Volume 3
Chapter 5 Part
1
Princess
Dances with Vermillion Gold, O you, Sever the Causes and Effects 1
Translator : PolterGlast
The vermilion-gold
brilliance danced in the rainy weather.
Eyes dyed in blue
flames focused on the approaching Armored Centipede, while cherry-red lips curled
into a war cry.
Kihoin-style
Spirit Technique, Chuden―
"―Hotobori
Garasu!"
At that moment,
Tsuguho's divine energy was transformed into flames, and the flames coated the
girl's body.
Everything in range to
intercept the Armored Centipede was dyed in flames, and a cage of scorching
heat trapped the Centipede inside it.
―Gyaaaa~!
Although it was
supposed to be the same fire element, the Armored Centipede screamed as it was
scorched by a heat wave that could not be ignored.
Armored Centipede did
not know. No, Banda's lack of knowledge, the base material, was the reason for
its defeat.
Essentially, fire
elements correspond to the extremity of Yang-Qi.
Its essence is
purification.
Absolute purification
that does not tolerate any kind of pollution. That is what fire element is all
about.
But is Armored
Centipede the same? Using the flame leaking from its own spirit that was out of
control as a shield, it struggled to pry open the cage by moving its many
limbs.
The purifying flames
and the miasma fought each other, and the head of the Centipede, holding out
its fangs wet with poisonous liquid, approached Tsuguho.
―Hi, hi, hi~~.
Just a little more,
just one more step. Tsuguho pressed her palm against the tip of the Centipede's
proboscis, which was struggling to get out.
The light of a blue
flame dyed in Arawakamioroshi pierced through the Centipede, and a slight
exhalation escaped from the girl's mouth.
"Phew!"
―Zu~.
The head of the
Armored Centipede plummeted to the ground in accordance with the girl's palm,
even though she shouldn't be able to put much force into it.
Despite her seemingly
weak force, it was certainly powerful, and the surplus of the impact that
originated from the Centipede's head caused the Centipede's gigantic physique
to ripple greatly.
―Boom!
Perhaps fueled by the
divine energy, Tsuguho's hair, dyed gold, danced on her delicate back.
Only one strike. After
only that, the girl and Centipede's battle was about to conclude.
"―Hi, hi. Well
done, Kihoin.
As expected, your
Arawakamioroshi is also honed with great proficiency.
―You have no intention of bringing the divine pillar
descent into this world?"
"...... Even
without the presence of Aka-sama here, Kihoin's divine technique will be enough
to purify you!"
Banda's face sneered,
and Tsuguho kicked the ground upon hearing his voice.
She danced in the air
and pulled out a dagger spirit weapon from her pocket.
The opponent didn't
move an inch, and the tip of the spirit weapon was sucked straight into the
forehead of Banda's face.
―Gagi.
"!?"
"What an arrogance."
A blunt impact
returned to Tsuguho's arm. She gasped in surprise that she couldn't inflict
even a scratch, and after seeing the man's arm swinging toward her, Tsuguho
moved away.
While confirming the
numbness that remained in her arm, she looked at her opponent's face.
Her attack was
sufficiently imbued with divine power. A mere wooden mask should be easy to be
pierced by an enhanced spirit weapon.
The effect of
Aragamioroshi is only to strengthen one's body, but the effect of
Arawakamioroshi, which is the origin of Aragamioroshi, is not merely to
strengthen one's body.
Normally, exercising
spirit techniques empty-handed would be nothing short of suicide. But she was
capable of overcoming the obvious difference in mass, knocking the enemy to the
ground, and even the recoil was rendered futile.
―The essence of Arawakamioroshi is a technique that
turns the wielder's inner self into a divine realm.
The inner self of an
individual is said to be equal to an entire universe.
Only in that realm do
the laws of the world give absolute priority to its master.
Only by elevating
one's inner self to a divine realm can an individual be elevated to the realm
of the divine pillar. It is a rough technique that cannot even be exercised
unless one has the capacity to host a divine pillar.
Her previous blow was
completely blocked. This is nothing but proof that the mask has a divine realm
that can withstand Tsuguho's divine realm.
That is the principle
of indestructible trait.
―The fact that the mask possesses it is, in other
words,
"...... A sacred
artifact. Whose?"
The man's eyes
scrutinized over this question and his mouth carved into a crescent moon.
"I have abandoned
my name in pursuit of the mundane world, so please do forgive me for not being
able to tell you my name.
―Let's see, if you really have to address
me......."
"......
Tsuguho-sama, please step back!!"
His words were
somewhat jarring in her memories. As Tsuguho tried to remember, her thoughts
were interrupted by Muto, who leaped from the side.
"Muto! Stand
back!!"
"I cannot do
that.
―Onmyojis! Prepare all the water-barrier talismans you
have!!"
At Muto's command, the
Onmyojis all stood up.
Fingers extending from
the Suikan*1 made intricate seals and quickly wove a strong thread
of barriers.
*1 Suikan
is a type of clothing that used to be worn by low-ranking officials serving the
imperial court during the Heian period (794-1185).
The Kunai released by
Muto surrounded the Armored Centipede along with the man within. The thin
strings that extended from the kunai emitted a black radiance, and ten or
twenty layers of water cage descended upon them.
"Casting barriers
from a long distance.
By nature, casting
barriers should be done at close range, so this is a rather dexterous and
violent maneuver.
...... But this is a
little-..."
The construction of a
barrier is like building a house, even if it is a simple one.
Casting it from a
distance is the same as smashing the entire foundation of the built house.
It may be possible,
but it is faster and less wasteful to smash the building materials than to
smash the foundation of a house.
With a mixture of
dismay and admiration, the man was trapped in the barriers with little
resistance.
The man was carefully
covered with nine-character barriers, and the Onmyojis, perhaps believing that
their safety was sufficiently secured, closed in on him from the surroundings.
"Are you alright,
Tsuguho-sama?" "Muto, ―"
Without looking at
Muto, who was rushing toward her from the rear, Tsuguho assumed a retreating stance
as fast as she could while focusing her eyes only on the front.
Without fully
adjusting her stance, the girl's body moved backward, replacing Muto's.
"Retreat!"
"Too late!!"
Warnings and sneers
intersected in front of and behind the stunned Muto.
Although one was
acting on the surface, one's true nature remained the same. Neither the man nor
Banda, who has turned into a Centipede, was any different.
Banda is a
fire-element, but the man is not.
The miasma that had
been concealed in Banda's face violently invaded the inside of the barriers.
The miasma, which has
exceeded the durability limit of the barriers, eroded the water-elements
barriers, causing them to easily melt and crumble.
The miasma was
scattered as if exploding, and from behind it, the multiple limbs of the
Armored Centipede repelled the surrounding Onmyojis.
"Uuggh!?"
In Muto's field of
vision, which was looking ahead while enduring the reddish-black miasma, an
Armored Centipede and a man, who had regained their freedom, leisurely strode
out.
"Well, well, it
was worth agitating for."
"You
bastards!!"
Without paying any
attention to the furious barking of Muto, the man jumped to the roof of the
mansion together with the Centipede.
As raindrops soaked
his vision, he arrogantly glared at Tsuguho and the others.
"I was a little ahead
of schedule, after all. So, we will take our leave now.
If you are coming
after us, I would advise you to hurry."
―Hi, hi, hi.
With a loud,
ear-splitting sneer, the man bowed courteously to Tsuguho.
Then, he disappeared
behind the mansion.
"After
them!"
"Halt, we need to
reorganize our troops first.
―Who can still
move?"
"....... Most of
them are exposed to the miasma, after being blown away when they were lured in.
The same goes with the
protectors during the very first round of battle."
As far as one could
see, there were no casualties. That's their only blessing.
"What about the
guardians?"
"Most of Karen's
guardians belong to the garrison.
Whereas for our
officers..."
Hearing Muto's reply,
Tsuguho gritted his teeth.
The main mission of
the police officers is to maintain public order in the city. Naturally, it is
much safer than facing Defiled Beasts, and they have no experience in battles
against them.
To capture the
commander-in-chief of the garrison. Fearing a leak of information, they did not
call in support from the garrison, which proved to be a backfire now.
"Muto,
concentrate on reorganizing the troops.
I have a matter of
concern."
That man had mentioned
that he was a little ahead of schedule.
In other words, some
things were planned to happen, and some things were not.
In fact, the matter of
not bringing Shuka descent is irrelevant to whether it was early or not.
Then there must be
something that the other party wanted but failed to get this time.
"―Muto. Is there
anything you didn't get ready in time?"
"No, we had it
all in order without any flaws.
......Ah, we could not
secure the trust of the garrison, so we even refrained from asking for support
from them."
The image of Akira
flashed through Tsuguho's mind.
Absurd. It's an
intuition that may not even make any sense.
However, as a demi-god
and a demi-human, her intuition is so keen that it could be called
precognition.
"I'm sure of
it," she muttered with certainty.
"I'm heading to
the garrison's headquarters first. His target is most likely the
garrison."
After saying these
words, Tsuguho jumped onto the roof of a house in the direction of the
headquarters while still maintaining her Arawakamioroshi form.
There were
steam-powered cars available for use, but she would detour if she were to use
the road. If she wanted to reach her destination in a straight line, it would
be faster to sprint across the rooftops.
"Tsuguho-sama!?"
"Muto, make sure
to head for the garrison headquarters after you're done reorganizing.
Those guys were not
normal. We won't stand a chance against them head-on!"
The words she left
behind were short.
Without hearing the
voice that tried to chase after her, the girl's body dashed into the rapidly
growing rain.
――――――――――
The reception area on
the first floor of the garrison's headquarters was in a state of chaos after
receiving the notification from Kihoin.
Everyone was going
back and forth, right and left, seeking as much detailed information as
possible.
Yuge Kojou, who was
watching the chaos from the side of the wall, accepted a teacup offered to him
and returned the courtesy with only his eyes.
......It is, after
all, an affair of another province. Honestly speaking, Kojou's interest was
piqued more by the contents of the teacup in front of him.
"―I don't really
want to stop by the headquarters, but the only thing that appeals to me is that
I get to taste the new Sencha tea."
"Don't the Eighth
Garrison serve you a taste of Swertia tea?"
"...... Let me
excuse myself, but the only people who have ever tasted that are those in the
garrison. They rarely serve it to their guests."
Asogi Genji, who was
standing next to Kojou and leaning his back against the wall, awkwardly
dismissed his friend's comments.
The fact that it was
hardly means that it had happened a few times.
The only ones who
haven't tasted it are those who ran away or were kicked out before that.
―In any case, it was probably not something worthwhile.
Giving Genji a wry
smile, Kojou took a quick glance at the chaos at the reception desk.
The messenger from
Hakudō Province was bored out of his mind, but the people around him didn't
seem to be concerned.
No. Perhaps there was
not even a shred of leeway left.
Though, the situation
was perhaps better still, as long as there were no angry shouts flying around.
"I thought
Banda-dono was a rather insignificant person, but he seems to be quite
popular."
"? ...... Aa~.
No, that's wrong."
Genji waved his hand
lightly in response to Kojou's misguided admiration.
"It's not that he
is popular, rather, they're in the process of gathering evidence.
...... There's a
factional war that's surfacing to take over Banda's position."
"You're not going
to participate, Genji?
You seem to be quite
popular."
You reap what you sow.
Kojou glanced at Genji with a look of amazement.
But Genji just smiled
nonchalantly and shook his head lightly.
"You want me to
form a faction? ...... But I've got my hands full just taking care of the 8th
garrison's brats.
So, I'll pass."
"......If you've
calculated that much, I have nothing more to say."
Kojou glanced
enviously at Genji, who showed no interest in the battle for power, and lightly
shrugged his shoulders.
As someone who had
been designated as the head of Yuge since birth and had watched the power
struggle as the companion of Jinroiin, Kojou had his own thoughts on the
matter.
The two of them,
pretending to be bystanders, sipped Sencha in a friendly banter.
―Then,
"......
Kojou-dono." "Yeah. It's miasma."
Hearing the response
to his call, Genji realized that he had not been mistaken.
Miasma was slowly
beginning to appear, as if creeping up from under his feet.
He glanced at the
yin-yang meter he always carried with him and noticed that the level of the
miasma had risen to a level that could not be dismissed as a mere imagination.
Also, the increase was
too rapid.
Genji realized that
someone's intention was clearly involved here.
However, judging from
the chaos around them, no one else seemed to have noticed this anomaly.
In other words, there
is no one else to rely on but Genji and Kojou.
"....... Good
grief. Once this is over, everyone at headquarters must be re-trained."
"I'll advise you
to do the same.
Whatever you're trying
to do, you're being too slow."
"That's harsh.
......It's
coming."
With a slight hunch of
his shoulders in acceptance, Genji slowly placed his hand on his spirit vessel.
A moment later, out of
nowhere, the roar of a defiled beast reached his ears and the electricity went
off all at once.
In the darkness that
instantly fell silent, only the sound of the rain remained.
―Explosion.
A wave of miasma
erupted and dredged up the feet of the employees.
A rat, crazed with
rage, ran through the gap, and a pack of dogs slid past.
A different kind of
clamor filled the room, creating confusion.
A large dog aimed at a
female staff member who was about to fall to the ground, and aimed at her
throat.
"K-Kyaaaaaaaa!!"
Just before the fangs
reached the woman, a tachi, imbued with spiritual power, sliced the dog's torso
in half.
"Protectors, take
your sword and fight!
Show your predecessor
that you will fulfill your duty to protect everyone here!!"
Genji, with his
spiritual power raging in flames, shook off the dog's blood stain and gave a
loud shout.
The protectors, who
were still carrying documents, came to their senses upon hearing this loud
voice.
Genji glanced at them
as they finally began to swing their katanas, and then readjusted his
wakizashi.
This is the turning
point. The chaotic situation had only just begun.
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