The spirit flow connecting the heavens to the earth that extended from within the territory in Kanda Shrine vanished.
The spell composing the Tenchuu Chifu Ritual's altar was undone and the magical energy vanished. Harutora bit his lip as his face paled. He looked to the side as he carried Natsume.
The sun had completely set and the colors of the night already tinted the sky. But fire still burned on the shrine road that had become a magic battlefield. The wisps of flame drifted to the end of the ruined road.
Kanda Shrine's Zuishin-mon was illuminated from the inside. The distinct darkness that had covered the gate was no more. Though a magnificent light came from the other side of the gate, it was accompanied by a powerful spiritual power.
Sometimes, particles of light would rise upwards like snowflakes floating in the wind.
The terrority had already become a divine realm - a secret world that that 'entity' in the center could clearly sense even from far away. More accurately, it wasn't that this 'entity' was in the center of the secret world, it was that the secret world was currently spreading out from the 'entity'.
A mysterious entity like the time the Taizan Fukun Ritual had been performed, one that existed in all places near and far. A similar entity was now slowly revealing itself inside the territory.
Both the people currently fighting and the people wounded on the ground gazed in the direction of Zuishin-mon. The spiritual might given off by that 'entity' couldn't be ignored, even from far away.
The might of a god.
"Damn......"
If the god's aura weren't stopped inside the territory, it would instantly change the spiritual nature of the surroundings.
...As he had thought......!
The countless spirit flows that had been harnessed into the territory began to pulse ominously. Harutora knew very well the meaning of this activity.
He clutched his fatigued arm with a strength he didn't even know he had.
......What......
The girl before him was housing a god.
There was no other pretense. It was as if the truth had been drilled straight into his head. The godly might around his body terrified Ohtomo's soul. This might be a feeling even more primitive than instinct.
Ohtomo stayed turned around on the pedestal, holding the gun pointed towards Takiko. There were still bullets in the magazine, and Kurahashi had already fallen. At this distance, he definitely wouldn't miss.
But he couldn't shoot.
The finger pressing the trigger wouldn't move at all. Of course, it wasn't magic. Could his finger not move for a more profound reason?
Then--
Takiko faced Ohtomo.
A girl with red hair, wearing a black miko outfit. Her outline seemed to be shining right now. Aura gave off light that floated around the girl. Her red hair immersed in the light of aura resembled a burning flame, and the eyes that stared at Ohtomo resembled gems of a god.
"Ohtomo Jin."
Takiko said.
Goosebumps formed all over Ohtomo's body.
"Are you hoping for my destruction? Or the safety of your students?"
Ohtomo couldn't say anything at all.
Instantly, the aura erupting from the territory increased, whipping into a storm of magical energy.
"Ugh!?"
He hit a wall of the altar and collapsed onto the ground.
"Shit!" Gozu fell to his knees, looking up with gritted teeth, and Mezu followed.
Lag spread over their bodies. This was due to the gale from before - actually, the gale had been an attack aimed at the two of them, and Ohtomo had just gotten caught up in it.
Panting, the oni stared at Yashamaru, who had gotten free of the illusion.
The young man, with his slender, aristocratic body, seemed to completely recovered. Just like how a master gave his shikigami magical energy, Takiko was pouring strength into Yashamaru. Now, the defensive familiar had obtained her strength and the divine aura from her body, like a dependent[1].
Gozu was blocking the way. Yashamaru sent him flying with a blow, and walked straight up to the stone platform, in front of his master. He went down on one knee and lowered his head.
"Princess."
He said reverently, raising his head and staying kneeled. A blissful expression filled his face, as if his violence from just now had been a lie.
"Princess Masakado, how do you feel?"
Takiko smiled at the defensive familiar's question.
"Still nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean?"
"I haven't come to this world in very long. My human feelings still haven't returned, and who knows if they still can return... In other words, my feelings have become the feelings collected after his death."
"Indeed......"
Yashamaru replied happily. But this was an abnormal joy, seeming imbalanced and unstable.
But--
In any case, that was no longer a problem. What was normal and what was crazy? Those fundamentals were already transforming here. This was no longer anything humans knew of. It was already a question of the 'world'.
Because gods were beings in between humans and the world. People knew of the world through gods, and changed the world through prayer to the gods. Natural grace was followed by the formation of deep concepts, trust in the gods, and communication with the gods. That was whath appened in the ancient era as well as the recent past. Now, humans prayed to the gods and changed the 'world knowledge' that they possessed. That was what people called 'magic'.
Right now, a god had descended to the world.
It was natural that the world would change.
...Damn!
Moving produced intense pain. His ribs were broken or fractured. Also, the magical damage was extremely great. It had been a single strike, and he had just been collateral damage, but it was a surprise blow that he hadn't been guarded against.
...Right. What about Tenmkun!? And that rabbit!
He hastily confirmed. Tenma was frozen standing, looking at the god's descent. But he wasn't hurt. He hadn't been blown by the gale just now. On the other side, the rabbit girl who had been with Natsume and the others was still lying in the same place on the ground. But the barrier closing her in was shattered. It looked lke the barrier had acted as a shield to block the gale. She, like Tenma, was frozen. Only the rabbit ears on her head swayed left and right as if stimulated.
He thought of what Tenma had just said. He had come to stop Ohtomo in order to prevent the outcome Kyouko had divined. And although Ohtomo had been stopped, was this outcome good or bad?
"The spirit flow looks disturbed, but Princess Masakado doesn't seem angry."
"This place is slowly becoming suited for Princess Masakado. But... it's not enough. I'm not sure what to do."
"It doesn't matter. Tokyo is Princess Masakado's realm. Anything can be done for the Princess."
Yashamaru proclaimed calmly. Takiko didn't seem opposed to her defensive shikigami's statement. Perhaps her mind was slowly changing. Just like her spiritual body, which felt like something completely different after the ritual.
"In any case, there's nothing to worry about, Princess. Rather, you must be tired. You can't ignore the burden on your body. Why don't you rest for now."
Yashamaru spoke extremely respectfully, lowering his head again.
The Souma desire of many years had been realized. But no one needed to know that to realize that this wasn't normal. The situation was no longer normal. But the situation would definitely get worse with time.
But Takiko shook her head at her defensive familiar's words.
"I'm fine. Instead, I wish for you to do something for me."
Yashamaru raised his head.
"Bring Harutora here."
Takiko said. Ohtomo was taken aback.
Yashamaru didn't ask for the reason. He smiled brightly and replied "As you will". Ohtomo clicked his tongue.
...The safety of his students...
It was very clear what he must do now. Ohtomo put a healing charm on himself, removing the wounds from the magic while standing up.
"Gozu! Mezu! Are you alright?"
"Hey hey, you must be joking."
"Y-You can't order me around!"
The two lions had dematerialized the moment Kurahashi had died. The only enemies were Takiko and her shikigami. But Gozu and Mezu were clearly frightened by the opponent's presence. But that was obvious, since the opponent was so frightening.
Now that it was down to this, he could only rely on--
"What fun, what fun. To think I could see something so curious."
Doman appeared in front of Ohtomo. He had come down from the Hall of Worship rooftop at some point. He stared carefully at the miko standing on the stone platform as he said,
"I see. Although I've seen a god descend to possess someone before, this is the first time I've seen a god appear in a body. Though I imagined it, this is quite troublesome. Well, 'gods' don't care about others. Ah, what fun. This is truly a sight."
Doman cackled happily, unusually excited, as he spoke.
Speaking of which, Doman was an armitama. But at this kind of unusual time it was a blessing that he was reliable.
"Priest, help me stop them!"
"Hehe, you say to stop them, but that guys's just something that 'exists'."
"Don't make excustes, we need to stop them here no matter what!"
Takiko had asked whether his desire was her destruction or the safety of his students. But his students couldn't possibly be safe if Takiko was left to her own devices.
But,
"You seem to have misunderstood something, Ohtomo-kun."
Yashamaru said to Ohtomo. Ohtomo readied himself.
"We'll won't do anything to Harutorkun anymore. At least as long as you don't present any threat to the Princess's life. The world's already changing. She and I will be gods. If you want your students to remain safe, shouldn't you ask for our protection? It would be safest to do nothing."
Ohtomo gritted his teeth.
What kind of nonsense - he couldn't say it. Importuning a god to avoid disaster. It was an extremely natural thing to do. That's what kind of things 'gods' were. Just like he said, they were already those kinds of entities.
He felt like his brain was warping.
"Sensei!"
Tenma called out. He looked back in concern. On the rooftop bordering the Hall of Worship stood a young man bathed in the light filling the territory.
Ugh. Ohtomo moaned even more painfully. It was Kumomaru. Kumomaru, who had gone to the Armored Juggernaut, had returned with his master's permission.
"...Princess!"
Kumomaru looked down towards the stone platform as his body shuddered in joy.
"Although... I'm late... I finally... bid you welcome..."
He went down on one knee, as if unable to endure it.
Ignoring the defensive familiar's feelings, Ohtomo began to sweat.
He didn't even know what Takiko alone could do, and also there were the two Yase Doji.
"What should we do, my master?"
Doman leaned and looked back.
"It might not be bad just to listen to their proposal."
"What!? Priest!?"
"I'd be quite excited if they faced us as Onmyouji, but with them as opponents it would just be tiring and boring. Also, joining them would allow us to further approach the depths of 'magic'. And we'd even be able to figure out what comes before 'magic'."
Saying that, Doman cackled.
Suddenly, a scene sprang up in Ohtomo's mind - the scene of him confronting Doman at the academy.
Back then, Ohtomo had surmised his true form, and Doman had invited him to come to his side. Something about diving into the depths of 'magic' together.
"What they're doing is something like worshipping god. Challenging the limits of 'magic'. I feel quite good about it. If my master's desires can be realized, then what's not to like?"
Doman spoke happily. That voice had the same kind of madness as Yashamaru's from before. But that was that. Doman's joy when he used magic was like Yashamaru's, the joy of an eccentric. That was how he was.
And now that the world had changed from normal to abnormal, it might no longer be right to term their abnormalities as such. Perhaps their ways became normal, like common sense.
His head felt dazed. He wanted to make calm judgments, but his basis for decision-making and his values had already started changing.
What can I do for the students? What was correct?
Have my decisions been correct from the beginning? The students had encountered danger - and he had let them leave the battlefield. But the students who had originally been kept aside had fought with their own power and run into quite a few crisises. THen, they and Ohtomo had gotten involved in various escapades and arrived here and now.
His feet creaked like they were going to crumble away. He felt as if he were losing his balance. The feeling he'd gotten recently that his aura was becoming chaotic definitely wasn't his imagination. It was the truth. Ohtomo's aura was slowly becoming affected by being inside the territory. It was already starting to change.
What should he do? Ohtomo's thoughts became lost in a maze.
Then,
"For now, run away."
A warm, refined voice. A voice praising the moon on an excellent spring night[2].
It wasn't loud at all, but the voice reached everyone inside the territory. It was because that voice didn't belong to anyone present.
That voice didn't sound like it had any fear of the god who was here or her dependents. That said, it couldn't be called uncivil either.
It was extremely 'natural'. It was already used to entities like gods.
It was Akino.
But Akino was still lying on the ground, the eyes beneath her glasses wide with surprise, and her hands covering her mouth.
She herself was more surprised than anyone who cast their gaze at her.
Also, Akino kept her surprised expression, moved the hands covering her mouth away, and said again,
"Doman. I seem to recall that you still have that favor from our competition of magic. I'd like you to return that now."
She spoke again. This time, the polite voice was filled with teasing.
But it wasn't Akino's voice.
Then,
"Oh, hehehe."
Doman suddenly laughed out loud. In his small child's body, he covered his stomach and stamped a foot, bending over with laughter.
He laughed so hard that he couldn't speak.
"My, my. I've been dead for a thousand years, and now you want that? While you've joined the ranks of the Yaoyorozu no Kami[3] - how greedy can one be? Truly, even I feel like I chose to challenge a troublemaker."
What in the world was this? Doman continued laughing, leaving the confused Ohtomo out of the loop. Yashamaru gave Akino a sharp glance as if noticing something.
Takiko looked up at the sky,
"Taizan Fukun, huh."
She smiled meaninglessly.
Doman was still laughing.
"Master, I don't have enough power on my own. I'll take your spiritual power too, Master."
"Wait, Priest."
"I'm borrowing Gozu and Mezu too. Things have finally become interesting, so I'll keep you alive. Alright."
"Priest!"
As Doman refined magical energy, Ohtomo's body lost its energy bit by bit. Doman was sucking his spiritual power. Since he didn't even have his cane, Ohtomo collapsed as if the blood had left his body.
...What happened just now, and what was Doman doing!?
As Ohtomo became more and more depleted, Doman's magical energy went up by leaps and bounds. "What a meaningless thing you're making me do." As he complained, his spiritual presence swelled up to a powerful level of an armitama.
Armitama, a form of god. As the oni cheered, the Yase Dojis' faces became grim. The two gods confronted each other inside the territory of Kanda Shrine.
"Ashiya Doman."
Takiko said.
"I want to speak with 'him', don't interfere."
"I don't recommend you do that."
Doman replied.
"He's someone that would even willingly use gods or demons. His mark is the bellflower, isn't it? Or are you incensed that you were betrayed, and this time you want to get back at Seimei?"
Doman chuckled, his small body full of magical energy bordering on the divine.
"Doman!" Yashamaru shouted angrily, but Doman didn't mind at all. He sucked in Ohtomo's aura without any care in the world, refining a frightening amount of magical energy very quickly. Then, Doman's body - the body of the youngster that Doman was possessing - collapsed.
The armitama named Ashiya Doman had abandoned the body he possessed.
But Doman said one final thing with the fallen body.
"We'll meet again, Ohtomo Jin."
Then, even more of Ohtomo's aura was sucked away, and he slowly lost consciousness.
She had the same feeling when the 'Full Moon' intervened she had entrusted herself to Harutora.
Akino also knew the entity that spoke with her mouth. When Harutora had spoken over a long distance through the Full Moon, 'he' had chatted about Natsume using magic.
But the speaking without any prior preparation had scared her to death. It might actually be possible for someone to be 'scared to death'. Especially for her. She wanted a break from this.
'I'm not done.'
It suddenly spoke, and she jumped in surprise again.
'I'm in quite a hurry too. But please forgive me for giving you trouble before.'
It was calmly speaking like before. But where did the voice come from? From inside her.
Speaking of which, when she had spoken with Harutora, 'his' voice sounded like it had come out from inside her.
Just then, a shocking clash of magical energy happened inside the territory.
It seemed like a spectacular battle of magic was beginning. She peeked out, seeing the figures of Takiko on the altar with her aureola of light, and a giant, unknown demon lord standing in front of her. Though Akino hastily lay back down on the ground, the ground was also trembling. Flame swirled, gales blew, electricity raced, and explosions roared.
Akino covered her face-down head with both hands, curling into a ball. The two rabbit ears that showed from the gaps between her hands were stiff.
'Inside of all that is one of the Twelve Gods, of which 'I' and Taizan Fukun also belong to. His presence is extremely thick this close up. That's why I'm able to speak like this. Of course, this is only temporary, as you've already forgotten how to continuously operate.'
'He' spoke in a teasing tone.
But she couldn't understand ninety percent of what he said. In any case, now wasn't the time to talk about such things. He was so calm even in this situation.
"U-Um, r-right now i-isn't the time to talk about those things, right!?"
Though Akino was curled up with her hands on her head, magics were being unleashed very close to her, magics that felt incredibly powerful. She might get caught up in them and killed at any moment. From the way 'he' spoke just now, maybe 'he' was an extremely powerful superman, but Akino wasn't. Not one bit. She was a minor character who had no relationship to this place - this place where gods existed.
But,
'It's alright.'
'He' warmly reassured the frightened Akino.
'Get up and go help, brave child.'
"Eh?"
Akino inadvertently raised her head.
She was in the corner of the territory.
Seeing that,
"Hey! Rabbit ears!"
A paper crane shikigami from the night sky passed through the magic flying back and forth, descending in a glide.
It was Suzuka.
Suzuka looked straight at her, completely ignoring the danger close by. The moment she saw that gaze, something warm took shape in Akino's heart.
It was courage.
Akino stopped shuddering and got up. Suzuka's shikigami hurtled over. Akino rushed out.
She ran swiftly and jumped. Then, she flew to the sky - and at her apex, Suzuka's shikigami caught Akino in midair.
She rose up rapidly.
As her vision blurred and swerved and her sense of balance was thrown into disarray, Akino clutched desperately onto Suzuka's extended arm. Magic from inside the territory constantly burst upwards as if to shoot down the rapidly rising shikigami.
When they managed to escape--
The acceleration suddenly stopped and her body began flying lightly.
Akino opened the eyes that she had shut at some point. Next to her was the sky. Just like when she had jumped into the air carrying Natsume before, but back then she hadn't had the opportunity to look around like this.
She could see the moon. She could see the horizon. Looking far outwards, she could see the tall buildings in the distance and the nighttime scenery spread out before her.
Also, she could 'see' the aura beginning to move. She unconsciously doubted her own eyes. The spirit flow that normally flowed underground couldn't be 'seen' without focused concentration. But now, she could see an ominously roiling spirit flow overlapping with the streets.
It was quite vast in quantity.
"What is that......"
She unconsciously grabbed Suzuka's hand. Though she didn't know what had happened, this was an extraordinarily ominous scene.
"Rabbit ears! Are you hurt!?"
Suzuka called out.
Without a doubt, she was 'rabbit ears'. She hastily turned her head. Suzuka's face was right there. Akino replied to that cute, pretty face.
"N-No!"
She replied loudly, and an instant afterwards, she thought of those two.
"Tenmkun! And that person called Ohtomo!"
"They're alright!"
"Eh."
As she heard that, she hastily looked down. But the territory was covered in black wind, flame, and smoke whipped up by the magic battle, so she had no idea what was happening down there. The only thing she managed to 'see' from the aura inside the territory was the same as what Akino had peeked at before, the figure of the demon lord and Takiko battling.
Just like 'he' had asked, he was returning a favor. Alone.
Then,
'There's nothing to worry about. That guy mostly doing what he wants.'
She heard 'his' voice. The voice seemed to be mixed with exasperation and intimacy[4] this time - perhaps they were close acquaintances. But what she was more interested in was that the voice seemed far away and very faint.
Instinctively, she faintly understood the reason. It was probably because they were slowly moving away from the territory. She seemed to recall 'him' saying something like the area being very thick. It was probably because they left that the effects had thinned.
But 'he' seemed unconcerned. 'You guys run away with the others.'
The moment after he said that, she saw two oni fly out of Zuishin-mon. They were Doman's shikigami. The fat oni was carrying the unconscious Ohtomo on his back, and the woman oni held the confused Tenma.
Then, the fat oni sucked in a breath.
"You guys, run!"
His voice rang through the sky. It was extremely loud.
Then,
"Tch! It's started!"
Suzuka clicked her tongue. Then, before Akino could ask about it, it happened. Around the territory, yin aura solidified and became miasma. Then, reaching its limits, the miasma became spiritual disasters. And this happened everywhere.
"We need to go! I can't help you if you fall down!"
They descended rapidly as Suzuka said that. Akino heard herself scream. The world blurred. But for some reason, she didn't feel scared at all.
Yeah.
She seemed to feel 'him' nodding in great satisfaction.
'Well then, let's meet again the next time the stars come around...... Ahh, but don't forget what I told you.'
'You can make it if you hurry.'
Saying that, 'his' presence flew into the distance. Akino was unable to properly reply as she held on to Suzuka for dear life.
So in the end, she mentally asked what she had always been very curious about.
Who are you?
Then, 'he', slightly surprised at what Akino said, smiled and replied to Akino as teasingly as when he had spoken to Doman.
'God.'
Then--
Akino descended to the battlefield again.
☆The spiritual nature of the surroundings was changing rapidly. The activity of the spirit flow - the normally dormant spirit flow - was beginning to become agitated.
Harutora held Natsume in his arms.
Ultimately, he had used the magic he had cast on Natsume one more time - the magic that connected her soul and body using Hokuto. But Natsume still hadn't awoken. The situation was moving to the next stage. He couldn't stabilize her aura with the same methods as the past. Also, Natsume's current state probably couldn't handle the spiritual influence of Masakado's descent.
Hishamaru's current condition was also terrible. She was a spiritual entity right now - in other words, she was just a soul. She couldn't handle a huge spiritual influence in a state without a physical body. Maybe if she had stayed in the Tsuchimikado-sealed state - in the form of Kon - but now that was spilt milk.
No, if she changed forms right now it might end her life.
Also, that legendary Kakugyouki had also suffered extremely severe wounds in order to protect Hishamaru.
The great oni who had lived for a thousand years had sacrificed himself to protect Hishamaru, but Harutora hadn't been able to do anything.
He carried Natsume, keeping alert as to the unstable spirit flow - but he had no idea what he ought to do after this or where he ought to go. He was caught in a dilemma.
...Damn!
Harutora raged as he cursed his uselessness. His body shivered as he dreaded losing Natsume.
But something strange happened as Harutora felt helpless. Inside the territory, the divine, uneartly aura rapidly swelled up.
It swelled and swelled, then exploded, scattering a tremendous aura.
Many incomparably powerful magics exploded one after another over at Zuishin-mon. Each and every magic contained spiritual power rivalling Miyachi's Fire Realm.
And he had seen that magical energy before. Could it be? Harutora was dumbstruck.
"Hey, what the hell!?"
Standing on the shrine road, Kagami looked at Kanda Shrine and yelled. The mechanical shikigami Hama, who ought to have been stopped, suddenly revved its engine. Kyouko stood up from the backseat.
"Touji!"
She shouted at Touji, who had been confronting Kagami.
"Tenma's in there!"
Touji was taken aback. "What..." Harutora also fell silent. Speaking of which, Tenma had disappeared after yelling at Suzuka back then.
He had gone to Kanda Shrine in the midst of this intense battle, without anyone noticing him.
On the other hand, Suzuka acted quickly in order to deal with the crisis. Since she was in the air seated on her shikigami, she seemed capable of observing the situation inside the territory to some extent. She was confused, but fearlessly rushed out into the air towards the territory filled with exploding magic.
Touji had also charged up the ruined road, eyeing Kanda Shrine. Though Kagami saw him, he didn't stop Touji. Harutora also used the Raven's Wing at that time.
No matter what kind of dilemma they were in, they couldn't leave their comrade - their friend - to die. Harutora hurried over, carrying Natsume.
But Touji, who watched Harutora rushing over as he also immediately rushed into Zuishin-mon, stopped when he felt the presences there.
From the other side charged out a fat shorty and a half-naked woman. They were Doman's shikigami, Gozu and Mezu. As they had thought, the powerful magical energy that had appeared inside the territory belonged to Ashiya Doman.
Gozu and Mezu carried Ohtomo and Tenma.
Then,
"You guys, run!"
Carrying Ohtomo, he charged down the destroyed road without stopping. Kagami looked at the unconscious Ohtomo and yelled "What! Hey!".
Doman stayed behind inside the territory, confronting the god alone. That frightful magical power had succeeded in sealing the Soumas' actions. To think he had hidden such a level of strength. No one had known.
...No! That wasn't it.
If that were Doman's strength, Gozu and Mezu wouldn't have run away. They were Doman's shikigami. Shikigami wouldn't leave their master behind and flee unless they were ordered to by their master. The fact that they carried Ohtomo and Tenma out was proof. Doman had probably ordered them to take Tenma and Ohtomo and flee. In the end, Doman's offensive was just purely to buy time.
...Flee?
He instinctively felt restless.
If they fled, nothing would be solved. There was no future if they didn't defeat the Souma. That was extremely clear.
But if they stayed here, they would be completely and utterly destroyed. Not just him and Natsume, all his other companions would be implicated.
Harutora abandoned the confusion that trapped him. He prepared to flee. Though he hadn't thought of anything, he couldn't give up here.
Harutora gritted his teeth and closed his eyes--
"All of you, get in Hama!"
He ran out as he said this. Harutora's black coat was blown up by the wind and flapped out behind him like a pair of wings.
The mechanical shikigami Hama drove straight up to the shrine road, knowing that Tenma was being carried over. Seeing Harutora also racing down, Gozu, Mezu, and Touji also quickly ran to Hama.
"H-Harutora!?"
"Kyouko. I'm leaving Natsume to you!"
They hadn't spoken since that summer day. With no time to deal with Kyouko's surprise, Harutora gave the unconscious Natsume to Hakuou, who was guarding Hama.
At the same time, he also confirmed the situation. Suzuka was already leaving Kanda Shrine, and it seemed like she was escaping with Akino. Akino, Ohtomo, and Tenma didn't seem to be at risk of death.
Doman was still stopping the enemy inside the shrine. But it seemed like he had already passed his limits, as he could already see the magical energy weakening. To think that Ashiya Doman had done something so self-sacrificing. Honestly, he couldn't believe it, but he could think of the reasons later.
He didn't know what Kagami would do, but he was already quite exhausted. Even if he impeded them, they would be able to break through.
Then, there was only one obstacle left.
"......From my point of view, I have to stop you here."
Miyachi looked over from where he stood, clacking his prayer beads.
He still hadn't recovered completely. Of course, he was still powerful, there was no mistaking it!
"Don't look down on me!"
The feathers of the black Raven's Wing became a volley of arrows that attacked Miyachi.
Miyachi swung his prayer beads, making flame rise to burn all the feathers...! Right. When the summoned flames started to move, immediately,
"Order!"
The many water-element charms released together with the feathers circled around the flame that attacked the feathers and closed in on Miyachi from the side. Miyachi rapidly formed a seal to deal with the torrent of water gushing at him.
Soon after, Miyachi's entire body was enveloped by flame. The water generated by the charm magic was instantly vaporized. Though water aura conquered fire aura, the water aura of mere water charms couldn't compare to Miyachi's supreme flame technique.
"Noumaku sarabatatagyateibyaku sarababokkeibyaku sarabatarata sendamakarashada kengyakigyaki sarababiginan untarata kanman...!"
Miyachi began chanting the Fire Realm magic again and the flame enveloping him increased. But that was enough for the first step of stopping Miyachi's movements.
Then,
"Harutora!"
Touji shouted from behind him. He glanced over, seeing that Touji had just sat down on Hama and that Natsume, Ohtomo, and Tenma were already there.
Hakuou and Kokfuu were defending the car to the best of their abilities. Gozu and Mezu were also on standby, with nerve-inducing expressionless faces. Suzuka and Akino were in the sky in frnot of them, heading out first.
Then, Kakugyouki appeared next to Hama holding Hishamaru. Upon seeing Kakugyouki's figure crackling all over with lag, Gozu said "General!?" in surprise and Mezu also put on a shocked expression.
But Kakugyouki didn't pay the shikigami any heed, glancing at Natsume and then nodding to Harutora.
"Go!"
Harutora shouted loudly. "Hama, let's go!" Touji ordered without the slightest hesitation. Just like when he had been asked to help Hishamaru before. A great combination. This was proof that their friendship still thrived after much time and many trials.
Miyachi narrowed his eyes at Hama as it prepared to depart. Wreathed in fire and purged of any personal emotions, he looked like a cruel Acala[5].
The flame extended towards Hama like a snake.
But Harutora wouldn't let it interfere.
"Nounaku sanmanda bazaradan sendamakaroshada sowataya untarata kanman."
Forming a seal with his right hand, Harutora chanted one of Acala's mantras (another of which was Fire Realm), a protection magic. Miyachi ignored his slight surprise and attacked from the front with Fire Realm. At the same time, Harutora drew out a charm with his left hand and accurately threw it out.
The protection magic melded together with the Fire Realm. They were both fire arts of Acala, so they didn't neutralize each other, but instead the stronger one absorbed the other. Hence, Miyachi's fire realm grew in might. He had been surprised just noe because he wouldn't have thought Harutora would make such an error.
But that was the point!
"Guide the flame and return ash to the earth! Fire generates earth! Order!"
The Fire Realm magic, which was mixed with Harutora's fire aura due to the protection magic that had melded away, reacted. Another magic hidden inside the protection magic was activated, and the thrown earth-element charm absorbed the fire aura.
And, Harutora's fire aura became a lure that caused Miyachi's own fire aura to flow into the earth-element charm.
"Hm!?" Miyachi's eyes widened. The moment he noticed Harutora's intentions, Harutora's charm magic, fueld by his own Fire Realm, was approaching.
A huge noise roared and the ground split into two. Miyachi immediately put up a barrier. Spirit flow spurted forth, swallowing him along with his barrier and pulling them underground.
A counter to the Fire Realm magic. It wouldn't work again, but more powerful of a fire user the target was, the greater the effect. If Miyachi was the target, the effect was immense.
Hama zoomed to the road.
But it still wasn't over. Miyachi was a National First-Class Onmyouji. He wasn't only good at Fire Realm magic[6].
"...Awaken, spirits of the earth! Wood conquers earth!"
More so than the fire arts, Miyachi's greatest strength was his unreasonable spiritual power. Miyachi controlled the five elements without the help of a charm, and his magical energy became wood aura that conquered Harutora's earth aura. The materialized magic soon bloomed and foliage sprouted from the fissure, becoming a tree that brought Miyachi back above ground.
But Harutora had already used the Raven's Wing to fly into the sky.
And,
"With fierce water, bloom with madness! Water generates wood, order!"
"Ugh!? Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!"
Harutora's water-element charm. The water aura that he had deliberately distorted fed the wood aura that Miyachi generated. The branches of the explosively-growing tree suddenly began twisting, becoming a prison that sealed miyachi in - and then that prison of wood aura was burnt away by Miyachi's Unmoving Mantra - a curse of Acala.
But by then, Hama was an adequate distance away. What Miyachi didn't have was mobility. Having successfully stopped the 'Fire Demon', Harutora escaped higher into the sky and immediately chased after Hama...
"Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!"
Miyachi chanted the curse with a majestic might.
The instantly-formed fireball surpassed Harutora's imagination. It thundered as it pursued Hama. He had to defend - but all he could possibly do was jump into the fireball and use his own body as a shield. Harutora changed his trajectory, raising the Raven's Wing's defensive power as high as possible.
But just before Harutora jumped into the fireball, Miyachi's fireball was cut apart by a slash..
...Eh!?
He immediately looked back at the shrine road. "Tch!" Kagami, wielding Higekiri, clicked his tongue. The slash wasn't aimed at Harutora - it had clearly been aimed at the fireball.
...Kagami!
Why? But he didn't have the freedom to check. Harutora chased after Hama with a flap of the winged black coat.
He had let them get away, but that said, he had done everything he could.
"......Well, no helping it."
Miyachi exhaled, looking for Kagami on the sloped shrine road.
"I can't steal someone else's prey - is that what you mean?"
"......Shut up!"
Kagami put Higekiri on his shoulder, looking down unyieldingly at Miyachi.
"Let me first say that you're also planned as one of my prey. So, getting on with it now would be fine."
Miyachi smiled without any malice and drew back, saying "No, not right now" in response to Kagami's strong-willed declaration.
"It seems like you broke the seal on your spiritual body. Go find a good doctor as soon as you can, if you truly want to fight."
Kagami stared wordlessly at his smiling former superior.
Then, he looked up the slope as if suddenly noticing something.
Inside the territory of Kanda Shrine, the presence of Ashiya Doman's magic had vanished. The time that the armitama had sacrificed himself to buy was now up.
Kagami readied himself and Miyachi narrowed his eyes.
From the territory-turned-secret-world that the two of them looked at can two dependents obeying their god.
He quickly caught up with Hama.
Waiting for him was Suzuka sitting on her shikigami. She approached Harutora mid-flight and flew next to him.
"Bakatora!"
Her loud, scolding voice quavered. Of course, Harutora didn't have anything to retort.
"Suzuka...... It's been a while."
"What the hell do you mean, it's been a while!? Liar! You said you'd come back with Natsume, you said you'd come back!"
"Yeah, sorry. Honestly. It's been delayed."
Harutora's heart was filled with warmth from Suzuka's moistened eyes. Speaking of which, they had been flying next to each other in the sky like this when he left.
He had returned.
Finally. The many emotions crowding his heart were hard to overcome.
"Come with me."
Saying that, he descended to Hama. Suzuka followed without saying anythging at all.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, Akino cried out from next to Suzuka.
"Ah! Ah! I thought of it! Harutorkun - Sensei! I, I have a message for you!"
Saying that, she reached out, ignoring the shikigami's balance. Suzuka froze out of panic.
"Sorry, tell me later."
"B-But!"
"Rabbit ears! Stop crawling around!!"
Harutora landed on the edge of Hama's chassis, leaving Suzuka's wobbling shikigami behind. "Harutorkun!" The first one to call out to him was Tenma, who had seen the black coat in the rearview mirror from the driver's seat. He had fainted while being carried out, but it looked like he was awake now. Fortunately, he didn't look hurt.
Hakuou and Kokfuu seemed to have dematerialized, but the interior was still cramped. Other than Tenma in the driver's seat, Hishamaru and Kakugyouki were in the passenger's seat, the unconscious Natsume and Ohtomo lay in the backseat, with Kyouko to their right looking after their conditions. Further to the right was Touji, who had re-sealed himself. Mezu had been stuffed into the trunk[7], and Gozu was on the roof since his body took up a lot of space. Hama would have been unable to move long ago if it weren't armored[8].
With his back against the passenger seat, Kakugyouki leaned against the door, an elbow hanging outside the window.
He looked up at Harutora.
"...You got him, huh."
He smiled wryly.
Kakugyouki's giant body was wracked by lag no less than Hishamaru's. Honestly, it was a wound that threatened his continued existence. Harutora felt pain deep inside his heart.
"We're trying to isolate Hishamaru with a barrier for now, but isn't that meaningless from this close?"
"......No, it's not a problem of distance anymore, ever since the two of them became aware of each other......"
"I see."
Kakugyouki replied tersely. That voice and his expression didn't give away any of his inner feelings. But even so, he still conveyed the same sorrowful emotion as Harutora felt.
Suzuka on the shikigami also descended next to Hama and flew next to it. Akino tried to say something again, but before that, Touji spoke to 'Harutora' as the representative of the friends.
"There are a lot of things I want to ask, but right now Natsume's the most important. Something similar happened to her before. What's the reason? Can you deal with it?"
Touji's question didn't blame Harutora. But that question increased the sorrow in Harutora's heart.
There was no longer any reason to hide it.
"I......"
Harutora fished for an explanation.
"During the summer two years ago, I performed the Taizan Fukun Ritual in order to wake Natsume. Then...... I failed."
"Failed? But Natsume--"
"More accurately, I half-succeeded. I summoned Natsume's soul. It returned...... but two souls responded to my call. One was Natsume's dead soul, and the other was......"
Saying that, Harutora cast a gaze at the loyal defensive familiar sleeping in the passenger seat.
"Hishamaru...... my shikigami who's unconscious over there. Natsume and Hishamaru have the same soul...... Or more accurately, Natsume and Hishamaru's soul are the same thing. Normally that would be impossible. It definitely shouldn't happen. But no matter how I investigated, I came to the same conclusion."
"If they're the same......"
Touji and Tenma couldn't respons to what Harutora said. Also, they couldn't imagine what having the same soul meant. Actually, Harutora couldn't completely understand it either. Even Harutora - or perhaps Yakou - couldn't completely understand what human souls were. You could even say that they were things that couldn't be understood.
But one person,
"No way!?"
The one who objected was Suzuka, who had researched soul magic on her own before.
"The same soul can't exist in two different places at the same time, that's impossible!"
"Yeah. If it did, it could only be something like a phase five...... something like a god's vessel."
"That's a completely different meaning! That's dispersed aura spread over a wide area. It's not splitting a soul into two and taking physical form!"
Suzuka was right. The hypothesis that Natsume was a vessel constructed for a 'god' violated a premise. And Hishamaru - who had been a human girl before becoming a spiritual entity - had a soul formed before the war. And after Yakou died, she gave up her physical body to become a spiritual entity, existing up through the present. She had existed in this world as Hishamaru long before Natsume had been born.
Then had Natsume's soul been split off from Hishamaru's? Judging by the defensive familiar, there was no evidence of that. Hishamaru had lost many memories when she released the Tsuchimikado seal. But even so, if something as unreasonable as soul splitting had happened, she should have remembered it. Further, even if she herself didn't remember, there ought to be spiritual 'scars' lift behind. But there was nothing that pointed to thatk ind of possibility.
He had thought of everything else that he could. But not a single one could explain the current situation.
He had noticed the situation when Hishamaru had suddenly lost consciousness, just like today, while he was performing the Taizan Fukun Ritual. What he noticed because of that had stumped Kakugyouki and Saotome Suzu as well. He recognized that the same soul was living in two entities, but he still couldn't predict what kind of effects that soul would have.
"W-Wait. Harutora, this Hishamaru person is Kon-chan, right?"
She hastily looked back at Hishamaru again.
The seductive beauty sleeping next to them was a bit different from the loyal little girl that they knew.
The others were all stunned upon recognizing Hishamaru's fox ears.
"Kon-chan and Natsume-chan were together all the time before, so why didn't it happen until now?"
"......I think there are many overlapping reasons. For example, Hishamaru - Kon - was being sealed by a powerful spell when the two of them were next to each other. In other words, the seal kept Natsume's duplicate soul in a very suppressed state."
And then, since she had released the seal, Hishamaru had regained her original soul, and as a result, had become more resonant with Natsume.
"But......"
Harutora spoke carefully, seeming very troubled.
"The direct cause is the Taizan Fukun Ritual. Before that, these two unusual souls were completely oblivious to each other, and they only interacted once I called them back. Also, one side was in a critical condition, and the other side forced open the seal and ended up in a fragmented state......"
Harutora glanced at Natsume with a pained look as he spoke, then also looked at Hishamaru.
Magic that controlled souls was forbidden. The reason it was forbidden was because of the danger. He had realized the consequences, but hadn't been conscious enough. As a result, his companions had gotten involved.
Forbidden magic was a game that involved not just one's own self, but also 'part of the world'. Even now, the words Kogure said[9] pained his heart.
"Anyways, in that condition, even if Natsume's soul returned to her body I wasn't sure what other side effects there would be. ......No, what's more important was that I realized the chance of success would be very low. So there was nothing I could do to restore her to normal except for emergency measures!"
Harutora let out a long sigh as he spoke.
"And so, that Taizan Fukun Ritual to call back Natsume has continued all the way through tonight."[10]
The condition that had befallen Natsume and Hishamaru was very difficult to explain formally. Harutora explained it using the magic theories of General Onmyoudou and Imperial Onmyoudou, but those theories were incomplete with regard to souls and gods. It was hard to say whether those theories could even be completed.
But there were things that they could be certain of.
"This 'cheating' can no longer be concealed. Natsume and Hishamaru are both at their limits. And...... there's the advent of Tairan no Masakado. The spiritual nature around Kanda Shrine is already changing. With their conditions, the two of them won't be able to handle that change......"
Harutora said haltingly. "No way." Kyouko clenched her fists tightly in front of her.
Then, as if to prove Harutora's words, a spiritual flow of yin aura burst forth right underneath the rode Hama was driving on. Perhaps spiritual disasters would soon be happening all over the city if left alone. Right now it couldn't be said whether it would become a history-making great spiritual disaster like those of the past. But it wouldn't be oddi f the situation took a turn for the worse.
Suzuka was also silent, her face pale. She, who was familiar with the Taizan Fukun Ritual and soul magic, was also unable to think of a countermeasure.
No one said anything as Hama drove like the wind.
Just then,
"U-Um!"
Akino raised her voice.
But,
"Sorry for interrupting this somber atmosphere, but they're here."
Mezu warned them. She was standing up in the back, staring at the road they had come from - towards the direction of Kanda Shrine.
Immediately afterwards,
"...Master. The two shikigami we confirmed in the shrine before are approaching from behind. They're moving straight for us, so they will catch up very soon."
It was definitely Yashamaru and Kumomaru. "Damn." Harutora turned backwards and cursed. It seemed that his judgment that they probably weren't being pursued, had been incorrect.
Gozu stood up from the roof of the vehidle.
"...At the end, master told us to stay with this white-hair for now. If you're gonna go for 'em, I'll help you out."
"Thanks for the assistance. In that case, take care of defending. Hama, keep on driving. Their target is probably me. I'll hold them off and buy time--"
"Hah? Are you sleeptalking? Harutora."
"Touji!"
"There's no time, so let's skip the nonsense. Let's decide the strategy. Any objections?"
"None."
"Nope."
"How could there be!?"
Tenma, Kyouko, and Suzuka replied. A perfect combination, and a conversation with no openings to butt in.
Harutora bit his lip.
This was different from the battle in Ogikubo. Theirm aster Takiko was possessed by Taira no Masakado, so the Yase Dojis' strengths should be tremendously higher than before. In contrast, they had Hishamaru, Natsume, and Natsume who were unable to move. Kakugyouki was also practically unable to fight. Even if Gozu and Mezu helped, they honestly had no chance of winning.
But it was plain as day that Touji and the others weren't retreating.
...What should he do......!?
Harutora felt depressed.
"Th-The Yaoyorozu no Kami are omnipresent! In all ages! Always! At the same time!"
She shouted loudly with her eyes shut and face red.
Everyone looked at Akino, stunned by the overly sudden occurrence. Harutora did as well. In that moment, he was so surprised that he forgot their current situation.
Then, Akino continued talking.
"If you integrate everything right now, you just need to send the spirit over, so..."
Seemingly about to cry, Akino opened her eyes and looked straight at Harutora as she spoke.
"So control 'time'!"
Suddenly.
Harutora's thinking stopped.
But that was only a superficial layer of thinking.
Harutora stopped completely understanding for a time.
Then, his heart and mind were set free.
It wasn't something that he had noticed. Rather, he changed after hearing Akino's words.
His thinking opened up.
His knowledge ran out of control.
The loud roar of instinct that surpassed memory.
It reached out to his soul.
Towards an answer.
All of this happened in a moment, the blink of an eye. Then, in that moment, all of the anguish and frustration he had been battling since the night two summers ago, for a year an eight months, vanished. A single moment.
A different way of thinking.
Combining things that were impossible. That didn't mean changing the current situation. If the situation he had caused became 'an impossible event', then all was well. Of course, he had never seen that done, nor had he ever heard of it. But truth didn't reject possibilities. Perhaps it even opened the door to possibilities. This was an instance of a new possibility.
In other words...
The 'reason' for all of this was Harutora.
A stillness that seemed like an eternity passed by.
Harutora said,
"......Who left that message?"
Akino put on an 'eh?' expression. Her ears swayed back and forth in seeming confusion.
"A god...?"
She replied.
Okay, god. Harutora firmly declared.
If you're wrong, I'll curse you for eternity.
"...Is that good news, Harutora?"
Kakugyouki, who had silently watched things unfold, said quietly. "Yeah." Harutora replied brusquely.
"It's... a final gamble."
"What exactly is going on? Can you save Natsume or not?"
"I don't know, but..."
So he had to move right away. And he would have to get rid of the two Yase Doji chasing him. That was extremely difficult - or maybe impossible. Harutora looked back, thinking desperately of a way.
But,
"......Okay, Tenma, let's stop."
"Hey, Hama, stop."
Touji spoke and Tenma gave a quiet order. Hama braked and stopped, obeying his master's order. "Hey!" Harutora panicked.
"What are you doing!?"
"Bakatora. You're too easy to read. In any case, we have to stop the pursuers."
"We'll do whatever we can to stop them. Kyouko-chan. Suzukchan."
"Right. That said, I don't know how much use Hakuou and Kokfuu will be."
"Speaking of which, this is a waste of time, hurry up and go. ...Ah, take her with you. She gets in the way."
Suzuka said, pushing Akino's shoulder at the end.
Harutora didn't know what to say.
Touji smiled resignedly, standing up from the seat and pressing a charm to Harutora's chest. It was a shikigami charm.
Yukikaze. The white horse shikigami that served the Tsuchimikado family.
"I've been holding onto this since two years ago. I wanted to return it, but that Natsume could fly with her own draconic aura, so I carried it just in case. If you flew carrying Natsume and Kor - or Hishamaru? - it would be a disaster if they both woke up."
Touji said teasingly. "Go," he repeated.
"It's not for you. It's for Natsume."
Harutora looked at his companions. But Touji, Kyouko, Tenma, Suzuka, and everyone was smiling proudly.
At the end, Harutora looked at Kakugyouki.
The one-armed oni who he had fought together with in times of turmoil. While he suffered intense lag,
"As I thought, you have the ability to draw others to you."
He looked at his master with a smirk.
Then,
"Anyways, this is your fate. Give up, Tsuchimikado. Go... wake Hishamaru. I want to see your ending."
This event happened many nights ago--
This place had no 'time' or 'location' - the concepts and meanings were different, and it was inexplicable and very strange, but it was a continuous space. The boundaries between him and the world had become vague, and he didn't know where he was at all.
The concept of "where" didn't exist.
He was one with the world.
He 'existed' in all places and all times.
Because time didn't exist, he didn't feel anythign no matter how long he lingered there. Or maybe there wasn't even such a concept.
But, suddenly...
He could hear someone's voice.
That solemn voice was calling a name. A voice filled with spiritual power - the power to guide souls. The voice was filled with thoughts of the other as it called the name.
The one whose name was being called by the voice separated from the world. The separated entity began slowly understanding its own existence.
That was the most fundamental use of 'magic'.
The voice called. Come back. A call filled with prayer. She wanted to go back.
So - she went back.
The moment yin and yang overlapped. Right before dawn, black night was enveloped by the light of the sun.
On an altar high above the ground, she saw her original world. A vast city, seemingly without end.
The alter was tightly linked with the place she had just been. Also, he was on the altar. The practitioner of 'magic' calling for her. He was a familiar person. The person she loved the most. His voice and his aura had contained his feelings, pulling her back to his side.
Then, she noticed.
There was another 'her' on the altar.
The other 'her' had the same shocked face, as if 'she' had just noticed her. Surprise, disbelief, confusion. It felt like she had lost her individuality.
I'm......
☆...Ah.
The first thing she felt was coldness and warmth.
A cold wind blew. Her skin, which was exposed to the air, felt the cold. But for some reason her body felt very warm, as if it were in contact with some kind of warmth.
Then, she noticed the place she was. It felt wrong.
It felt like her body wasn't touching the ground. She was floating, and moving.
Eh? Natsume moved her body.
"Natsume!?"
Her heart almost stopped upon hearing the voice from next to her.
Harutora looked over.
Harutora and Natsume struggled in a panic as she reflexively pushed away from him. Then, she finally realized. Harutora was carrying her right now. And they were flying in the air.
The was why Natsume had seen that dream. She had seen similar things before, actually. On the bed of a hotel, Harutora had looked at her, who should have been dead. He had told her a secret and honestly conveyed his feelings. Then......
A dreamlike dream[11]. A illusion of sleep.
Or maybe was everything that had happened all just a dream? Maybe after she woke up, she would be in class at the Onmyou Academy, irritatedly lecturing Harutora because his academic grades hadn't improved at all[12].
Touji, Kyouko, and Tenma were in the same classroom. Suzuka would show up during breaks. After lecture started, Ohtomo-sensei would come in and say something like 'hey, everyone sit down', with a wry smile.
She had lost her life, and then been resurrected, but not completely resurrected.
The daily life she had before then was completely lost.
She might as well die. So she wanted to just float away with the wind. But, she knew that everyone was desperately moving forward for her.
She knew that everyone, that Harutora, was there, albeit in a different place.
She was always searching. She wanted to know the reason. She just wanted to see them. Searching, chasing. Just missing. Being left behind.
Was it all a dream?
Because Harutora was so close.
"Are you awake? I don't believe it. Are you conscious? Do you still recognize me?"
"...Harutorkun..."
"Natsume...!"
Tears welled in Harutora's eyes as he hugged Natsume. W-What!? Natsume was thrown afluster, but Harutora didn't pay it any heed. Her face was extremely red. It didn't matter if this was a dream, but why...
"Natsume!? I can't believe it!"
That voice was Akino's. Looking at the place the voice came from, Natsume saw that she was riding a white horse that flew in the sky behind Harutora. The white horse was Yukikaze. But Akino wasn't the only one on Yukikaze's back - there was one more person. An exhaused-looking woman leaned against Akino's back. Though she wore a military uniform, the most attention-grabbing part of her were the two fur-covered ears on her head. Also, Natsume could see a leaf-shaped tail behind her back.
Natsume's eyes widened.
...The one from that time......
For a moment, she couldn't think of exactly when 'that time' had been. But when Natsume saw her eyes, why was it that her reaction, feelings, and emotions were completely the same as 'that time'?
Roughly speaking, it was like looking at herself from the outside through a window of the soul...... No, she had a similar experience. Hokuto. It was similar to the feeling from when she used her simple shikigami Hokuto[13], and how looking into Hokuto's eyes was like seeing herself. Though they were completely different, Hokuto felt like 'her'.
"Why..."
"Hold on, I'll explain, so calm down first."
Harutora said as he looked ahead.
Natsume tiled her head, looking at the scene below. Tokyo's nighttime scenery spread out below her. But it was different from usual. She could 'see' unstable spirit flow. It was a bit different from what had been at the altar of the Tenchuu Chifu Ritual.
"Ah."
Then, Natsume finally thought of what had happened before she lost consciousness.
The Tenchuu Chifu Ritual in Kanda Shrine. She had headed over and instantly lost consciousness. What had happened afterwards? What about the others? Why was it that Akino, who ought to have been captured, was with them, and everyone else wasn't?
...We...
Had they lost?
As an icy terror came over her,
"Calm down."
Harutora looked back and said.
Across from him, they approached a tall building. It was the academy building of the Onmyou Academy. And on the roof were four torii surrounding a stone platform.
Thump. Natsume's heart leaped powerfully.
Harutora headed straight for the stone platform of the altar and stood there. Yukikaze followed closely behind him, whinnying and kicking the ground next to the platform. Akino carried Hishamaru to the roof, almost falling off the horse.
"H-Harutorkun...... What exactly is happening......"
When she realized it, her body was trembling. Natsume sat on the stone platform, unable to stand up. Harutora knelt in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and facing her.
"Natsume. There's no time anymore. It's already a miracle that you're conscious. So listen to what I'm about to say, alright?"
Harutora's one eye looked into Natsume's.
Harutora slowly spoke, word by word, with a powerful tone. His atmosphere pushed away the fog clouding Natsume's head, and she nodded.
Harutora also knew that Natsume was capable. But there truly was no time. He emotionlessly, indifferently, and concisely explained the current situation to her.
Touji and the others fighting. Ohtomo's attack and injuries. The advent of Taira no Masakado. Akino's rescue and their escape. And now, Touji and the others desperately stopping the Yase Doji pursuing them. Harutoar bringing Natsume here with the time they bought.
Harutora wasnted to convey the objective truth, which was why he focused on what he could glean about events during her unconsciousness.
Then, Harutora also told Natsume about the problem with her soul.
Natsume's soul and Kon's - Hishamaru's soul were 'the same thing'.
"Do you have any idea why?"
Harutora asked, clinging to a sliver of hope, but of course Natsume had no clue. Actually, she still didn't really understand what Harutora had said.
...Me and Kon?
She had learned of Kon's true identity from Yasuzumi while living in hiding. She had been extremely surprised when she first heard of it. After all, Hishamaru was a legendary shikigami. It was extremely hard to believe that she was Kon. But more importantly, about her soul - it didn't feel realistic at all that she had 'the same soul as Natsume', as Harutora had said.
She didn't feel they had anything in common, except perhaps their feelings for Harutora. She had felt it when hearing about Hishamaru from Yasuzumi. Hishamaru's feelings for her master, hidden in the depths of her loyalty.
But she didn't think that was any clue.
Natsume slowly shook her head, the blood drained out of her face.
Then, Harutora said,
"I see, oh well."
He resolutely nodded instead.
"If what I'm going to do now is the right thing to do, then if there's any clue it's Hishamaru who has it."
"Right now......?"
Natsume asked, not understanding his meaning. Harutora's expression became grave and serious.
And after an intense struggle, he chose his final words:
"Natsume."
He spoke grimly.
"It's no longer the time to hide anything. So I'll say it clearly. I was unsuccessful in awakening you, so I ordered Hokuto to connect your soul to your body. But that's already reaching its limit. Your soul can no longer stay in this world."
Honestly, she had already unconsciously prepared herself back then.
But the moment Harutora faced her and told her outright, Natsume felt an impact she had never experienced before. Maybe dying would be better.
She had thought this before. But being able to meet Harutora again like this and then being told by Harutora about her unavoidable death was far outside of Natsume's imagination.
It was fortunate that she didn't break down completely. Her mind went blank.
But,
"But, I won't give up on you."
Harutora continued speaking. That sentence warmed Natsume's heart.
"Right now, I'm going to undo the knot and send you there and back again. It will definitely succeed. No matter what. So...... trust me."
Harutora didn't concretely explain what he was going to do. Maybe it was because there was no time, but she could faintly tell that it was 'better' if she didn't know any more. How reckless. He wanted trust, but it was better for her not to know too much. And he had said such shocking words with a straight face. It seemed very strange to her. It was rude, insane, and ignorant of her feelings.
"Okay."
Natsume replied.
Then, as if suddenly thinking of what had happened before, she reached a hand out to the left side of Harutora's face.
Right now, the left side of Harutora's face was covered with an intricate eyepatch. There had once been a pentagram-shaped magical pattern here.
The mark that drew Harutora into the world of magic.
The fetters Natsume had given Harutora, that started everything.
While touching the traces of it,
"I trust you, Harutorkun. But...... if you can... don't forget me... alright?"
Her voice trembled unconsciously. Harutora, do your best. She did her utmost to smile at him.
"A shikigami who lies has to be punished, you know."
Harutora smiled back as if he were trying hard not to cry, and tightly gripped Natsume's extended hand.
Then,
"H-Harutorkun! Um, H-Hishamaru-sama is...!"
Akino shouted, seeming unable to hold back. They saw that Hishamaru's body, which had been placed in the corner of the stone platform by Akino, was already experiencing lag as if it were about to vanish.
"......Ugh."
Hishamaru opened her eyes slightly, moaning in pain.
She looked over.
"......Harutorsama......"
Suddenly.
Natsume felt the feeling that 'she' was being pulled somewhere. She began to panic. The moment Hishamaru called Harutora's name, she felt her connection to Hishamaru become stronger.
Harutora showed a grim experssion that she had never seen before.
"Akino, come!"
As he said that, he took off the Raven's Wing right there. He was immediately surrounded by scattered black feathers as the black coat turned into a three-legged cros - a yatagarasu.
"Wait for me! Hishamaru!" Saying that, he gripped Natsume's shoulders again.
"I'm starting."
"......Yeah."
After nodding to Natsume, Harutora let go and backed up . Then, he called out to his shikigami. "Full Moon! Raven's Wing!"
Having already been instructed during their trip here, Akino immediately moved behind Natsume's left and the yatagarasu jumped behind Natsume's right. Harutora, Akino, and the yatagarasu formed a triangle around Natsume.
"......The Yaoyorozu no Kami are present! ......They are present in all of spacetime!"
Staring into the vast night sky above him, Harutora quietly spoke as if to confirm something again.
Then, finally,
"Hokuto, after I give the signal...... Leave Natsume."
He ordered the other shikigami. The dragon connecting Natsume's soul.
Wind blew on the Onmyou Academy rooftop.
A slight presence of spring was hidden in the night wind.
Harutora proclaimed solemnly.
"Now, we begin the Taizan Fukun Ritual."
Natsume recoiled in surprise.
Magic to control souls. Though she had already anticipated this, the Taizan Fukun Ritual definitely had a bad impression. Based on the knowledge she had learned about the Taizan Fukun Ritual from Yasuzumi, on some level she knew that the Taizan Fukun Ritual wasn't the kind of magic Natsume thought it was. But the Taizan Fukun Ritual that Natsume knew of had never resulted in any thing good, along with all other soul-manipulating magic.
...No......!
The one time was Harutora's reincarnation. Reincarnating him back to Natsume's side.
The Taizan Fukun Ritual had resurrected the ill-fated genius Onmyouji who had been born before the war into a laid-back, cheerful, and extremely gentle childhood friend.
"It's alright, Natsume! A god told me!"
Akino, with an extremely serious expression, encouraged her. "A god?" Natsume asked. Akino nodded vigorously to confirm. The yatagarasu cawed on the other side. Then, Harutora started chanting an incantation in front of her. It was a simpler spell than when she had peeked at Suzuka before. But it was longer, more meticulous, and more powerful.
Harutora's magic, created by Yakou.
Light surrounded Natsume. The light connected to the distant sky. Suddenly, her consciousness floated away. Her consciousness became hazy.
"Natsume!"
Harutora called out.
As she was enveloped by the curtain of light, she couldn't see Harutora's figure anymore. Natsume desperately looked ahead, holding back her feelings for her childhood friend, and smiled.
"No matter how many times it takes, no matter how long, we'll definitely meet again. Because I'm your - I'm your shikigami!"[14]
Then--
Natsume's soul left her body and flew to a different land, completing its reincarnation.
This child had no name.
A hated child, a nobody. She was disdained and ostracized. She always knew that he was such a being, even without anyone explaining it to her.
She wasn't taken care of or loved, she just purely 'existed' here day after day. She believed without a doubt that this would repeat until she died. That was her 'life'.
But, no, that wasn't the case.
Her life was full of waves, similar to others born in the same era.
So this was the beginning. A lively-spirited boy. He had cast off his family, entered a storehouse, opened a heavy door, and called out to the girl.
"Are you my shikigami? I see. You're weird."
A ray of light shining into the deep, dark night.
The true meaning of her 'life' began when she was illuminated by the light of that night[15].
The boy seemed surprised, approaching the confused girl.
"Okay." With a word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out.
Outside the storehouse.
A world she didn't know.
They crossed the porch, reaching its edge. From the edge they came to the courtyard.
A courtyard illuminated by the sun. She couldn't believe there was something so beautiful in this world. She stared, shocked at the world that was suddenly opened up.
The wind blew on that girl.
"Hey, you don't have a name, right?"
The girl nodded to that question, the ears on her head - the hated ears of a fox - trembled. Her tail swished left and right, seemingly wanting to hide itself.
The boy let go of the girl's hand, crossing his arms and looking at her. He stared hard at her ears and tail, then put a hand on his forehead and groaned.
Embarrassment showed on the girl's face.
But the boy didn't notice the girl's feelings. "Oh!" He nodded.
Then,
"You're a fox living spirit, so your name will be Kon. It's written '混'. Starting today, you're Tsuchimikado Kon."
Kon, her own name.
It was too sudden, so she was unable to process anything. Then, the boy suddenly put on a confused expression and lowered his head to glance at her.
"......Are you unhappy? Foxes go 'kon kon', so I thought it fit...... Maybe a cuter name would be better?"
It seemed like the boy had finally realized his rudeness and become flustered and unsettled.
Would she hate him? To the childishly anxious boy,
She shook her head a few times.
She wasn't good at speaking, because she had almost never spoken to anyone.
Even so, she did her best to speak.
'Thank you'
A quiet word of thanks.
The boy's mood immediately improved.
"No problem! I'm Yakou. Yakou, the light of the night. Let's get along well, Kon."
The boy gave his name, wearing a satisfied smiling face.
The smile like the sun made her feel warm. That's what the girl thought as she looked at the boy's smile, captivated.
The miracle of a certain summer day.
In a corner of a residence's courtyard, wild sunflowers flowering brilliantly watched the two young ones.