Volume 3
Chapter 6 Part
1
Doubt the
Outcome, Trace It Back to the Intention 1
Translator : PolterGlast
*Whoosh*. A slight
breeze swept through the halls of the garrison headquarters.
―How many people in the hall were able to pay attention
to this fact?
In a place filled with
spiritual techniques of the fire-element, there was no way that the
metal-element which was in a conflicting relationship with the fire-element
could freely exercise its power.
However, defying this
common sense, the spirits of the metal-element naturally dominated the place.
Jinroin-style
Spirit Technique, Shoden―
"Kogarashi."
The whirlwind that
billowed up dyed the room, suspending the supposedly miasma-infested dogs and
nekomata close to the ceiling.
The protectors, who
had been running around, stopped in their tracks, stunned by the abnormality.
But Yuge Kojou,
without caring, began to execute another spirit technique.
Jinroin-style
Spirit Technique, Consecutive Technique―
"Naruko
Watashi."
A blade of gale,
passing through the thinly woven fuse of the spirit technique, severed all of
the defiled beasts' necks at once.
A man wearing a haori
with his family crest on it walked into the center of the hall, which
momentarily quieted down.
"We just took
down what we could see, so don't get complacent or you'll end up in dire
situations.
―Genji, can you detect the big one?"
"The miasma is
still too thick. We can't be sure there aren't any.
Who do you think it
is?"
Kojou responded with a
nod to that bitter reply.
Not where, but
who......, which suggests that there is an enemy within.
"......I agree,
but are you saying that they are working from inside the HQ?"
"They're taking
advantage of the Commander-in-Chief Banda's fiasco, and the time is too good to
believe they have nothing to do with it.
Whether it was
deliberate or unintentional, let's put that aside for the time being."
"I guess so.
Besides, the outside
is quieter than expected. I could see that the disturbance was limited to the
garrison headquarters only.
―They've gone to so much trouble, there's no way
they're just going to stop with just a few dogs."
"Indeed.
......-oh, here they come."
"Right. But if
this is the extent of the disturbance, it will be the same as before."
The ground beneath
their feet shook with a rumbling sound. The lingering miasma increased in
density, and once again the defiled beasts rushed across the land.
However, since this
was the second time, everyone present had calmed down.
Still fearing the
attack of the real threat, Genji and Kojou kept on swinging their blades
against the defiled beasts at the headquarters.
This back-and-forth
continued for more than four hours, until reinforcements arrived and they
noticed something was wrong.
The turmoil never
ended until the lure talismans were found in the basement and in Banda's
office.
―In the end, the attack that Asogi Genji had been
bracing for never happened.
――――――――――
―Late at night, Bankyū Daigaran.
When everything seemed
to have come to an end, Tsuguho and Akira, who were entrusted with the task of
taking care of things afterward upon the arrival of the police officers who
rushed to the scene, headed back to the temple several hours later.
As soon as the effect
of the Arawakamioroshi wore off, Shuka, who had returned to the temple, saw
Akira and beamed a broad smile.
"Akira! You have
achieved another great feat yet again!"
"It's because
Shuka lent me a hand after all."
"Fufu. Actually,
I can only descend into this world for as long as Akira desires.
Therefore, including
that, everything is Akira's accomplishments.
―Isn't that right? Tsuguho."
Tsuguho smiled as she
sipped a cup of green tea in a corner of the temple.
"Yes. Although we
can't publicly acknowledge Akira's great achievement until after the Kannamesai
Festival, but we have given him actual recognition. If it's a medal, it is
possible for me to give it to him first."
"No. That is
unnecessary. ......More importantly, I would like to ask you something.
What was that
guy?"
Nurarihyon, or the
black-robed monster, as one might refer to him.
Tsuguho was prepared
for the inevitable topic.
But what she knew was
not so much different from what Akira already knew.
A malignant entity
that created chaos by pretending to be someone else, wearing layers upon layers
of carved wooden masks that he called sacred artifacts.
...... That's all she
knows.
In fact, Shuka
probably knew more about it than Tsuguho.
After all, they seem
to be old acquaintances, regardless of whether they like it or not.
"......Aka-sama."
"I understand,
you are referring to Nurarihyon, correct?
But that being said,
even this Mistress is not that well versed in that subject.
A guest god who had
drifted ashore from beyond the ocean, whose very myth is a lie.
What makes him so
troublesome is that he is a Divine Pillar who can even utter a lie."
Akira and Tsuguho
frowned and groaned upon hearing Shuka's response. Shuka, on the other hand,
smiled cheerfully as she sat down on Akira's lap.
Divine Pillars cannot
speak lies. The thought of an existence that betrays even common sense is a
fact that they refuse to accept.
"Tsuguho-sama.
Whatever that thing's identity is, it is true that it can utter a lie.
...... I have witnessed it myself."
"Yes,
certainly."
Divine Pillars cannot
utter a lie. But it is also true that Divine Pillars is faithful to its own
myth.
He utters lies that he
should not be able to utter. Its contradictory existence is so foreign that it
could betray the existing common sense.
"Let's see. I
think it was about a thousand years ago when he first drifted to Takamagahara.
He infiltrated a noble
family, which was beginning to gain power in the Karen at the time, and helped
them rise to the pinnacle of power in almost a generation.
...... Then, he
crushed them like collapsing blocks and drowned them in a pool of miasma. He
was the mastermind behind the Kutsunagahara disaster."
"This is the
first time I've heard of it."
"We don't know
the extent of his involvement. Records only mention that a fallen nobleman was
the mastermind.
An incarnation that
can easily disguise itself as another person by creeping up on a human being.
It was named
Nurarihyon because its original appearance looked like a gourd or catfish.
That's all I could find out so far."
"......It's
abnormal for a deity to descend into this world on his own in the first
place."
"Although rare,
it is not without precedent.
A Divine Pillar that
has been judged as an evil deity for some reason will be chased out of the
Dragon Den where he or she ruled.
The supply of dragon
veins will be cut off, and thus his or her rank will be degraded, even to that
of a divine spirit. Those who incarnated in this world through the loophole in
the divine covenant become the guest deities.
......That's how it
all went down originally."
Shuka took a sip of
the offered green tea and stuck out her tongue with a pained face, probably
because it was hot.
Akira followed suit
and took a sip. The heat, accompanied by a mellow aroma, sank into his fatigued
tongue.
"The truth is, we
didn't really care whether his identity was unknown or not.
―After all, he was once purified in front of this
Mistress' eyes."
"In front of
you?"
"Yes.
Kanna-no-Mikura at that time exercised Arawakamioroshi and scorched it to death
with Jakuengayou's divine properties.
Although I had
suspicions about how easy it was to purge him after how much trouble he caused
me, there was no proof of that."
Hearing Shuka's words,
Akira and Tsuguho quickly exchanged glances.
After all the hassle,
it came down to an easy purification. It was very similar to the current case.
"Since we don't
know how he escaped, does that mean he could have escaped using the same means
this time?"
"No, this time I
was even more careful.
I sunk him deep into
my divine realm and tied him to Akira before his eyes were aware of it.
Now that it is
severed, there is no possible way for Nurarihyon to be alive."
"Then I hope
so......"
Tsuguho finally
relaxed her shoulders after hearing the divine pillar's assurance.
Draws and pulls. The
curse trap that the Divine Pillar has laid is so powerful that no matter where
one tries to escape from it, it is impossible to escape.
―However, contrary to Tsuguho, Akira did not relax his
stiff expression.
"I have another
question.
Is that mask that
Padre was wearing really a divine artifact?"
"...... There
should be no doubt about that.
At first glance, it
appears to be carved out of wood, but it has a strength that is beyond anything
that can be found in this world. I have never heard of any material that could
withstand the heat of Okuden."
"It was indeed
sturdy, but in the end it broke.
Is that
possible?"
Tsuguho's eyes were
lost in thought upon hearing Akira's point.
It would be impossible
to surpass the indestructible property of a sacred artifact unless it were a
sacred artifact with god-slaying properties.
Shuka, who was sitting
on Akira's lap, interjected in response.
"―It is not
impossible.
The symbol of this
Mistress who is the culmination of the yang Qi (fire-element) is purification.
It is the borderline between death and rebirth.
In particular, the
Rakuyō Zakuro's divine property, wielded by Akira, is a blade of contradiction
for the sake of killing deities.
With that, it can
destroy any sacred artifact."
"......It was
merely a spirit weapon that I used to inflict a crack on its surface."
"It was not a
sacred artifact, then?"
Shuka tilted her head
and Tsuguho shook her head.
"It is true that
Nurarihyon can lie, and as well as replacing himself with someone else, Banda
was even transformed into an Armored Centipede.
With that kind of
power, it would have to be a divine artifact to explain it."
"Banda is an
Armored Centipede? Huh? Wasn't he originally a human!?"
Akira was stunned by
Tsuguho's explanation.
Akira now remembered
that Nurarihyon had called Armored Centipede "Banda".
He didn't pay
attention to it at the time, but if that was the case, it made a lot of sense.
"By the time I
saw him, Banda had already fallen into a half-metamorph state.
And by the looks of
it, he was probably not even conscious."
"It was
undoubtedly a divine artifact. But it can also be destroyed, hmm?
―If so, there is only one possibility."
Shuka's mouth opened
after hearing Tsuguho's affirmation.
The
vermilion-lacquered sake cup that she had somehow picked up was filled with
Hen-Wakamizu, filling the temple with its sweet, fragrant aroma.
"Sacred artifact
is a forged representation of a myth or an anecdote of a deity.
...... Therefore, it
is predestined that each sacred artifact should follow the fate that the anecdote
bears.
The fact that a sacred
artifact can be destroyed without resorting to god-killing must mean that its
destruction is predestined by the anecdote that it follows."
"So that means,
there are some sacred artifacts that have the fate of being broken, huh?
Why would someone
forge a sacred artifact that is imperfect?"
"Who knows? We
won't know unless we ask that guy himself. Now that he has been purified, it is
impossible to know."
"...... No.
Perhaps Nurarihyon is still alive."
Shuka's conclusion was
negated by Akira.
Tsuguho and Shuka's
surprised gazes focused on Akira's serious expression.
"I respect your
opinion, Akira. But I think it is unreasonable.
His very existence was
severed in front of this Mistress' eyes along with the ties he had made.
Nothing is left in its
wake. This Mistress has already ascertained it."
"Yes. Certainly,
that is true."
Akira accepted Shuka's
words with a worried expression on his face.
"......However,
Banda was physically transformed into an Armored Centipede, and we could not be
sure that Padre was his true face.
Nurarihyon said that
he was acting under the authority of that mask, but maybe that mask' authority
was so powerful that it could even be capable of switching places."
"Are you saying
that he can break free from the bond made by Aka-sama herself!?"
Tsuguho was astonished
at Akira's point.
Although the exercise
of the power was outstanding and therefore deceptive, it was certainly a little
too plain even for a sacred artifact in terms of the authority it performed.
Even though it is
limited to Ogre species, the Hyakkimaru, which increases physical strength
without limit, is much more impressive when it comes to authority.
If it is capable of
cheating the bond of fate made by the Divine Pillar, then one can at least be
convinced of this.
A deity that
represents a lie as its myth. A divine artifact that can be broken to the point
of replacing itself with another person. What in the world did this
misshapen-deity's aim in causing this chaos?
"He said he was
going to unleash a Hyakki Yagyo.
But the only ones that
attacked the garrison headquarters were low-level defiled beasts, and the only
big ones were the Armored Centipede and the Giant Ogres.
The only other Hyakki
Yagyo I know of is one instance of a Kutsunagahara apparition, but even
excluding that, it's a pretty lackluster commotion."
"Yes, indeed.
Although he spoke of
Hyakki Yagyo, the scale is nothing like the original one."
Hearing Akira's
doubts, Tsuguho's gaze sank into thought.
For Akira, the
disturbance that occurred at that time was only in the category of an
unexpected big fish caught on a mountain hunt.
The apparition was
indeed a threat, but that alone was not enough to call it an outbreak of
defiled beasts.
"He mentioned
that getting caught by Shuka was part of his plan. If that is the case, it is
highly possible that Shumon Province is not his main target.
―He ought to start the real Hyakki Yagyo in one of the
remaining four provinces."
"Hmmm. Where
would he set the fire?"
"I don't know
where, though."
"―No. I can tell
from the way he has been able to evade this Mistress's oracles."
Shuka happily
disentangled herself from Akira and stood up.
"An oracle is a
process that follows a result. In other words, if there is no result in Shumon
Province, there is no way for an oracle to be revealed.
However, he has
already established the process in several provinces."
"So, if we look
for untouched provinces, we will be able to narrow down the places where he
plans to carry out his Hyakki Yagyo."
Shuka nodded in
agreement to Tsuguho and returned to her seat.
"If he is going
to invade Karen, he will go to Nanbane Mountain Range."
"......The 8th
garrison recently defeated an Armored Centipede there.
Along with this Banda
incident, he may likely have been involved."
"Armored
Centipede is a water element. Therefore, we can rule out Kokuten Province as a
possible target."
"However,
water-element metamorphs normally cannot cross the Nanbane Mountain Range,
which is a wood-element."
Tsuguho pointed out a
flaw in Akira's speculation.
The Cycle of Five
Elements. This law, which sustains the world, can never be violated.
Especially if one is a
defiled beast or a Divine Pillar.
"The dragon vein
of Nanbane Mountains must have been weakened by the dragon vein of the
metal-element."
As Akira and the
others were at a loss to guess, words from the side of the room complemented
their guesses.
Ahead of Akira's
startled gaze, a weary-looking Kihouin Shion strode into the temple hall.
"The Onmyojis
have reported that the presence of the wood-element entering through the dragon
vein at Nanbane Mountains has weakened considerably.
Although not
unprecedented in nature, this situation has warranted an investigation."
"......This is
the first time I have heard of a connection between Nanbane Mountains and
metal-elements."
Tsuguho's surprise was
then answered by Shion.
"It is so
miniscule that we have not considered it a particular problem until now.
However, the eastern end of the Hakudō Province seems to have connected with
the Nanbane Mountain Range's dragon veins. ...... It must have been manipulated
by those people."
Shion sipped the green
tea offered by Tsuguho and sat down.
"They seems to
enjoy playing with the dragon veins, as they did with Vansuir."
"I see. This
would exclude the Hakudō Province as well.
Then there is only one
place left. His target is Kanae’s dragon veins in Central Province."
"The
metal-element weakens the dragon veins, the water-element fuels it.
The wood-element
connects the fuse, and the fire-element raises the smoke of commotion.
All of this is done in
order to go clockwise around the five elements and aim for the last one, the
earth element, right? (TL note: search
wuxing in Google)
He even went so far as
to make a pilgrimage to all five elements, but would it end with just a mere
Hyakki Yagyo?"
"No, for
Nurarihyon, Hyakki Yagyo is merely a means.
......The Divine
Pillar that has been expelled from the dragon den always has only one desire:
to obtain a new dragon den and return to its former summit."
A whirlwind passed
across the temple. The rain had stopped, and the chilly, wet scent of autumn
tickled Akira and the others' noses.
"There is nothing
left to do but to fight. If he intends to start the Hyakki Yagyo in the Central
Province, we must go to lend our hand."
After a moment of
silence, everyone present nodded their heads in agreement with Akira's
decision.
Now that Nurarihyon's
misdeed of trying to steal the dragon den, the base of the five elements'
circulation, has been exposed, there is no one who can stop Akira's action.
Karen. And even Shumon
Province has expressed their will.
In the truest sense,
this is the moment when Akira tried to stand on his own will.
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