risk himself for a shikigami? Isn"t that about enough?"

After he spat abuse, he stared at the Kon slumped on the road. It wasn"t killing intent that emerged in his eyes. It was just a cold decision to cut down something like his enemy"s charm.

"d.a.m.n--!?"

He couldn"t just sit and watch. Even if that was what the Raven"s Wing decided.

...Go!

The Raven"s Wing beat its wings again as Harutora pleaded.

It approached Kagami. Kagami shot a stabbing gaze towards Harutora again. The result was the same. The Raven"s Wing beat its wings again before reaching the largest range Higekiri could reach, gaining the lift to escape above. After Kagami confirmed that Harutora had changed his course, he mercilessly raised Higekiri over his head, returning his gaze back to Kon"s collapsed body.

In that instant, Harutora took off the Raven"s Wing.

When his arms slipped out of the sleeves, a surprised gasp came from the Raven"s Wing, or maybe that was just an illusion. Harutora descended, dropping to the road. His legs bent as they absorbed the impact. When Kagami turned his head in surprise, he sprinted forward with all his might.

"Kon!"

Kon weakly opened her eyes.

Then, the fierce flash of a blade.

The first thing he felt was heat. Burning heat. A burning shock as if he had touched scorching iron. A heat and shock that forcibly crashed all of his thinking - along with pain.

But at the same time as he felt that heat, shock, and pain, he felt a light, unreliable sensation on his fingertips.

He had to protect her.

That feeling called Harutora from the border between the realms of consciousness and unconsciousness.

Then, before he noticed it.

Harutora was standing on the road holding Kon in his arms.

He couldn"t remember what he had done. But he had moved about five meters away and was in a tilted posture while confronting the Higekiri-holding Kagami.

"......I see."

Kagami spoke. Blood dripped from Higekiri"s blade.

"You"re a genuine idiot."

His ears barely caught those words, and they almost didn"t enter his brain. The current Harutora"s brain was filled with "pain". This was the first time he had experienced such an omnipresent pain. In any case, pain. The hard-to-endure pain didn"t recede a bit.

A rushing roar resounded. For a moment, he didn"t realize that it was his own blood flow. Every time his blood pounded, intense pain shot through him. The pain raged and exploded. It continued without stopping.

Kon turned her body in his arms.

"......Harutora-sama......!?"

Harutora stared at the shikigami in his arms because her voice contained a huge shock. He felt like something was different from usual. It wasn"t the intense lag on his shikigami. Rather, the figure reflected in his eyes was itself clearly irregular.

He realized because of that reason.

His left eye couldn"t see.

Then, Harutora finally noticed that the left half of his face was wet and that it was the source of the intense pain destroying his thinking.

His left eye had been cut.

Higekiri"s blade that Kagami had swung had strongly cut Harutora"s face from the top down, right above his left eye.

"......You b.a.s.t.a.r.d......"

Kon experienced lag as she turned towards Kagami in Harutora"s arms.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

Kon howled, infuriated. A bellow with no heed for her own wounds, that easily led to her lag being erased.

But needless to say, Kagami didn"t care.

Kundali"s seed syllable mantra blasted back Harutora and his servant. He no longer had the protection of the Raven"s Wing. He was. .h.i.t head-on and sent flying. The ground and the sky rotated intensely, and when he thought that, a hard impact greeted his entire body. Only after some time did he realize that he had fallen onto the asphalt road.

All his nerves were paralyzed, and pain was the only thing dominating his body. He could no longer even move a finger.

.......Ugh.......

He might die. Harutora truly felt this amidst his hazy consciousness.

The reason it didn"t feel real was because his mental ability had declined. The scene before him was reflected in his blurry eye as he stayed in his realism-lacking state.

"......What a boring conclusion."

Kagami spoke seemingly regretfully as he lifted Higekiri. Kon staggered up in front of him while lag appeared all over her body.

That small back. She spread her arms to try to protect Harutora.

"I--"

Kon spoke.

She gathered her willpower, gathering the meaning of her existence, and proclaimed resolutely.

"I won"t allow a brat like you to steal away the master I waited so long for!"

Thump. Her heart beat.

Harutora opened his remaining right eye. With his bloodstained left eye--

The beautiful moon hung in the sky.

He looked up at the moon, sitting on the porch of the residence.

He held a cup of alcohol. The aromatic alcohol diffused in the air.

"Yakou-sama."

A call came from the residence, in darkness that the moonlight hadn"t fallen to.

"Have you still not changed your mind?"

He smiled bitterly and sipped from his cup in response to that question. "Yeah", he replied. Then, he continued with "Sorry".

The sounds of insects that came from the courtyard indifferently and softly alleviated the silence between them.

She quietly stared at her master in the moonlight.

Then, she sat properly and slowly bowed her head.

"I"ll always wait on. Until the end of time. Because I - am your--

"Hishamaru?"

Harutora mumbled.

In that moment, the five Tsuchimikado seals that continued to bind her began to unravel, complying with their old covenant.

The evening twilight.

The infant"s sobs that came from deep inside the residence finally stopped. Not long afterwards, a man appeared in the Bellflower Room that faced the courtyard.

His age was about thirty. He wore j.a.panese clothes and gold-rimmed gla.s.ses. His slender appearance made him seem somewhat intellectual - a slightly exquisite impression. Moreover, wrinkles rooted in worry and confusion were deeply engraved into him.

He had the strength to peer into the future and the power to read those possibilities. It was a difficult-to-obtain power for most people. But the power wasn"t a blessing to him. It was a power that forcefully bound his heart with anxiety and restlessness. An unlucky power that just increased his troubles.

But now he could only rely on that power of his. The future was extremely difficult, and he was powerless to deal with it.

He sat unconsciously and motionlessly in the Bellflower Room. He looked into the courtyard through the wide sliding doors. The courtyard"s hue was currently changing as it was dyed by the setting sun. He watched that change, entranced. Only at this moment did the worry and confusion on his face seem to slightly weaken.

But he could only be composed and stable for the blink of an eye.

Before he noticed, there was someone in the courtyard.

On the other side of the porch. Her shoulders were bathed in the sun as she bowed her head on one knee. Even though he had been constantly staring into the corridor, he hadn"t been able to notice that person approaching.

Stealth. Moreover, it was the stealth of dematerialization. A technique that only a shikigami could have. But there were several strong barriers in the residence, blocking unauthorized spiritual ent.i.ties from approaching. She could pa.s.s through it because she had been a dweller of this residence in the past.

His shock receded very quickly and a bitter smile came to his lips.

"You"re quite early. ......No, you"ve been waiting for this whole time."

Waiting for her master - She didn"t reply to his half-spoken words. She didn"t particularly need to reply, since he had spoken to her. It was natural.

"Who are you?"

"......I am Hishamaru."

"I see."

A voice that felt clear and more than a little bit upright.

A rather cautious debut for a legendary shikigami. One could notice the mysterious, powerful spiritual energy contained in her body even as she silently bowed her head like this.

"What do you want?"

"To be by my lord."

Those reticent words contained an iron will that absolutely wouldn"t back down. She only lowered her head like this because he was the current head of the Tsuchimikado. Although it was a position worthy of etiquette to her, he definitely wasn"t an object of absolute obedience.

He wasn"t family, nor was she blood-related. Her loyalty and dedication was only for one soul.

He narrowed his eyes behind his gla.s.ses, quietly staring at her as she knelt in the courtyard. The slowly setting sun tinted the shikigami"s still-lowered face in blazing colors.

He couldn"t read the stars of shikigami.

But - the future would be extremely difficult, and he was powerless to deal with it.

"......There are conditions."

She finally looked up. Her fair, beautiful appearance was revealed. Beautiful and elegant blue eyes stared straight at him.

Those "conditions" were now fulfilled.

There were five seals in total binding her. The first one was a seal covering the others, a seal that covered seals themselves. It was a seal whose goals were to hide the other four seals from others and to keep her unaware of the fact that she was being sealed.

The first seal had just been released, and the memory of the covenant with Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi in that evening setting sun reawakened. Her self-awareness that managed "who" she was. Then, according to the terms of the covenant, her will and sense of mission that had been sealed alongside were released consecutively.

In that moment, she first awoke as a "little Hishamaru".

The first thing Hishamaru confirmed was the condition of her master - Harutora.

His left eye was wounded. He was bruised all over. His spiritual damage was also huge. They weren"t life-threatening, but he was in a dangerous condition. After all, there was still an "enemy" before her.

Every second counted, Hishamaru judged.

Hishamaru connected the remaining seals, ignoring their original ordering. She would deal with releasing them all at once.

But, at that point the "enemy" before her noticed the abnormality.

His eyes sharpened as he said:

"...What? Hey!"

His instincts weren"t bad. Hishamaru focused her entire mind on the releasing process. She forcefully raised its speed.

The second and third seals were immediately released and the things compressed spread out.

The second seal sealed her "personality". The third seal sealed her "form". The second and third seals were linked together, and they originally weren"t things that could be instantly released. But fortunately, the third seal had "loosened". After the seal Yasuzumi had cast on Harutora had been half-destroyed at Harutora"s hands, she had received the huge magical energy released from her master and problems had arisen in the magic. Moreover, Higekiri"s slash from earlier had weakened the seal"s strength again. Hishamaru took down the third seal in as few steps as possible, hence also shortening the time it took her to succeed in releasing the second seal.

As Hishamaru"s consciousness expanded, her tough personality as the able shikigami a.s.sisting Yakou awoke. The pure blue eyes were filled with the mature, grounded and intellectual strength and blooming ability that Yasuzumi had specifically left intact. At the same time, the lag over her body changed its former appearance as she flickered while beginning to "grow".

Her ears and tail remained, her arms and legs extended, and her body type changed, her appearance slowly maturing. It was as if she had grown ten years in the blink of an eye. She slowly regained her original form as Hishamaru, a form matching her personality inside.

Then, what appeared was an otherworldly beauty.

The untainted sharpness of a mighty female warrior, bewitching beauty, and a flirtatious, dangerous composure that contrasted with her actual nature. Her seemingly seductive charm served as a foil to her beautiful appearance.

But the change in her appearance caught her "enemy"s" eye.

"...Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!"

Kagami rapidly changed Acala"s curse, placing it on Higekiri - then, there was a flash. The slicing silver blade released a wave of heat as it swung towards Hishamaru.

Though the barrier she instantly put up neutralized the might of the heatwave, it was unable to block it. The instant she judged that it wouldn"t do, Hishamaru focused all her remaining strength on Harutora behind her rather than on herself. She put up a barrier to protect her master. Right afterwards, the heatwave that broke through the first barrier sent Hishamaru flying, and her still-growing body was covered with lag as it hurtled through the sky.

The seal-releasing magic became disordered. Hishamaru ground her teeth, but her consciousness was directed towards Harutora rather than herself. The heatwave broke through the second barrier she put up. The magical energy was insufficient. Harutora"s body was sent flying helplessly and he tumbled across the road like a doll. No strength to resist or strength to escape remained in her master"s body. He was on the verge of losing consciousness.

Hishamaru made her decision.

There were two seals remaining. The fourth seal sealed her "spiritual power", which was an important factor to Hishamaru.

In the past, she had once given up her human flesh and reincarnated as a spiritual ent.i.ty.

To the current her, her spiritual power was the strength directly linked to maintaining her existence. She originally would have needed to spend an entire night - or at least a few hours - to undo this seal in order to maintain her spiritual stability.

But now, she needed spiritual power no matter what in order to save her master from the current crisis. Hence, Hishamaru didn"t release the seal, she began to forcefully destroy it instead.

She applied magic to release the fifth seal and let it be pushed back on its own. In contrast, the magic stole control away from the fourth seal, and so then she blasted a corner of the seal with her own power.

She converted her regained spiritual power into magical energy and slowly pried the seal open further. Her spiritual energy rapidly swelled up, but her stability-lacking spiritual energy started shaking Hishamaru"s existence from the very roots. Intense lag covered her body, as if electricity were blooming from inside her.

But even so, it wasn"t fast enough.

"What the h.e.l.l are you!?"

Kagami hacked his blade of magical energy at Hishamaru as she rapidly regained her strength. Though her strength slowly recovered, she was turning it all towards the destruction of the seal. She tried to avoid overconsumption, seeing through the swordplay and dodging the slashes by a hairsbreadth. As she attracted the attention of the "enemy", she progressively destroyed the fourth seal with all her power.

But as expected, Kagami was keen. "Shaver!" After seeing that Hishamaru"s goal was to buy time, he threw Higekiri from his hand into the air.

The servant shikigami Shaver grabbed the hilt of the thrown Higekiri after materializing. A tall, slender, fragile man. Though he was a powerful shikigami who had once put Harutora and the others in a pinch, it seemed to be true that his aura still hadn"t recovered completely. His expression was empty and his movements lacked vigor.

But Kagami glared at Hishamaru while coldly commanding.

"Take care of Harutora!"

Hishamaru immediately interrupted the destruction of her seal, dematerializing and rapidly hurrying towards Harutora"s side, but--

"Don"t look down on me!"

Kagami"s kuji-kiri knocked Hishamaru aside. Hishamaru fell onto the road while rematerializing. No good. There was no opening. Her strength still wasn"t enough to break through head-on.

Kagami"s wound should have been quite painful. But Kagami didn"t let it show as he focused on Hishamaru. He tried to size up her true worth. Then, behind his back, his shikigami held Higekiri and began to slowly approach Harutora.

She wouldn"t be able to make it if this went on. She resolved herself again.

She didn"t destroy the seal, she just made the part that the seal bound - her spiritual ent.i.ty self - disintegrate and forced it out through the ruptured gap. Needless to say, it couldn"t possibly be reconstructed if she did this, and she would jeopardize her own substance. But even so, her "overall self" would increase. She could regain her past strength for a while.

Even after her long wait behind the seal, she protected her master from beside him. Her power didn"t have meaning if she couldn"t protect him, and the reason for her existence would also vanish. She prioritized her master"s safety over everything. That was a fact of life for a defensive shikigami.

But unfortunately, she wasn"t completely able to release the fifth seal.

The fifth, final seal sealed Hishamaru"s past "memories". The various memories of the years she had spent with her master. To Hishamaru, each and every one of them was an irreplaceable treasure. Even losing some of them would be more agonizing than destroying part of herself.

Even so, she couldn"t possibly prioritize her past memories over her current master. Harsh resolution emerged on Hishamaru"s fair, beautiful appearance, and then she disintegrated her inner self. She pushed it through the gap of the seal on the verge of being destroyed and seized her power in the blink of an eye.

It couldn"t even be called lag anymore. Immeasurable lightning burst forth all over Hishamaru"s body. A gigantic spiritual power howled as it spun into a whirlwind. Kagami stared at Hishamaru, stunned.

Hishamaru declared as if striking a blow.

"Out of the way, brat!"

She was unable to immediately control the power she had forcefully wrested back. Hishamaru fired her raging spiritual power at Kagami in the form of foxfire.

A blazing blue flame a.s.saulted Kagami like an avalanche. Kagami put up a barrier. The foxfire engulfed the barrier entirely.

Then, Hishamaru used the pouring spiritual power, refining magical energy out of that flow. She reached out her left hand and tightened her right hand. The posture for pulling a bow. The foxfire she shot out condensed. Kagami"s expression changed, but he was already too slow.

"Hifumiyoimune, kotomochirorane, shikuruyuitowa, sohatamak.u.meka!"

The chant of divine words shot out an arrow of magical energy[5]. But rather than an arrow, that giant magical energy was better described as an artillery round.

After Kagami"s eyes widened greatly, the magical energy violently collided with his barrier, eliminating and piercing through the slight resistance. The barrier exploded backwards because of the huge pressure. The asphalt road was gouged out and fragments flew into the air.

What a hit. But Hishamaru didn"t have the leisure to bask in her victory. In a corner of her vision, the slowly-advancing Shaver stood next to Harutora. The Higekiri in his hands - the blade that had pierced through her and stolen her master"s left eye - housed an ominous light again. But there wouldn"t be a third time. Hishamaru sprinted, her tail fluttering with the wind. The current Shaver wasn"t powerful. Everything would be fine as long as she pulled him away from her master.

She could make it.

However.

"It"s not over yet!"

Flame magic stopped her path from next to her. She was taken by surprise and slipped. It was Kagami. How was that possible? After she thought that, something awoke in her recently-emptied memories.

Far Step. Again - but she didn"t think that he would be able to instantly use such a high-difficulty magic at that kind of time. That man really was one of the best of just a handful of modern Onmyouji. Hishamaru regretfully gritted her teeth, readying the next magic, but--

At the same time, Shaver raised Higekiri above his head.

Her heart suddenly tightened.

She released foxfire while rushing towards Shaver. But needless to say, Kagami wouldn"t permit that. She took step after step but was too far. Terror gradually coursed through her whole body. "No!" Hishamaru sprinted, abandoning defense. But even if she could ignore the wounds inflicted by Kagami"s magic, she couldn"t take back the speed that she had lost.

She could make it.

No - she couldn"t make it.

Shaver swung down Higekiri. The moment Hishamaru let out a scream--

"With this, that"s two favors."

Boom. Something heavy landed on the other side of Harutora.

A man. A man bulging with burly muscles, taller than two meters - no, he seemed even larger now. The man extended his right hand at the same time as he landed, easily catching and stopping Higekiri"s swung blade.

His short golden hair flashed like a crown and an intense light shot from the narrowed eyes among his chiseled features. He wore a suit and no tie. His normally trendy-seeming clothing only now seemed valiant like a battle outfit. There was no substance to the empty left sleeve, and it was blown by the man"s demonic aura, flapping elegantly.

"Kakugyouki!?"

"Yo, Hishamaru. It seems like you"re in quite a pinch. Have you become dull?"

The man - Kakugyouki - grinned rudely, then pushed Higekiri"s blade back upwards with his right hand. Shaver confronted him over Harutora. His empty expression up till now faded, and he revealed hostility and bellowed like a wild beast. His fighting intent poured forth because he was in front of this oni.

Kakugyouki harrumphed.

"Pathetic. Come back later."

Then, lifting the blade that he grasped, he hurled Higekiri flying together with Shaver.

The thrown Shaver dropped near Kagami, swiftly dematerializing. Clatter. Only Higekiri fell to the asphalt road. Kakugyouki looked at Kagami. "What do you want?" He asked provocatively, raising an eyebrow.

Kagami clenched his teeth.

Sheltering Harutora below him, Kakugyouki overwhelmed the surroundings with his demonic aura. Hishamaru also glared at the Kagami who had pushed her master into a crisis with a gaze containing clear killing intent.

That arrogant Onmyouji might have thoroughly fought with her if his opponent had only been Hishamaru.

But when Kakugyouki came by to confront him as an opponent - he wasn"t stupid and arrogant enough to believe that much.

"You"re an eyesore."

She ignited foxfire. Kagami immediately raised Hiegkiri, dodging the giant fireball. Then, he performed complex footwork and vanished. Far Step. He had withdrawn.

She could pursue, but it might disrupt the aura flow. But right now, Harutora was the priority.

She ran up to Harutora, putting healing charms on him with all her power. "Cloth!" She shouted without even turning around.

Kakugyouki shrugged his shoulders resignedly, tearing off his empty left sleeve. He didn"t even get a word of thanks for saving her from a crisis. Rather, if he asked for thanks, she would start sternly lecturing him about "what have you been doing all this time". Kakugyouki smiled bitterly at Hishamaru who laid a cloth on Harutora"s left eye while lag covered her own body.

He knew that she was dedicated to her master. Though it wasn"t worth listening to, he still said:

"Honestly. You"re so devoted."

"......Ugh." Then, Harutora groaned and twisted his body as Hishamaru poured magic into him. Hishamaru alertly supported Harutora"s upper body.

Hishamaru supported Harutora into a sitting position on the road and groaned again. Then, he slightly opened his remaining right eye, quietly turning his gaze to the shikigami and oni before him.

Tears overflowed from Hishamaru"s blue eyes. Those tears were like dazzling gems on her beautiful appearance that was breathtaking from up close.

"......Hishamaru."

Harutora said. After Hishamaru"s cheeks reddened in grat.i.tude, she moved back slightly, kneeled, and bowed.

"Hey!" Then sure enough, she barked angrily, knowing that the presence next to her hadn"t moved.

After Kakugyouki stared at Harutora, he shrugged deliberately as if meaning to say "just for a bit". But then he grinned and moved back next to Hishamaru, going down on one knee and taking the same posture.

A desolate road that traffic had been cut off from.

In front of Harutora who sat on the asphalt road, Yakou"s past attendants bowed deeply as if reuniting with their past master.

The legendary shikigami, Hishamaru and Kakugyouki.

Also, the legendary Onmyouji, Tsuchimikado Yakou.

Flap. With the sound of flapping wings, a yatagarasu landed on Harutora"s shoulder. Hishamaru shot a sharp, dangerous look at the infidel who hadn"t shown up until now.

But.

"Leave it, Hishamaru. It was always like this."

Hishamaru trembled because of those words.

"How......."

She confirmed with a trembling voice.

"How should we address you?"

Needless to say, Hishamaru also had Kon"s memories. No matter what her master picked, her devotion wouldn"t be tainted at all - even so, she was still nervous.

Harutora replied indifferently to this.

"Whatever you want."

Then, Harutora put strength into his limbs and prepared to rise. Hishamaru panicked first and tried to help him, but Kakugyouki lifted Harutora"s body as naturally as breathing and made him stand. Of course, he also noticed Hishamaru"s resentful glare, but Kakugyouki didn"t pay it any heed. Because there would be no end to it.

"......So?"

Standing up as well, Kakugyouki lowered his head to look at Harutora while asking.

"What next?"

Harutora quickly glanced at Kakugyouki, then moved his gaze to Hishamaru.

In a dispa.s.sionate voice, he said:

"We"ll carry out the ceremony for the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual and call Tsuchimikado Natsume back to this world."

Of course, Kurahashi and the others had their reasons for not killing Amami immediately. Because they were on guard for curses.

It was natural for a pract.i.tioner of Amami"s level to have woven curses of revenge that sacrificed his life in case he was killed - at least it felt that way to Amami and Kurahashi"s generation. As a result, how they should deal with him became a problem, and they were limited to guaranteeing the pract.i.tioner"s life. They were people who had lived in that kind of era.

Hence, since the truth was concealed from Kurahashi and he understood that he wouldn"t be able to get any help out of Amami anymore, he decided not to kill him immediately. He decided to spend some time slowly whittling away at Amami"s spiritual power and vitality. That was so that even when the curse activated, its power would be weakened. That was also the natural method of response for those of Kurahashi"s generation, and actually, there were several examples of this kind of "resolution" in records that the Onmyou Agency couldn"t make public.

But even if he "let him live for now", he obviously wouldn"t leave him alone. He cast the same "magical energy suppression seal" that was on Kagami Reiji and Dairenji Suzuka, but rather than to "limit", it was to "erase" - He cast it so that he would be unable to control any magical energy, and even his spirit-sensing ability of sensing aura was sealed. He also burned his throat with magic to block him from chanting incantations, and cut the tendons of his hands to make him unable to form seals. Then, he stole his consciousness and locked him in the underground h.e.l.l, casting an ancient magic that would kill him after ten days. In some sense, it could be called a ruthless disposal with less regard for human dignity than "simple killing".

Amami ought to have no way at all of turning the tables after being sealed so tightly. And Kurahashi wouldn"t have permitted it.

But......

There was also someone who couldn"t agree with Kurahashi"s position. Miyachi. Though he was unable to ask for help, he hesitated to take Amami"s life. He decided afterwards to release the forbidden magic killing Amami on his own and replaced it with a different forbidden magic that "froze" the subject. He thought that he would awaken Amami when all obstacles had vanished after months or even years and have him live the rest of his life with the ident.i.ty of an old man, and not as a pract.i.tioner.

But Miyachi didn"t know.

The barrier guarding the underground prison was just something with the goal of keeping the inside locked down. It was hard to call it foolproof from outside contact.

Also, when he had learned the true ident.i.ties of Kurahashi and the others and learned t

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