Tokyo Ravens Volume 6 Chapter 5

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The gray clouds covering the sky flowed dramatically, seeming to constantly increase in volume.

At the same time, Doman's shikigami that were scattered around the rooftop pranced around randomly while emitting hideous laughter. There was a dragon, still bound, and Harutora's group that was unable to flee from the barrier, along with the black-clothed Onmyouji who dominated the situation.

Under everyone's gaze, Ohtomo finished his difficult climb of the simple stairs, reaching the raised area.

After seeing the emerged Ohtomo, Harutora and the others were first astonished at his appearance. The normal Ohtomo always wore a rumpled suit, but it was different now.

He wore a full set of clothing, wearing a robe and hakama that made up a formal sokutai[1] - the so-called court attire.

Moreover, it was modern-styled court attire. There were several differences in the design, but overall it was extremely similar to the miasma protection garments of the Exorcist Bureau. The white clothing was the exact opposite of the opposing black clothing. It wasn't a black raven, but a white one, a pure white court outfit that gave off a solemn and holy air.

This was the Onmyouji's formal attire designated by the Onmyou Agency.

Ohtomo sighed, holding his cane with his right hand and lightly resting his body weight on the cane.

He turned his head and looked around:

"The view here is very open...... You could probably see Mount Fuji on a clear day."

The edges of his court attire flapped with the wind as he spoke leisurely.

"O, Ohtomo-sensei!"

"Oh, Harutora-kun. Sorry for coming late."

The court attire on his body was astonishing, but Ohtomo's speech and actions were exactly the same as always. Ohtomo looked at Harutora, Natsume, Touji, Kyouko, Tenma, and Suzuka in turn, then finally met the princ.i.p.al's gaze without a single word.

Then, he looked at the dragon trapped on the roof.

Hokuto had exhausted itself after struggling intensely and its giant body lay limply on the ground. The black web that the oni had turned into wound around its golden scales.

When he saw the dragon, a bitter smile flashed across the corners of Ohtomo's mouth.

Then, Ohtomo slowly looked straight at Doman.

Doman also looked at Ohtomo through his blood-red sungla.s.ses. Then, Ohtomo straightened his back, bringing his fake right leg near his left leg and raising his chin slightly.

He looked slightly downwards, seeming not to want to look directly at Doman's face. He held his cane in his hand, his arms together, and then he raised them to his chest, his sleeves naturally drooping downwards.

"Priest."

He greeted Doman.

"I'm incredibly honored to meet you again. Do you still remember me?"

"Eh?" Harutora looked between the two in surprise.

He hadn't thought at all that Ohtomo had once met Doman, but the princ.i.p.al next to him wasn't surprised at all. She knew about this - at least, she held information to some degree.

The opposing Doman relaxedly affirmed it with a "Nnn."

"You made an extremely deep impression. I'm extremely sorry for pushing troubles to you after that farce some time ago."

"The Mystical Investigator incident, huh. That Kakugyouki really was your doing?"

"Ho, ho. It was to humor you. Take that man as a joke, that was probably the kind of level it was."

The black-clothed priest and the white-clothed teacher conversed attentively. Doman's replies weren't rude, but the surrounding shikigami were still ready to charge at any moment.

On the surface, the conversation of the two seemed calm and peaceful, but the surrounding atmosphere was tense enough to sting.

Ohtomo casually continued speaking.

"What happened to your friend from back then? He didn't come with you today?"

Doman hmphed after hearing Ohtomo's question.

"That person isn't my friend. We just happened to be acquainted. But he's a person with a strong sense of curiosity. Maybe he's hiding somewhere eavesdropping right now."

"I see. Unlike you, it seems that he's not related to the Twin-Horned Syndicate."

"What, you're going to a.n.a.lyze my words? Well, I indeed had a relationship of mutual a.s.sistance with that person, but this time it's at my own discretion."

"Oh? If I may be so rude, I heard that the Onmyou Agency was also driven into disarray by a certain person's shikigami?"

"Well, that was also the work of this old man. I didn't think that this would become a once-in-a-decade grand spectacle."

Doman cackled 'ke ke ke'. Harutora, who listened to the conversation from the side, couldn't help but be stunned.

...Th, This old man had simultaneously attacked the Onmyou Agency and the Onmyou Academy alone?

Harutora and the others had long since expected that the two incidents were a.s.sociated. On that basis, they had judged that there might be multiple offenders - in other words, the Twin-Horned Syndicate.

But, if what Doman said was true, their judgments had been mistaken. After all, it had been hard to imagine before the fact that there would be a pract.i.tioner able to simultaneously attack two places on a large scale.

...This man really was a true monster......

It was hard to imagine that the old man in front of him was a human like himself. No, he probably wasn't human.

But,

"Anyway, this old man has currently been exhausted to quite a degree. Isn't that right?"

Doman's tone was childlike, as if he were exposing his own prank. Harutora didn't get the meaning in his words for a while.

But, Doman continued speaking like he was joking around.

"Hence, my important defenders were all sent over there. At the least, your judgment has improved compared to the last time we met. Well, I don't need to say much, you must also realize it."

Harutora finally got the meaning of Doman's words.

...Eh? Wait, those words, could it be?

He was challenging Ohtomo?

Harutora quickly looked at the reactions of the people around him. Natsume by his side was also taken aback, as was Touji. As expected, Doman had 'revealed weakness' to Ohtomo and had pointed out a certain 'possibility'.

The 'possibility' that Ohtomo could 'win' against Doman.

"......At the time, you just single-mindedly escaped without allowing me to enjoy a fight. In the end you even left behind one of your legs."

Doman continued speaking to Ohtomo, who had no response. Harutora stared blankly again.

Before this, Harutora had never thought about the reason Ohtomo only had one leg. Even if he heard from the man himself that his leg had been taken by Doman, he wouldn't have believed him for some time. After all, judging from the current att.i.tude and conversation between the two, it didn't feel like there had been such events between the two before at all.

Especially Ohtomo. He was very close to the opponent who had stolen one of his legs, but he didn't show impulsive emotions like anger, rage, or fear at all. Even though the past disaster was clearly placed before him, his att.i.tude still didn't change.

Harutora's judgment probably wasn't as good as Ohtomo's. But in Harutora's eyes, the current Ohtomo was more calm and natural than normal. He completely eliminated his human emotions, as if he were a priest facing a ritual, completely shedding his 'earthliness'.

"......'Courtesy'."

For some reason, the princ.i.p.al sighed lightly with a self-deprecating tone.

On the other hand, Doman, who had revealed his past incident, said:

"Of course, there's no reason for this old man to lie, right?"

Speaking with an even more pleasant mood:

"You wouldn't have been able to make that kind of judgment purely out of a sense of fear. You wouldn't have chosen to escape without hesitation if you weren't as calm as ice and stood on another level. Even more so for a pract.i.tioner like you."

The old man was expressionless, just cackling with a 'ke ke ke'. His laugh was enough to make one break out in a cold sweat, but Harutora still listened to his words raptly.

"Your true worth and this old man's true worth. On the basis of calm judgment, you still chose the strategy of 'escaping' even with sacrificing a leg. Honestly, your judgment was correct. An annoying yet admirable escape."

After hearing the legendary Onmyouji make this evaluation, Ohtomo still kept his calm. "......I am in awe", he thanked politely.

"This time won't be like the last. No, this old man won't let you escape again."

Doman brought his staff to his feet. In an instant, the old man's small body released an appalling aura.

"At the time, this old man hadn't treated you as an enemy, and that is why you were able to escape. But from a different perspective, your actions could be taken as giving up a sacrifice to keep your cards hidden. You didn't display any of your techniques in front of me, giving up a leg to escape. Doesn't that show that you had the intention of fighting this old man again? You allowed yourself to be wounded so that you could win the next time. Isn't that right?"

A young voice contrasting with his outer appearance, showing an excitement that he couldn't conceal. Just by hearing that remark, Harutora couldn't help but feel his heart speed up.

"Priest."

Ohtomo finally opened his mouth to reply.

Without any fear at all:

"I am still a novice. I just happened to foolishly do what I believed was correct."

"Don't be humble. There's no need to mask anything now."

"No, no. Those are my undisguised feelings."

"Hmph. ......Well, that's alright. At least you didn't deny it."

Ohtomo finally raised his head slowly.

His gaze met Doman's.

It was uncertain what the old man saw in Ohtomo's eyes, but he let out a bone-chilling laugh.

"I've been in this world for centuries...... Most things no longer excite me, and my heart rarely races. But perhaps I am still a child at heart, as showdowns of magic are still enough for me. After all, that is all that remains of this old man's spirit--"

Doman happily monologued as if he were talking to himself.

Ohtomo slowly parted his two hands.

The atmosphere between the two of them was rapidly filled with tension.

"......There's no problem."

Doman suddenly spoke first.

"You wouldn't abandon your disciples and escape. That's just what I want."

"Priest?"

Ohtomo's expression suddenly changed.

Doman returned his wrinkled left hand to the sleeve of his kimono, taking out a small sheet of metal from within. Even Ohtomo couldn't immediately identify what exactly it was.

"...After being given shape, you now become the master.[2] Shatter!"

Saying an incantation, he deftly flicked his wrist, throwing out the sheet of metal.

It came towards the altar.

"Uwah!"

Harutora unconsciously dodged. "Harutora-sama!" Kon shouted.

After the metal sheet touched the barrier, it easily embedded itself inside, spewing out the aura that it contained. In moments, the barrier covering the altar cracked.

"How is that possible!" Natsume, dumbfounded, thought of throwing charms again. But as she spoke, the barrier's cracks rapidly spread and in the end it completely disappeared.

The princ.i.p.al, who had created the barrier, was pale. The round mirror fell from her clothing, a sharp fissure across the surface.

"...Alpha's vessel?"

Everyone finally understood what exactly the metal sheet that Doman had thrown was after hearing those words. He had mentioned once that there was 'no reason to repair' Alpha and Omega's vessels. This was one of the fragments.

The two mechanical shikigami had been the princ.i.p.al's shikigami, carrying their master's aura. Doman had used the aura that the princ.i.p.al had left in the vessel to destroy the altar's barrier that the princ.i.p.al had created. He had used the pract.i.tioner's aura but had overwritten new magic on the vessel.

"Priest!"

"That's why I said there was no problem."

Doman laughed heartily.

"To this group of fledglings, it's too boring to simply stand on the sidelines. Moreover, I'll be very bored if we don't use our true abilities. ......Right, the altar happens to be here. Wouldn't it be a good show to just awaken Yakou here?"

The words Doman calmly said made everyone feel a vague anxiety.

Doman's shikigami all began moving upon seeing the barrier vanish. "You may go". Doman instructed his shikigami.

"Please have fun, everyone. This is a grand occasion."

Doman's words sounded as if he were singing. Ohtomo knocked the ground with his short cane with a thunk.

Silent sparks flashed between the black-clothed and white-clothed Onmyouji.

☆

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

Harutora cursed loudly.

...Awaken Yakou? What was he joking about!

After hearing Doman's words, a chill went through Harutora's spine. Of course, this was also a challenge to Ohtomo. But since this was something Doman said, there was the 'possibility' that it might become reality. In the case that Natsume really was used to awaken Yakou, what would he do when it happened? Honestly, Harutora had never considered.

"Calm down! Form a circle again!"

Touji shouted penetratingly.

Suzuka and Kon reacted immediately. Harutora and Natsume whose face had turned pale after hearing Doman's words, as well as Tenma, took out charms and the shakujou again a moment late. "Grandma!" Kyouko grabbed the princ.i.p.al, adding her to the circle of Harutora's group.

"Kyouko! Suzuka! I'm counting on you."

"Understood. --Hakuou! Kokfuu!"

After Harutora ordered, Kyouko called forth her two defensive shikigami again. Suzuka also nodded silently, focusing her mind to summon her remaining shikigami back. Even Hokuto started thrashing back and forth again after seeing its master's crisis.

"Harutora." Touji seemed to want to say something.

"No. You still can't fight!"

He knew that everyone was equally exhausted, but it was too dangerous to let Touji continue forcing himself to fight. Touji seemed to have some self-awareness and didn't recklessly transform, briefly replying to Harutora's warning with an "Ah".

To Touji, it was probably a huge humiliation that only he couldn't fight in a crucial situation. But this good friend wasn't an idiot who would place his companions in danger for his own pride.

"Sorry, I can't transform in the worst of situations. So...... Harutora, Natsume. When I release the seal next time, the two of you should take Yukikaze and escape straight to the Onmyou Agency - no, you should escape to the Exorcist Bureau. The closest branch from here is in Meguro."

"Touji!"

"Right now isn't the time to debate."

Touji sternly refused Harutora's reb.u.t.tal.

Touji's judgment was correct. Considering how Natsume might be used to awaken Yakou, right now they should evacuate her first.

"......Touji-san is correct."

The princ.i.p.al also approved Touji's opinion.

"If it comes to it, that's all we can do. If we find an opportunity, the two of you escape by yourselves without hesitating."

Harutora breathed "Princ.i.p.al", but the princ.i.p.al pretended not to hear. "Hakki! Kokurin!" After she commanded, two shikigami appeared next to the circle of Harutora's group.

The two heavy-duty shikigami possessed giant bodies similar to Doman's two oni. But the calm, lawful impression they gave off were just the opposite. These were the 'Model G2 Emperors' that the Onmyou Agency created. They seemed to be the defensive shikigami that the princ.i.p.al controlled.

After seeing Harutora and the others entering a battle-ready state, Doman nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Let's get ready to move. ...Go."

Right as the words left his mouth, the shikigami who had received their master's approval charged out ahead, half towards the altar and the half towards Ohtomo.

But,

"Scatter!"

The moment Ohtomo shouted loudly, the shikigami about to attack them scattered in all directions.

First-cla.s.s spirit language. By refining a strong and precise magical energy, he made his words interfere with the shikigamis' magic.

At the same time, Ohtomo quickly sprinted on his right fake leg.

There were complicated magical patterns on the front of the wooden fake leg. "Nnn". Doman formed a blade seal with one hand, swinging it at Ohtomo, but he was half a step slow. Ohtomo's image wavered, suddenly vanishing like a mirage.

Stealth magic, along with a magical movement method.

"Wind!"

Doman swiftly swung his blade seal. At the same time as he moved, black wind slashed out violently like viscous ink.

The black gale instantly covered half of the roof.

But,

"Order!"

Ohtomo's voice sounded from somewhere and a charm flew into the front of the gale.

A fire-element charm.

'Wind' belonged to either wood or metal[3], and Ohtomo had instantly seen that the black wind carried metal aura. Fire conquers metal. Based on the five-element relative weaknesses, the black wind was ignited by the charm's flame. The battle between the fire and wind made the roof air shake violently.

"There!"

Doman formed a seal in front of his eyes, and Ohtomo appeared next to Harutora and the others. The light of the fire was clearly reflected on his white sokutai as it flapped with the wind.

Ohtomo lost his balance slightly while sliding to a stop in front of Harutora and the others. In an instant, the positions had been switched. Guarding the altar behind him, he confronted Doman again.

"Oh--"

"Ohtomo-sensei!"

Natsume couldn't speak out of agitation, but Harutora inadvertently shouted. But Ohtomo didn't say anything extra, looking back over his shoulder at the students behind his back.

After rapidly checking the conditions of everyone,

"...Suzuka-kun."

He called out Suzuka's name.

Suzuka, who had been called, dumbfoundedly looked at Ohtomo and Doman's contest. Since her knowledge was more abundant than the others', she was able to understand the magic and the skills of the two, and their levels were quite high. Her body couldn't help but tremble the moment she was called out to, then she stood next to Ohtomo as if feeling angry at her cowardice.

Before Suzuka spoke up:

"Stand still, don't move--"

As he spoke, Ohtomo put his right hand on the corner of his mouth.

He bit his fingertip with his teeth, then slowly reached his finger towards Suzuka's head.

"Hey!"

Suzuka unconsciously wanted to lean back, but she stopped moving after a glance from Ohtomo. An intense gaze shot out from the eyes behind his gla.s.ses.

Ohtomo chanted a long incantation in a single breath.

Pushing aside Suzuka's bangs, he drew a line on her forehead with his fingertip.

No, he had erased the fine 'X' mark on Suzuka's forehead. He had covered the magic sealing her magical energy with his own blood.

In that moment, Suzuka's eyes suddenly widened to an incredible degree. Even Harutora could clearly 'see'. The aura that had always been in a suppressed state until now was spilling forth from the girl's small body like a flood.

"No way!"

Dairenji shouted.

"You released the magic? Impossible. How could you do that? Did you really release it? Kurahashi Genji's seal?"

Suzuka questioned as if it frightened her. A bitter smile flashed over Ohtomo's face.

Using his tongue to lick off the blood remaining on his fingertip,

"I just plugged the sealed gap with a fake magic. Well, it's probably something like a cheat. It's an improvisation, only effective for a short time."

After Ohtomo explained it simply, his gaze immediately returned to Doman. Suzuka was speechless after hearing Ohtomo's explanation.

Anyway, Ohtomo hadn't broken the seal on Suzuka, he had just used a 'cheat' to temporarily reduce the magical energy limitation. That was the so-called 'magic hacking'.

But this kind of magic was even higher level than forcibly breaking the seal. After all, the person who had placed the seal on Suzuka as punishment was the Onmyou Agency Chief Kurahashi Genji - the princ.i.p.al's son, Kyouko's father, and a first-rate Onmyouji belonging to the Twelve Divine Generals.

More importantly, in order to keep Suzuka, who was a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji herself - and a 'specialist in magic research' - from breaking the seal, he had undertaken special procedures while placing the seal. It absolutely wasn't a simple task to hack this magic on the spot and temporarily render it useless. At least Suzuka hadn't met anyone who could do it.

"Wh-Who exactly are you?"

"A past Mystical Investigator who's currently an academy teacher."

Ohtomo replied leisurely after hearing Suzuka's dumbfounded question.

Just then,

"I understand that your intent is to buy time, but I'll be disappointed if you drag this out too long."

Doman threw his staff in the air after he said this.

The staff suddenly vibrated in the air, sounding with a noise similar to splitting wood and becoming pieces. No, upon careful observation one could notice that it hadn't broken, it had split vertically. The cane became hundreds of thin, sharp spears. Ohtomo's expression immediately went taut and he lowered his center of gravity.

He kneeled one leg on the ground, standing his own cane in front of him. After a 'thunk' sound rang out from the cane, it stood by itself without moving.

Doman's staff changed to countless spears, attacking the altar like rain.

"Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen --!"

Ohtomo formed kuji seals at a speed that eyes couldn't keep up with, infusing magical energy into the cane standing in front of him. The magic diffused out from the cane, beginning to form a defensive wall of magical energy.

The countless flying spears were blocking in midair by the defensive wall.

"It's not over!"

With Doman's shout as a signal, the blocked spears became a group of snakes, biting through the magical defensive wall and continuing to advance.

Facing this, Ohtomo rapidly formed a hand seal again.

"...ひがしやまつぼみがはらのさわらびのおもいをしらぬかわすれたか..." [4]

He chanted an incantation, focusing on praying. Ohtomo's short cane vibrated constantly, suddenly releasing a pulse similar to ultrasonic waves.

The group of snakes' movements suddenly stopped. They spasmed and spat blood, falling to the roof. The instant they touched the concrete, the snakes returned to wooden spears - pieces of wood that had lost their magical energy - and then emitted brown smoke, collapsing into ash.

A clash of magic that he had never seen before. "I see, snake-repelling magic." After Doman saw his attack be blocked, he became even more pleased. Harutora and the others were dumbfounded.

The countless wisps of smoke emitted from the wooden pieces were blown away by the strong wind on the roof.

Ohtomo didn't become careless. Still watching Doman:

"......Everyone's alright, I see. It looks like you're all very tired, but I don't have the leisure to protect you from here on out. Please protect yourselves as much as possible. Have the princ.i.p.al command you and have Suzuka be the vanguard, with the others a.s.sisting from the side."

Ohtomo instructed them calmly, his tone not containing the fluted sound it had before this magical battle. Harutora and the others had never heard Ohtomo's words be so serious before.

"Don't be scared by the number of shikigami and always be alert of your surroundings. Control the state of the battlefield. The worst situation is if you get pulled into things."

His tone was as if he were cautioning them before guiding them through a hike, but Harutora unconsciously shuddered when he heard it.

From those calm words, he seemed to be able to see that Ohtomo had pa.s.sed through countless battlefields - 'h.e.l.ls'. A 'demonic' air born from overcoming repeated h.e.l.ls indeed came off from his body.

...Compared to this person, I......

He didn't know anything about Ohtomo Jin as an 'Onmyouji'. That kind of feeling suddenly spilled forth in Harutora's heart. His companions were probably feeling similar things.

"......Ah, also, Natsume-kun."

"Yes."

"Take your dragon back."

Ohtomo and Doman glared at each other, almost as if they had trouble moving their mouths. He barely managed to let out a voice that was audible.

To Natsume, whose expression had changed:

"I'll create an opportunity, so you dematerialize it. But you have to carefully consider whether you allow it to return to the battlefield. You're almost at your limits. The more you come close to your limits, the more openings you'll show."

After saying this, Ohtomo strode forth on his fake leg and stood.

"Okay."

Doman said:

"Why don't you attack this time."

"......Then."

Ohtomo opened the palms of his hands at the same time as he replied. There were eight charms gotten from who knew where between the ten fingers of his left and right hands.

"Five element transformation, charm dance - Order!"

There were two wood-element, fire-element, metal-element, and water-element charms each. They weren't created by the Onmyou Agency, as evidenced by the fact that Harutora and the others revealed expressions of never having seen them before when they saw the charms.

First were the two metal-element charms. They became two dazzling blades and flew at Doman. Doman formed a seal, producing black wind from below his feet that swirled into a typhoon and deflected the blades.

The deflected blades dripped densely with water droplets, like the water vapor in the air was condensing on their surfaces. After they were strengthened by the two water-element charms, the water droplets converged into a flow, descending towards the roof like a waterfall and spilling towards Doman's location while splashing intensely.

Doman's small body was lifted up by the black wind. Now, the vine-like branches extended from the water flow to pursue Doman who had escaped into the air.

The wood-element charm. The vines born from the two charms absorbed the water spreading over the rooftop, and hence suddenly lengthened in a flash, crisscrossing and branching into the sky, their shape like two extended hands with five fingers grabbing at the enemy. They constantly grew, with the black-clothed Doman as their target.

Then, the moment that the vines completely absorbed the water, the two fire-element charms exploded.

The vines, which had already grown into giant trees, were instantly buried in flames. The wind fed the force of the fire and it roared. Heat swept over the rooftop, and the many Doman's shikigami on the side were caught, burning into nothingness. If the princ.i.p.al hadn't quickly ordered the two 'Emperors' to act as shields, Harutora and the others probably wouldn't have survived either.

"Five element mutual generation......!'

Suzuka, who stared intently at the magic battle, shouted breathlessly.

Metal birthed water, water birthed wood, wood birthed fire, fire birthed earth. Those were the roots that Onmyoudou was based on - magic of the 'Onmyou Five Elements'. Moreover, Ohtomo had superimposed these transformations over each other, further strengthening their power.

The blinding blaze released light, shining strongly at Doman from below his feet. The vines that tried to grab Doman like two hands swiftly became two fists of flame to attack him.

But in this kind of situation, Doman still laughed joyfully.

"Hoho, so much effort. In this case..."

He moved his withered finger at the blaze in front of him.

A distinctive, ink-like seal emerged in the empty s.p.a.ce in front of him. Simultaneously, the black wind supporting Doman swirled into an eddy, becoming black fluid, forming a waterfall, and flowing at the raging flames. With a sudden roar that sounded like the world was ending, black steam spewed in all directions.

The black wind carried metal aura, which birthed water according to the relationships of the five elements, and water conquered fire. It was like he were deliberately doing the same thing back to Ohtomo - more accurately, it was a magical etiquette similar to writing poems to reply to poems.[5]

Ohtomo's magic had been strengthened three times, but Doman's magic still overcame it.

The raging fire was engulfed in the black waterfall and simply vanished into nothing. Moreover, the water that hadn't been depleted descended in waves towards Ohtomo.

Ohtomo took out another charm, throwing it above his head.

"Quell the black water magic, Order!"

It was the earth-element charm that he hadn't used just now. No, he hadn't not used it, he had predicted the scene before him and deliberately preserved it. The earth-element charm released earth aura above Ohtomo's head, forming a defensive wall. Earth conquers water. Ohtomo's magical defense could suppress Doman's waterfall.

But it couldn't completely block it. Doman's magic was too strong.

"Ah!"

The defensive wall's strength was continuously eroded, and the black waterfall rushed towards Ohtomo.

"Sensei!"

Harutora unconsciously leaned forward. "Idiot!" Touji hastily grabbed on to Harutora's arm. The water also rushed towards the altar where Harutora and the others were. Suzuka hastily put up a simple barrier, barely protecting the safety of her companions, but she didn't have the leisure to look after Ohtomo.

But,

"Hmm?"

Doman, still floating in the air, let out an astonished sound.

"Why is there still one left?"

The moment after Doman brought up the question.

"Order!"

Ohtomo, who had been caught in the black water, pressed the final earth-element charm - the last of the eight total that had been prepared - on the concrete roof.

The location was next to the trapped Hokuto.

Doman unconsciously shouted out, but even he couldn't make it in time. The concrete cracked and a corner of the roof collapsed, crumbling. Of course, there was also Hokuto and Doman's oni. Hokuto was stunned, looking around in a fl.u.s.ter. ...Eh?

In a split second,

"Natsume-san!"

"Yes!"

After hearing the princ.i.p.al's sharp reminder, Natsume also made a prompt decision. While Ohtomo and Doman in front of her had repeatedly carried out their dazzling magic battle, Natsume had obediently waited for the 'opportunity' her cla.s.s's teacher had mentioned.

"Hokuto, return!"

The instant the concrete collapsed, the web formed by the oni binding Hokuto relaxed and showed an opening because they had lost their foothold. Since it was a physical opening, it was also a magical opening. Natsume grabbed on to that instant, forcefully releasing Hokuto's materialization.

The dragon's giant body instantly vanished, only leaving the empty net of oni, which swiftly disappeared out of sight with the force of the collapse, along with the rubble and the black water.

"We did it!"

Natsume cheered loudly. It seemed that they had safely taken Hokuto back.

On the other hand, Ohtomo who had outmaneuvered Doman managed to take hold of the opening he had made, finally escaping from the force of the water.

"...Really."

He complained while lifting his fake leg, standing up.

"Honestly, just give me a break. I was only ever good at those kind of lies, bluffs, and those kinds of tricks......"

Ohtomo complained with a bitter face, adjusting his gla.s.ses.

Doman, who had escaped to float in the air, descended to the roof again.

"What a very annoying man. Well, what other tricks do you have?"

Doman asked excitedly. Ohtomo looked back at the old man without displeasure.

But, just then.

Doman suddenly turned his attention.

Without any prior warning,

"...What?"

He murmured quietly while staying motionless, slightly moving his gaze with a manner as if he were hearing sounds from far away. A strange expression emerged on even Ohtomo who confronted him.

Those actions continued for a while, and then Doman looked at the altar where Harutora and the others were again.

To the princ.i.p.al,

"......It seems that you were sincere. I am quite surprised that what you said is true."

Harutora and the others didn't understand the meaning in his words. But the princ.i.p.al immediately got it.

"A report from your shikigami? That's great. ...After all, I explained several times that it wasn't here anymore. Priest, your actions are no help and will not result in anything."

The princ.i.p.al announced flatly. Doman look at her angrily, letting out a regretful croon.

But, he immediately sighed:

"......Hmph, no matter. In that case, there's one less trouble to worry about later. I can concentrate on the situation 'here'."

"Priest?"

The princ.i.p.al was taken aback, shouting angrily. But Doman didn't mind her, seeming to completely lose his interest in the people at the altar, returning his gaze to Ohtomo.

"What now?"

He strengthened his tone and urged Ohtomo, wanting to begin the magic battle again - the 'compet.i.tion of magic' that Doman spoke of. Doman's att.i.tude made the princ.i.p.al grit her teeth.

On the other hand, Ohtomo didn't respond immediately.

He silently watched Doman. "What's wrong?" Doman seemed to speak a bit restlessly.

"You're still stalling for time at this point? If you don't attack, then I--"

Doman's words suddenly stopped and he suddenly formed a seal with one hand, swinging it at Ohtomo.

Buzz-- 'Lag' appeared on Ohtomo's body and his image suddenly disappeared, replaced by a small charm. After dematerializing, it floated lightly down to the roof.

It was a simple shikigami.

When Doman's attention had been diverted, Ohtomo had hidden himself and used a body double.

"Hoho. I really can't be careless! ......Where are you?"

Doman rapidly checked the surroundings, pointing towards an area and instructing "Go" to a nearby shikigami. The commanded shikigami leaped to the position Doman indicated, and the hidden Ohtomo appeared in front of the shikigami.

Ohtomo rapidly twisted his body, dodging the shikigami's attack and rolling on the roof, jumping up to stand. His movements were agile enough to make it hard to believe he had a fake leg - moreover, a wooden fake leg. The movement technique he had applied on himself at the start was still in effect.

Ohtomo had used stealth to buy some time and shred a charm.

He kneeled one leg on the ground, holding the shredded charm in his two hands.

"...Om Marici Sowaka..."

Along with his Marici[6] mantra, he exhaled a breath, scattering the charm.

The senior deity of the sun, Marici, symbolized control of stealth. The charm that should have been scattered by the wind vanished after leaving Ohtomo's hands as if it had been absorbed by the air.

On the other hand,

"What a trick-loving man."

Doman extended his hands, his left and right making different motions and simultaneously drawing two magic seals.

"Then this old man will use a big move."

The magic seals started pulsing, trembling, swelling, and taking shape in the air to become h.e.l.lish monsters. One was an oni with a bull's head, and the other was an oni with a horse's face.

The only significant difference between the newly-appeared oni and the ones that had bound Hokuto was that they were no longer simple shikigami. They gave off an inauspicious true demonic aura.

"How can that be!"

"R, Real oni!"

Natsume and Kyouko shouted with ashen faces. Suzuka also murmured "is this for real" shakily, then put up a simple double barrier when she came to her senses.

"Wh, What. Real oni - 'Type-Ogres'?"

No one replied to Harutora's question. There had been a case in the past where one person created spiritual disasters. If it were Ashiya Doman, it wouldn't be too strange even if he could instantly create Phase 3 mobile spiritual disasters.

But, Doman laughed with a 'ke ke ke'.

"As I explained already, my guards were all sent to the Onmyou Agency. These are just shadows. If we judge them by your standards, they're probably a three, or maybe closer to a four?"

Right as the words left his mouth, the demonic aura that the two oni spewed out began to disrupt the surrounding aura balance.

The uneven aura in the air rapidly turned into yin aura. After the aura became unbalanced to a certain degree, it became miasma, floating through the roof like a poisonous gas.

The black shikigami that touched the miasma began increasing in strength. Among them, there were shikigami that absorbed the shikigami and even shikigami that gave off miasma themselves.

The scale wasn't large, and it counted as a small-scale spiritual disaster, but it wasn't an early stage. This had reached the Hyakki Yagyou, which generated spiritual disasters in a chain reaction - a Phase 4.

"This is bad!"

Suzuka unconsciously shouted out.

The 'Child Prodigy' strengthened the barrier again. After her magical energy limitations had been momentarily released, Suzuka could use her full power. But In the end, she was a researcher, she didn't have experience purifying spiritual disasters, and she only had basic knowledge regarding methods for dealing with them.

For now, she took out the scripture she used to create shikigami. She didn't make the pages in it into vessels, but utilized them to make protective charms instead. By throwing out all of the protective charms, she planned on using a magical defensive wall to block off the miasma. The princ.i.p.al also threw protective charms that she had carried. Natsume, Kyouko, Harutora, Touji, and even Tenma also emulated their methods.

Harutora's group resisted the billowing miasma with all their power.

But in the end, it was only the 'repercussions' that were attacking them.

"Then, how will you cope with this?"

Ohtomo returned a sharp gaze to Doman's unyielding challenge.

Facing the approaching bull-headed and horse-faced oni along with the group of shikigami-turned-spiritual disasters, he threw out five charms.

Rapidly taking a deep breath:

"G.o.d of the east sea, Amei. G.o.d of the west sea, Shukuryou. G.o.d of the south sea, Kyojou. G.o.d of the north sea, Gukyou. G.o.ds of the four seas, fend off a hundred demons and drive back the fierce disaster. Order!"

He chanted an incantation in a penetrating shout.

The five thrown charms suddenly glowed, emitting beams of light and linking with each other. A magical seal of light shone in front of Ohtomo - a pentagram. Under the illumination of this brightly shining aura, the oni and shikigami shrieked loudly and covered their eyes.

This wasn't General Onmyoudou, but rather a secret art to fend off a Hyakki Yagyou that was part of the Imperial Onmyoudou that Yakou had created. As the movements of the oni and shikigami became slow, Ohtomo took out an object from his clothes, placing it at his feet.

It was small enough to hold in his hand.

Small rocks wrapped in bamboo leaves.

"What?" Doman, upon seeing this object, made a stunned sound.

"Could it be - No, a bamboo cage?"

Ohtomo didn't reply to Doman's question, taking out another small folded piece of paper from his clothes. The furrow was filled with a pinch of salt.

With the shining pentagram as a shield, Ohtomo scattered the salt on the stones wrapped in bamboo leaves.

Then,

"By the green of these bamboo leaves, by the withering of these bamboo leaves, let green die! And by the drought of this salt, wither! And by the weight of these rocks, sink!"

The chanted incantation was filled with a terrible ominous air, vastly different from before.

Magic started up as summoned by the incantation. A dark light filled the sky like raging flame while flaring over Doman's head.

It was the pieces of the charm that had been blown around just now. Using stealth magic to fool the enemy's sight had been to allow these pieces to spread above the enemy.

The pieces of the charm shone like bulbs, constantly vibrating in bursts and becoming even brighter. The light of the light sources overlapped, rapidly spreading as if to weave a spider web. Finally, it formed a dome-like shape to cover Doman. He was trapped in a thick gridded cage.

Then, an intense magical energy howled inside the cage.

A cruel and ferocious yin aura, enough to make one shiver just by 'seeing' it from the altar. An ominous magical energy filled the cage like a pathological weapon, and a hot wind even more scorching than flame raged inside the place with nowhere to hide.

It would curse, burn, and tear the object sealed in the cage. The environment was like a scorching h.e.l.l, so miserable that one couldn't bear to look.

The oni and shikigamis' actions became disordered upon seeing their master's crisis. Even Harutora's group that watched from the side was the same way. They were silent, their backs cold as they stood still shuddering.

But,

"Could this be!"

Doman's voice came from the magic cage.

The old man burst out laughing, not concealing his excited mood.

"Could this be the 'Eight-Way Bamboo Cage Curse'!? You can't find such an ancient curse in even Imperial Onmyoudou. You even modified it and made it stronger, probably just to increase the surprise! Hahaha! Very good! You've surpa.s.sed this old man's expectations!"

A young man's laugh came from the old man's mouth, but it no longer resembled human speech. Harutora and the others felt like their bodies were being immersed in an ice bath as they trembled inside.

"Even this old man doesn't know how to 'deal with' this curse. No, I've heard that removing the cursing tools will do, but this old man can't reach the cursing tools over there, so I can't contend from inside the cursed cage! Ke, ke, ke, ke. What a vicious magic! In this case, this old man will also go all out. It's indeed very tacky to do this, but let's speak using absolute strength!"

Doman's roar rumbled.

A shockingly huge aura overflowed from the old man's small body.

The curse cage was instantly filled with Doman's aura. Even so, the movements of the released aura didn't stop. The cage had originally been filled with the magical energy released by the curse, and with Doman's aura now, the spiritual pressure elevated rapidly.

"Hey! ......I, Is that for real!?"

Suzuka inadvertently cried out. Kon's ears and tail stood up straight.

It was like a bomb whose fuse had been lit. Moreover, they had nowhere to run and could only stand in place watching. Not only Suzuka but even the princ.i.p.al and Natsume were the same. Touji, Kyouko, and Tenma too.

Of course, Harutora was also included.

He trembled.

His hair stood on end.

...Eh?

Harutora suddenly realized something.

He was incredibly calm.

...Right.

He suddenly thought of it.

He was trembling and his hair was standing on end.

Simultaneously, something inside him was excited.

What was up with this? The fight playing out in front of him was unquestionably first-cla.s.s, a high-level magic battle that Harutora had never imagined at all before. This was the so-called 'compet.i.tion of magic'. When he had seen Kogure's actions on TV and felt Kagami's pressure first-hand, his excited feelings hadn't been as inflated as they were now. He was excited to an abnormal level, as if the view of the world as he knew it had been inverted.

Of course he would be scared and fearful.

But there were other emotions above those. He was trembling on the inside and his blood was boiling, things that he definitely wouldn't experience in other situations.

...This was ......

This was magic.

He had seen those who had already climbed to the 'peak' of this world, or perhaps one could say he was looking up at the 'heights' in the distance.

Exactly what kind of world was it over there?

"......Ban, Un, Taraku, Kiriku, Aku!"

Ohtomo drew a pentagram while chanting a mantra, strengthening the pentagram used to combat Hyakki Yagyou.

Even Harutora's eyes could see that Ohtomo's magic was incredibly high level. But the difference on the magical energy aspect was too great when compared with Doman's aura that swelled inside the cage. It wasn't a matter of technique, but a difference in total power. A discrepancy of overwhelming 'strength'.

"Sensei!"

Natsume shouted with a hoa.r.s.e voice. Harutora didn't say a thing, his mind completely focused on the 'compet.i.tion of magic' in front of him. He had already lost the energy to speak.

Finally,

"Break!"

Doman extended his arms towards Ohtomo.

The magic bamboo cage that Ohtomo had woven shattered and the aura and magical energy shut inside suddenly spewed out like a bursting dam - no, it should be described as a flood after heavy rain. It swiftly and forcefully hit the pentagram Ohtomo had spread out.

The pentagram flashed intensely and Ohtomo quickly extended his fake leg, kicking away the magical tool beneath his feet - the small rocks wrapped in bamboo leaves. But the magical energy Doman released didn't decrease at all. In the next moment, the pentagram constructed with five charms would be defeated and be struck flying.

But,

The actions Ohtomo took in that brief wait betrayed Doman's expectations, needless to say Harutora and the others'.

The moment of time that the pentagram bought was more precious than a mountain of gold. A normal pract.i.tioner would waste his valuable time putting up a new defensive wall or dodging with all his power.

But Ohtomo didn't do this.

"Antari on, sok.u.metsu soku, birariya birari, sok.u.me tsumei, zansaki mei, zanki sei, zandai hion, shikan shiki jin, atara un, on ze so, zanzan birarai, aun, zetsu mei, soku zetsu, un, zanzan dari, zan dari han tsu." [7]

This incantation seemed excessively long, but Ohtomo chanted it without hesitation. Just as the words left his mouth, the pentagram was struck away and he sank into the a.s.saulting magical energy. In order to finish his magic,

Clap!

He brought his hands together.

This was a Taoist system of internal attack from Imperial Onmyoudou.

Ohtomo's magical energy pa.s.sed through s.p.a.ce,

Bang!

It burst on Doman's body, producing a frightening physical impact.

The old man's small body twisted and broke. Simultaneously, Ohtomo was also engulfed by Doman's magical energy. This was no longer desperation, this was giving up his life to win - giving the killing blow while realizing that both sides would suffer. Natsume and Kyouko wailed.

The high-density typhoon of aura, magical energy, and miasma swept across the roof. The defensive wall Suzuka had put up shook like a flag in a storm.

An incredibly tense, heavy, and lengthy moment.

Then--

After the storm of magical energy pa.s.sed, two figures still remained on the roof.

Which side had been victorious?

That speculation felt suffocating to Harutora.

The black-clothed Onmyouji, who stood in place like a broken scarecrow.

The white-clothed Onmyouji, who stood unmoving, still with his hands clasped.

It was the latter who moved first. Ohtomo staggered to the ground and supported himself with one hand, as if he had expended his energy. Harutora swallowed, and Natsume sobbed. In moments, Ohtomo's hair had lost its color.

But the white-haired Ohtomo still lived. He was dying in front of Harutora and the others' eyes, but he still hadn't lost his fighting spirit. He struggled to raise his head, plucking off his cracked gla.s.ses and looked at Doman with gritted teeth.

His eyes flashed,

"......As expected."

He murmured.

A smile still emerged on his mouth in his dying state.

"I thought this might be the case before. Now I can finally confirm it completely. You aren't a human, you're an ara-mitama[8]."

A twisted, broken body, four unnaturally distorted limbs, broken red sungla.s.ses, and empty eyes. This was no longer a corpse-like old man, it was a true corpse of an old man.

But the old man's corpse:

"Ho."

Replied.

It was a surreal scene. The old man corpse that couldn't possibly stand anymore didn't fall as it slowly swayed. It opened its mouth to speak and even laughed.

Its mummy-like body didn't bleed. A "Ke-- ke--" resounded from its torn throat, a 'voice' like wind blowing through a hole.

"You forcefully adopted such reckless strategies just to confirm that? Ho. Delightful, delightful. This old man is already taken with you. You're the first since Yakou to make me feel this way."

Doman laughed 'Ke-- ke--'.

Kyouko, behind Harutora, had also started wailing. Harutora couldn't speak up to console Kyouko upon seeing her unable to suppress her sobs. The overly 'monstrous' scene before them made his thoughts go blank and his body and soul were completely paralyzed.

After Kyouko, even Natsume also seemed to want to vomit. Suzuka, who controlled the barrier, gritted her teeth.

Doman, still laughing 'Ke-- ke--', said:

"I'm much obliged to be called a 'mitama' by you. After all, this old man is just the product of an unorthodox method. To those who do not understand, I look similar...... but this old man is different from that person--"

Upon careful 'observation', the aura exuding from Doman's body hadn't weakened at all. Aura constantly poured from his dilapidated body - or more accurately, from the s.p.a.ce around his body. It wasn't that his 'body' carried aura, but rather his 'aura' resided within the body. The aura was his real body, and the person was an accessory. If the affiliated person was dying - or in other words, even if he was already dead, his aura was still alive.

As Doman spoke, Ohtomo slowly stood up.

His snow-white hair blew in the wind. Ohtomo's composure still didn't diminish while being surrounded by oni and shikigami or as the originally dead Doman talked to him.

After plucking off his gla.s.ses, Ohtomo's eyes stared intently at Doman, as bright as if they were releasing magic themselves. In contrast to his swaying body, his inner will was indomitable.

"Well."

Doman continued speaking.

"Your name?"

"...Ohtomo Jin."

"Good to meet you. Onmyouji Ohtomo Jin. Why don't you join the side of this old man? Magic is an extremely deep, extremely beautiful, extremely lovable thing. You can definitely understand. Well, don't stop at peering down into the abyss of magic, throw yourself and fall in - only then can you feel joy. An unmatchable bliss."

His emotional words were at the same time extremely deep. Just by hearing them, one couldn't help but tremble and almost lose balance.

But Ohtomo's reply was unusually clear.

"My apologies, but I must refuse."

He stood tall, interrupting magnificently.

It wasn't aura, but something more like 'dignity' swelled in his body.

"Ashiya Doman, don't try to trick me. Even if I am near death, I won't fall for the sweet talk and deception of a withered old man. I may be rude, but I hope that you would be gracious and let us go."

He spoke with fort.i.tude. Harutora was deeply drawn in by his strong figure.

"Hmph, ho, ho, ho."

Doman laughed. The old man's body suddenly leaned back and spasmed constantly, as if it were a hanging puppet.

"How arrogant! I definitely won't forgive you, Ohtomo Jin! Observe this old man defeating your arrogance!"

An appalling aura once again spewed from the old man's corpse. Though Doman had denied it himself, this power could only make one think of mitama - 'G.o.ds'.

"Ha." But, Ohtomo laughed.

Then, he reached into his clothes, taking out several charms. Shikigami charms. He threw them into the air, flipping the sleeve of his robe.

The shikigami quickly materialized, appearing bright blue in the gray sky. Birds. Their designs were different from mechanical shikigami like the 'Yaksha' and 'Emperor'. Rather, they were blue swallows, as lifelike as living creatures.

"Ah!"

Tenma shouted.

This was the binding shikigami 'WA1 Swallow Whip' manufactured by the Witchcraft Corporation. It was well-received by many Mystical Investigators as the masterpiece of the Witchcraft Corporation.

It was a shikigami buyable on the market.

"You!"

Doman roared angrily.

"You spit rhetoric at me, yet you still ridicule this compet.i.tion of magic!"

Doman's roar was like splitting thunder.

But, Ohtomo said:

"No, no, old man."

He face him with a light smile.

"The idea that it only counts as taking it seriously if you have to use shikigami you made yourself is only pretentious and self-righteous. That's how it is. Historical geniuses like Priest are another matter, but mortals have their own methods. Using ma.s.s-produced products is one of them."

Ohtomo smiled at Doman.

Returning to his usual Kansai accent,

"And I don't remember saying that I would have a 'magic compet.i.tion' with you."

The blue group of swallows flew independently over his head.

Suddenly, small feathers began dropping from their wings.

Every time a swallow flapped its wings, feathers would fall like petals. They swayed lightly in the wind, dancing above the academy building rooftop.

This fantastic scene was as if the intense magical battle up to now had all been an illusion. Harutora and the others raised their heads to look up, looking in a daze.

The flying blue feathers continuously fell to the roof.

They touched the horn of the bull-headed oni, the shoulder of the horse-faced oni, the bodies of the shikigami, and Doman. As if they were snowflakes, they felt weightless. Once the feathers almost devoid of magical energy touched them, they disappeared with lag.

An unreal, fantastic scene, making one forget that this was a battle of life and death.

"......What are you planning?"

Doman asked Ohtomo, somewhat displeased - but at the same time somewhat curious.

"I said just now. When I said 'as expected'."

Ohtomo replied, his expression as if a heavy burden had been removed from him.

"If I can confirm that my opponent is 'spiritual disaster-like', I have my own methods of fighting. Eye-catching actions like announcing your attack are counterproductive in the end. ...Well, the situation just now was so tense my heart almost stopped."

Ohtomo exaggerated. Doman as well as Harutora and the others felt wonder upon seeing the white-clothed Onmyouji's att.i.tude.

Just then, there was a slight reaction around Harutora's left eye - on the pentagram drawn below it.

Then,

...Eh?

Harutora noticed it.

Behind Harutora, in an extremely distant area.

Under the cloudy sky, in the direction of Shibuya street,

-Flicker-

A point of light lit up.

A fire.

Moreover:

"......Ah, what's that?'

"H-Harutora-sama! Over there--!"

"Wait, there too!"

There wasn't just one. On the left, on the right, and behind. Five fires in total were lit in the distance of their boundless view, several hundred meters away. Their locations were very high, probably on rooftops, and the distance to each of them were similar. They surrounded the academy building at a distance.

Doman also noticed these fires. Then, he thought of the 'meaning' that this arrangement possessed faster than Harutora's group.

Turning to look at Ohtomo:

"You!"

"...Yes. I don't abide by the rules. I set you up."

With Ohtomo's words as a signal, stately auras emerged around the five fires.

The aura was infused into the flame and became magical energy, shooting into the sky and spilling forth mightily. Then, from one area to another, they drew out clear lines of magical energy as if to cut open the densely clouded sky.

These were the movable altars that the Exorcist Bureau had set up. The burning flame on the altar infused spiritual power into a line of magical energy. The magical energy lines formed by the five altars released a beautiful light, drawing a giant magic seal in the sky.

It reached a radius of several hundred meters with the academy building as the center. At the same time, the chanted incantation of an exorcist from a distant location even reached the academy roof.

" ...On kirikushuchiribikiri tadanouun sarabashatorodashaya satanbayasatanbaya sohatasohatasowaka... Onshuchiri kyararoha unkensowaka ...On kirikushuchiribikiri tadanouun sarabashatorodashaya satanbayasatanbaya sohatasohatasowaka... Onshuchiri kyararoha unkensowaka ...On kirikushuchiribikiri tadanouun sarabashatorodashaya satanbayasatanbaya sohatasohatasowaka... Onshuchiri kyararoha unkensowaka ...On kirikushuchiribikiri tadanouun sarabashatorodashaya satanbayasatanbaya sohatasohatasowaka... Onshuchiri kyararoha unkensowaka ...On kirikushuchiribikiri tadanouun sarabashatorodashaya satanbayasatanbaya sohatasohatasowaka... Onshuchiri kyararoha unkensowaka ...On kirikushuchiribikiri tadanouun sarabashatorodashaya satanbayasatanbaya sohatasohatasowaka... Onshuchiri kyararoha unkensowaka ...On kirikushuchiribikiri tadanouun sarabashatorodashaya satanbayasatanbaya sohatasohatasowaka... Onshuchiri kyararoha unkensowaka"

This was a great magic of esoteric Buddhism system, the Yamantaka method, which was a prayer pledging oneself to Yamantaka[9] in order to bring calamity to one's worst enemies.

The magical energy released from five directions enlarged the pentagram, forming a strong magic. Then, by the lead of the Swallow Whips that Ohtomo used, the magic seal centered itself to face the academy building. Of course, it didn't aim at Ohtomo and Harutora and the others who were on the same roof. Rather it attacked Doman's group that had been 'touched by the swallows' feathers'.

Harutora and the others' visions were suddenly painted completely white by the magical energy.

The shikigami-turned-spiritual-disasters were purified.

Then, the bull-headed and horse-faced oni vanished like steam.

Then,

"I've blundered!"

Doman shouted.

"But, you're too naive. Your Yamantaka method is crude and hasty, and the magic shows signs of distorting as it converges. You're far from 'purifying' this old man!"

Doman's a.n.a.lysis was correct. The Yamantaka method of General Onmyoudou required sufficient preparation time along with adequate equipment and personnel. The magic Ohtomo had prepared this time was not sufficient in any of these areas.

But, Ohtomo himself knew of these circ.u.mstances. He pulled his expression taut again, forcing himself to move and forming seals with both hands - Daidokko seals. Then, he agilely moved his fake leg, enhancing his movement method.

"On aku un!"

He charged forward in a flash, chanting the mantra of the Yamantaka method.

Ohtomo's flesh was enchanted by magic, becoming a sharp arrow that pierced towards Doman. There was no strategy or tricks, it was a pure collision of bodies. Ohtomo's momentum carried Doman past the altar where Harutora and the others were, to the other end of the roof.

They flew into the air.

"Sensei!"

The eyes of Harutora and the others widened and he ran to the edge of the roof. He ignored Kon who tried to stop them, leaning his body to look down. Below them, the black-clothed and the white-clothed Onmyouji were tangled together, rapidly approaching the ground.

"Hokuto!"

Natsume shouted, her black hair in a mess.

Responding to Natsume's summons, a golden light appeared and lengthened into a bright trail, materializing next to the two of them. But, was it in time? The emerged dragon dove after them, thrusting its nose in the gap between the two and the ground right before they hit the ground.

The dragon grabbed hold onto the clothes of white-clothed Onmyouji - Ohtomo. Bending its body around, it pulled up on Ohtomo's body with all its power. Then, the dragon's body crashed onto the road of the main entrance.

Doman hit the ground at the same time, just happening to smash into the sedan. The car roof was squashed under the intense collision of the old man's body, and the windshield gla.s.s was shattered.

Hokuto threw out its own body and smashed open the road, creating lag on its body which rippled across it. In that way, it used its own body as a shield, reducing the impact Ohtomo received by as much as possible. After finally stopping, Hokuto put Ohtomo on the ground and listlessly laid its long body on the ground as if complaining about its exhaustion.

"Sensei!"

Ohtomo was safe and sound.

He seemed to be conscious, and tried to get up after falling onto the ground, but sat on the ground with a 'plop' of failure, looking around.

"Really...... He went way too far......!"

Touji spoke warmly. It had been a long time since Harutora's good friend's voice had been so excited.

But the excitement of Harutora and the others was extinguished in the following moment.

On the crushed sedan:

"......As I said, 'it's not enough'......"

Doman stood up.

☆

Gla.s.s was scattered on the ground at the Onmyou Academy entrance around the destroyed automatic doors, as if there had just been a robbery.

The roof black sedan stopped in front of the door was caved in and the gla.s.s was shattered. On top of this wrecked sedan, a black-clothed old man - no, he was already a 'thing' that no longer looked like an old man - stood up slowly.