Volume 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)
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The hazy roups of clouds
The typhoon had just passed, the wind and rain had ceased, and the e andthe after-rain moisture on the leaves sparkle The vast, dark paddy was like a silver mirror
Right now, Harutora was heading to the 'Imperial Hill' altar with Natsume
Natsume had walked from the Bellflower Roo out an ancient shi+kigaami that showed itself as a white horse It was the most majestic horse that Harutora had seen in his life Its body was outfitted with a black saddle and red reins, and it was a horse that was prestigious enough that no one would doubt it if it were dedicated to the Gods
It was the Tsuchiami - Yukikaze
It was a high-level le of 'General Onins were far before 'General Onmyoudou', even much more ancient than 'Imperial Onmyoudou'
Natsume mounted the horse first, and Harutora sat behind her Then, Natsuround, galloping off as if he didn't even feel the weight of the two Actually, this was a bit inaccurate, as Yukikaze's hooves didn't even touch the ground
Yukikaze circled fro out of thedown the stone steps without touching the ground When they rushed off the stairs, the distance to the ground becaain
Yukikaze stayed at a height of about tenlike the wind over a road between the forests and paddy fields The scenery nearby was all visible because of their height, but Harutora only looked down a couple times His hands wrapped around the waist of Natsume in front of him - before Yukikaze had leaped out of the entrance, he had hesitated about what to do - and he clung to Natsume for dear life
”Um, ah, th, this is pretty nice!”
”Harutora-kun, your hands haven't stopped shaking”
”D, Don't mind me! On the other hand, is the Imperial Hill very far?”
”No, with this child's speed, we'll be there in moments”
Natsurip on the reins A cri her thin ar appearance wasn't like a shrinefemale warrior
A white horse galloping through the irl who rode it - It looked like the picturesque scenery from a dream no matter how he looked at it Unfortunately, the addition of a shi+kigairl destroyed the picture - Harutora thought as his entire body shook, tightly grabbing on to Natsume
But, Harutora also had his responsibilities Right now, he was carrying a trunk used for practitioners on his back - a kind of woven bamboo trunk Inside it was entirely Tsuchimikado ancestral tools, and he also wore a sword on his waist, with a bow hung over his shoulder
These were all equipical battle before they had departed Harutora was like a foot soldier acco his box of charms
He had also contacted Touji
He only realized right before they left the mansion that his phone was filled with calls fro to theup his phone - knowing that he couldn't pick up his phone in his current circu hi texts
Touji had first gone to the construction site that had becoators, and then contacted the police again The Mystical Investigators were unable to perfor stolen The typhoon had departed earlier than first predicted, so the assistance sent fro
He should be worried and angry that Harutora hadn't contacted hi that
Harutora was grateful for his friend and sent a e of confirmation, which just contained 'Sorry, I've troubled you a lot, I' it, he immediately turned off his phone
Then
”! Harutora-kun”
Natsume called out, and he quickly raised his head There was a fa truck stopped before them
The truck had been carelessly abandoned by the roadside, and the truck bed was full of pieces of a container There were traces of devastated trees all over the road leading from the container to the hill in the distance
These were traces left by that Tsuchigu by this, thehill over there was the location of the Tsuchimikado-established altar, the 'Imperial Hill'
”Right, it's that! Did you see that spider monster?”
”I haven't, it seems that she already headed to the altar”
”Let's follow!”
”Okay, we'll head directly to the altar”
Giddy up - Natsu the horse's reins The shi+kiga itstowards the Iht above the treetops, following the tracks of the Tsuchigumo
Then, a brittle shattering sound came from Natsume's chest The third mirror that she had placed in her chest had also broken
”It seems like the last barrier was also destroyed”
”I know But it's right ahead!”
Just as Natsume was full of remorse, the hilltop of the Iht
There was a circular, grassy field on the hilltop that the trees had been removed from The field was surrounded by tall trees, but a stone plaza had been set in the center, encircled on all four sides by torii
It was the Inited on all four corners of the plaza, seely by Suzuka
There were two hu for a cere orders
They could aami 'Asura' that Suzuka had manipulated at the festival
”Found you!”
Harutora shouted It didn't seem like Suzuka had heard him shout, but she turned around to look in Harutora's direction
Harutora wondered if his eyes had failed upon seeing the girl's figure again Aura poured out of Suzuka's body, like a whirling hurricane centered on her
Intense and brilliant - but a unique, obviously imbalanced aura Harutora had just become a spirit-seer, but he could directly feel that she was very powerful That was the aura given off by one of the Twelve Divine Generals, the 'Child Prodigy'
Suzuka's aura suddenly swayed intensely thea somersault
”Why did you come?”
Suzuka gnashed her teeth, her childlike face twisting and showing a ht hand to the side
It wasn't Harutora or Natsuer in the nick of time, but rather the veteran Yukikaze who had served the Tsuchimikado family for many years
Yukikaze ju its body - neveroff the horse A h the position where Yukikaze had just been
The steel Tsuchiguernaut had just attacked them It had hid its body inside the forest for an ambush, ready to attack at any time
”Yukikaze! Pull back!”
Natsume frantically reined in, and Yukikaze hastily leaped into the air, galloping up
Tsuchigued in the field
Its steel body seeht of the bonfires Its body was huge, but its structure was unsuited to attacking upwards, so it wouldn't be hard to avoid its attacks as long as they were careful about the spider silk it shot out from inside its armor
But--
”Natsuet close to the altar like this!”
Natsu the field
Tsuchigumo wouldn't chase if Yukikaze escaped over the trees, but if they recklessly approached the field, Tsuchigumo would react cleverly and ward them off Perhaps it had received orders to prohibit anyone fro the field, and it wouldn't be easy to destroy Tsuchigumo's steel defenses
Suzuka stood on the stone plaza, looking fiercely at Harutora and Natsuami behind her busied themselves to prepare the altar
Harutora couldn't clearly and thoroughly see the situation because of the distance from the altar He could only see that a table had been set up on the altar with several offerings on it There were pieces of silver in a scarlet bohite silk scrolls, a saddle made for a horse, and paper He could also see taiko drums and instruments placed by the side
A big, thin parcel had been placed in the center of the altar
A cold shi+ver inadvertently went down Harutora's back upon seeing that parcel whose exterior was plastered with chare as a child
”It couldn't be”
That should be Suzuka's dead brother
Suzuka was trying to reproduce an ancient cere of the cere house, but with her brother's body replacing the role of a doll The ga
damn
”Dairenji Suzuka!”
Harutora inadvertently yelled Natsu behind her in shock
”I told you! Even if you revive your brother, you won't be happy fro over it, wake up!”
”Shut up! I also said I would definitely kill you the next time!”
Suzuka straightened her s loudly
”You're really annoying! My life is my own, and neither my parents or anyone else can tell me what to do with it! I'll decide if I want to die or not! You won't stop me however much you say, I will revive my brother!”
Her anger becaer only burned Suzuka, and not anyone else
The intense flame rapidly swelled from Suzuka's small body, and maybe soon after, the flaues of flaulf others
But--
”You can't do that kind of thing, no, you shouldn't even try!”
Natsume's remark was clear and firm
The moon palely illuminated her face Harutora looked at her, and Suzuka also quickly shot her burning gaze towards her
Natsume didn't flinch, her attitude still serious
”Modern On souls, and of course, the spiritual disaster brought about by Yakou is one reason, but more importantly, we shouldn't deepen our relationshi+p with such ic People shouldn't interfere with others' souls, because that is not the territory of man!”
Suzuka's face was irritated, and she glared fiercely at Natsume who made those remarks from Yukikaze
”Are you also a Tsuchimikado? I don't knohere you came from, but you also came to stop me?”
Tsuchigu, continuing to speak with a firm tone:
”In the past, people harbored respect for the Gods, feeling a natural gratitude and fear in their hearts, having an irrational confidence for these entities above hu They believed in prayer, so it was effective No, it should be said that they created prayer That ic was only effective because it was cast by the people of that time, and the people who live in the world noon't succeed just by copying the ceremony!”
Natsu Harutora gazed at Natsume, extremely surprised
Just then, he finally noticed so
Right, this person was an 'Onmyouji'
Of course, Natsume was just an Onmyou Academy student, and she wasn't an official Onmyouji yet
But, forgetting about official accreditation for now, and also forgetting about ical skill, as an Onht about this probleure of his childhood friend now led him to ponder
On the other hand
”You annoyances”
Suzuka on the ground below audibly gnashed her teeth upon hearing Natsuht, casting foreboding shadows across her body
”The Tsuchi the Taizan fukun Ritual, and it was also the Tsuchi that the Tsuchimikado can do it, but I can't? Don't joke around!”
The girl's voice was fragile, as if she would crumble at any time
As her words fell, the Asura and the black-clothedthe cere
The ceremony was already prepared
”Dairenji Suzuka! Stop the ritual right now!”
”Shut up, I'll definitely perform the ceremony better than you Tsuchimikado, leave if you don't want to die!”
Then, Suzuka began chanting an incantation The words she chanted weren't for the ritual, but were Onmyoudou incantations
The black-clothedunable to withstand the pressure given off by theruined
The Asura standing next to it absorbed the crua, insectile wings even sprouting from Asura's back
Natsume's eyes widened in surprise
”How is that possible!? You can freely change the ency?”
Harutora was clueless, but all he kneas that Suzuka's strength really was nothing to look down on
The ht sky and flying straight for Harutora and Natsume
”damn! Natsume!”
Harutora hollered at Natsume, and Natsume manipulated the reins attentively
They avoided the Asura flying into the sky, but Asura leaped to a position even higher up than Yukikaze and unleashed an attack while ht Natsume had to make Yukikaze move lower
”No good, Natsu us from top and bottom!”
Harutora's warning was a step too late Tsuchigu in an attack upon seeing Yukikaze descend Natsume frantically pulled on the reins, but thatYukikaze slip in midair
--damn!
They couldn't avoid this Once he saw Tsuchigu, Harutora quickly drew the sword from his waist
He leaned forward, as if trying to throw hiu from below
With one swing, the sword absorbed all of the aura in his body
The aura collected in the blade, shooting out fro, and pushi+ng it back
Harutora felt a strong recoil up his ar had been cut open, and the sword had carved out a trace on it as if it had been scorched Though he had been the one who hit the enemy with the sword, Harutora still couldn't help but stare blankly
”W, What is this? It's too powerful!”
”It's a 'Protection Sword'! It's a specially forged, age-old spiritual sword!”
”Huh? Really? It just got chipped by the strike just now--”
”No way!?”
”Ah, but it was just a bit! A small bit!”
”Uuu S, Since it's a crisis, it's okay even if you break it!”
Natsurily But was it really okay to break it! Natsume's look had been obviously stern when she had turned around to say the words 'no way'
The ene, and Natsume manipulated the reins for dear life, an obviously incredibly dangerous scene to anyone atching Harutora ale built up on the Protection Sword
The Protection Sword see power even if an outsider like Harutora used it It was just that a large amount of aura was absorbed fro to accumulate was no trivial asping for breath
”This can't go on, Natsume! I can't handle it by myself anymore!”
”I know that!”
”Then you need to fight too!”
”Don't talk to ht now!”
Natsu to cope with the coumo A cold sweat broke out in Harutora's heart
Hey hey, could she be bad at actual fights?
Her attitude was different from her usual calmness, and obvious anxiety had appeared on Natsume's expression How ironic that he would see this unexpected side of his childhood friend in such a situation
Then--
Crash A noise sounding like it wanted to shatter the air reverberated from the stone plaza
Suzuka had beat the taiko drue noise that sounded like it vibrated the blood itself Suzuka then continued to swing the druhttime Imperial Hill
Suzuka beat the taiko six times, and then blew a horn, whose deep sound contrasted with the penetrating sound of the taiko The air shook, and the unnecessary dirt on the stone plaza vibrated, cleansing it
Harutora who had becoy, and he couldn't help but feel a chill upon hearing the sound of the horn that announced the start of battle
”Oh no, the cere! We have to stop her quickly!”
”Wait, Natsume From above!”
Natsume was focused on the altar, and suddenly Asura attacked fro away Yukikaze's freedom of movement
The two shi+kiga in turns
Yukikaze hurriedly raised its forelegs, leaning back while standing on its hind legs to avoid Asura's attack
In thaton to the reins, but Harutora inging the sword had nowhere to stand He was sent flying off with a 'waaah'
He fell
Natsume noticed Harutora fall off the horse and screaround before he was able to make a sound
But--
”Hokuto! Please!”
”Hokuto?”
A light shone next to the galloping Yukikaze before Harutora even had tiht extended outwards like a fluid, leisurely flowing through the light sky
A dazzling strip of gold floated in the night sky
It was a dragon
A dragon had appeared in the night sky in response to Natsu
”What?”
The dragon's body was als on its head, with a long snout and golden scales covering its entire body Though its four lile The dragon before hiined, but other than in body size, this 'dragon' was completely identical to the mythical beasts depicted in japanese myths or folk tales
The dragon turned around after appearing, sliding underneath Harutora's body Harutora hurriedly tossed aside the Protection Sword, grabbing on to the dragon's body
The dragon's scales were hard, but it felt s in his arms
Sh, shi+kigami!?
Of course this was a shi+kigami There was no other possibility
But, even if it was a shi+kigami
”Hokuto? It's called Hokuto? Hey, Natsuon!?”
Harutora raised his head, shouting at Natsu Yukikaze
Natsu to deal with Asura's attacks, but she still replied to Harutora's question after barely dodging an attack
”She's enerations of fauardian beast, one of the few ons!”
”T, True dragon”
Harutora unconsciously forgot the on he held on to
The so-called servant shi+kigaami of 'General Onmyoudou', as they were deities, spirits, or beasts -that had possessed one of these naami In other words, Hokuto hadn't been created by humans, but had formed naturally, and was an existence similar to a materialized deity
The aura he could feel fro and fierce Actually, it was a very terrifying feeling Hokuto's long body had a perceptible, peculiar feeling of vigor, extremely different from an animal's
But, as it called Hokuto?
Most would connect the Big Dipper to the na dipper would often be coon', with close ties to the stars that Onmyoudou worshi+pped It seeet the name Hokuto
But, to Harutora's ears, this name felt extremely coincidental
”Why didn't you su!?”
”I can't coh she agreed to becoami”
Natsuon ignored its ernaut and the altar
The dragon was clearly exuberant, and its appearance didn't see spirit, but rather like it had seen an interesting and fun ga back and forth like an excited puppy's Harutora grimaced
”Indeed, though this thing has courage, it doesn't have an ounce of tension”
”Hokuto! I order you to defeat the eneht?”
Natsuave the order with a serious face - but Hokuto shook her head in inco at Natsume as if to ask: 'What enemy?'
But, Asura attacked again before Natsume had time to tell Hokuto what to deal with
Yukikaze leaped aside without waiting for orders fro Asura's attack
Hokuto was surprised by Asura's attack It turned around, quickly taking Yukikaze's position, co to the person on its back Harutora yelled loudly, slipping down the dragon's body to its back leg region
”Uwaaaah!”
”H, Hokuto!”
Natsuon paid no heed, dashi+ng through the night sky as Asura's opponent as a midair battle unfolded
It seemed that Asura's attack had excited it, as it suddenly seemed clearly motivated
”Th, This shi+kiga power, but isn't its personality a little too childish!+?”
”It's dangerous! Harutora-kun, jump over here!”
”Don't be inconsiderate of me!”
Just as he cried out, Hokuto spun fiercely, and Harutora was sent flying froal force
This was his second ti from the sky today Natsume - actually, Yukikaze - rapidly rushed over
”Uwaaaah!”
”H, Harutora-kun!”
Natsu Harutora in her arms
The girl's small, delicate body held Harutora with all her power She couldn't support the force of Harutora's fall, and almost fell doith hirab Yukikaze's reins, and barely ed to avert the crisis
”H, Harutora-kun, Harutora-kun~!”
”Natsuo, ouch, hey, you don't need to grab that tightly!?”
Natsu to the ground, but Harutora was doing everything he could to keep both of theether, destroying the balance, and Yukikaze dropped as it th to rebalance itself
Just then, Tsuchigu
bastard!
Harutora had just dropped the Protection Sword, and now he thought flawlessly, i his hand into his box of charertip, fluidly drawing out a protective charm
Once, he had practice throwing charms in front of the mirror every day, and those move that training
”Order!”
Harutora shouted, throwing the charm out hard The incantation meant 'swiftly enforce as law'[2], the Onators had also often used - the common idely used in charm techniques
Harutora'sa shi+ning barrier of light
The Arh the barrier, but it bought enough tiain its balance Yukikaze shi+fted its back, letting the two properly sit again, and just barely avoided Tsuchiguh the barrier
They descended to stay on the ground, but lowering their altitude was equivalent to entering Tsuchigu them no time to catch their breath
Harutora peeled off Natsu back on the horse's rear, and then reached forith his ar Natsume
”Ah! H, Harutora-kun?”
”Natsume, I'll control the reins, I'll leave it to you to deal with the enemy!”
”Huh? Uh, okay!”
”Yukikaze, I' on you!”
Harutora gripped Yukikaze's body with his legs, lashi+ng the reins Actually, he only controlled the reins this one timent
Once Yukikaze gained doility different frou the two of them When the stiff Natsume as squeezed between Harutora's arms noticed this, she inadvertently froze on top of the horse
”H, Harutora-kun, what did you do?”
”I didn't do anything, rather, I' at all”
With the panicked Natsume and the willful Hokuto, theHarutora - was undoubtedly Yukikaze Regardless of whether it was a horse or shi+kigami, it needed room to act
He looked up at the sky Hokuto and Asura were still fighting to the death in the sky
Of the two, Hokuto had an overwhele Its olden scales reflected the bonfires on the ground like glittering dust scattered in the night sky
With this, Harutora and Natsuumo
”I don't have the tiht now! Natsuumo?”
”I, I do! Harutora-kun, give me the bow!”
After hearing Natsu over his shoulder and gave it to Natsume
”What about arrows?”
”I don't need the bow i at an enemy to attack But, that will at ernaut's aric resistance”
There weren't any actually effective tools to use before the ernaut If they seriously wanted to defeat the Arrade equipment at the least, and inally a tool for exorcis with spiritual disasters
But
”Then we just need to hold it off, there's no need to defeat it Natsuuet the chance, since in any case we definitely need to stop the ceremony!”
Of course, Suzuka's threat wasn't just liainst her with a head-on assault was very small
But, even if she was a Divine General, she still needed to focus her mind to perform the Taizan fukun Ritual, and if they is weren't entirely hopeless
”U, Understood But, Harutora-kun, you'reorders--”
”I know! Natsuo!”
Harutora ignored Natsu the reins
The reins shook and Yukikaze instantly rushed forward fearlessly towards the giant Tsuchiguer than itself
The surprised Natsurasped the reins with blocked her front, so she was unable to draw the bow
”Put your arms down!”
Saying this, she stood on the stirrups, stretching her upper body through the gap between Harutora's arms and the reins Her black hair flapped like a banner as she stood on the horse
Just then, spider silk shot out of the head area of Tsuchigumo's armor
Yukikaze hurriedly backed off, rabbed the reins tight, crouched his body, and held Natsume's waist from behind as she fell
”Ah! Th, That's my b-butt!”
”Don't worry about it, shoot!”
”Uuu”
Her face red, Natsu at the approaching Tsuchigumo
The Peach Bow made a pleasant sound
Tssssss[3] - The air shook as Natsuuy becaumo
In Harutora's now spirit-seeing eyes, he saw the arumo was hit by the shockwave from the Peach Bow, it indeed showed caution for a e, but it see' effects, and its movements slowed as a result
”It worked!?”
Yukikaze took the chance to speed up its gallop, planning on circling around Tsuchigumo's side and head directly for the altar
Unfortunately, Tsuchigu their advance
Yukikaze turned at a right angle - Tsuchigu thes After Yukikaze pulled away fro towards the altar
Natsu of the Peach Bow
This tiht in a beautiful archery forer than the previous tiumo took the attack head-on, and its movements became slow like it had short-circuited But, the eneumo's movements became slow, spider silk spewed from the samurai armor
The spider silk flew at them from the front, and they had nowhere to run Harutora threw out a char the spider silk with the barrier from a protective charm
Harutora pulled Natsuht hand he had thrown the charm with, and Natsume sat down hard on the saddle At the sa below Tsuchigumo from underneath
”Did we make it!?”
He turned around, looking backwards They had broken through Tsuchigu around A fierce gaze stared at the off the enemy
Just as Tsuchiguht swooped down from the sky
It was Hokuto Asura was being chewed in its sharp teeth, so it seemed that Hokuto had won the midair battle
Hokuto crunched Asura apart, changing targets to Tsuchigu the Araave off
”Incredible! That thing's pretty strong!”
”Of course! Though that child is willful, there's a huge level difference between her and a norami!”
Natsume's tone was also filled with exciteu Tsuchigu it approach the altar Just by the situation before them, the two sides were clearly balanced now
Seize the moment!
Harutora prepared to charge on foot towards the altar on the stone plaza
There were bonfires on the four corners of the altar, spitting sparks into the pitch-black night Torii were hung on all sides, their colors differentiated into black for the north, blue for the east, red for the south, and white for the west
Suzuka, kneeling in front of her brother's corpse, was in the center of the altar
There was an opportunity Harutora leaned forward unconsciously
But
”Too naive”
Suzuka murmured with a cold voice, still with her head lowered over her brother's corpse
I the corpse all peeled off together, scattering in all directions
The scene seelance, the charh the air like confetti, but actually they attacked Harutora like a school of fish
Natsume frantically attacked with the Peach Bow, and the wave of y collided with the flurry of char to the ground accordingly
But, only the charround Harutora, Natsuulfed in a swarm of charms before the ones hit by the Peach Bow fell completely
”Pwah!”
Harutora and Natsume were knocked off and pushed back from Yukikaze's body one after the other, as if they were hit by a fire hose They fell off the horse, their bodies covered with charms Fortunately, the charms absorbed the force of the impact, but they couldn't move because of it Yukikaze hurriedly turned around, but its e, so it was helpless Because it had also been covered with charms, it became shaken and kept its distance from the altar
”damn! Natsume!?”
”I, I can't, I can't get them off!”
The two of theround, and they tried to pick therass, but unfortunately the mass of charms didn't allow them to move
The charinally been stuck to Suzuka's brother's corpse, but were now on Harutora and Natsu to obstruct the resurrection ceremony Harutora noticed first that the incantations on these charms seemed to be written with blood