Ashiya Doman.
Also known as Doman the Archmage, or Monk Doman.
In ancient times, the word "Great" (Dai/Tai) was not applied to those who were weak.
Since Japanese culture was deeply influenced by Ancient China, they understood the weight of the character for "Great."
"Great"—pronounced as Tai. It means the Extreme. The Ultimate.
Zhouyi, The Great Treatise I: "The Changes have the Great Ultimate (Taiji)."
Zuo Zhuan, 24th Year of Duke Xiang: "The Great One has established virtue."
Book of Rites, Li Yun: "Rites must be based on the Great One, which divides into heaven and earth, turns into yin and yang, changes into the four seasons, and lists ghosts and gods."
As you can imagine, in ancient times, to be called "The Archmage" (Dai Hoshi) meant Ashiya Doman was truly shocking. He was known as the "Dao Daman" (The Daoist Doman).
It symbolized that this ancestor of the Onmyoji lineage had reached the pinnacle of the Way of Onmyoji. He could be called the best in the world.
Of course, in the past, modern people only regarded these tales as myths.
Burning mountains and boiling seas? Plucking stars and taking the moon?
It was just a fantasy of the ancients about the unknown—a manifestation of faith. Modern scholars even sighed at the rich imagination of the ancients, mocking them for writing as if they had seen it with their own eyes.
But now?
Numb.
Kyoaki Hashimoto was completely numb.
Why?
Why did the Extraordinary Seed lead to such a sudden change? Why does the character of the rain feel so malevolent!?
You are the one who brought up Abe no Seimei…
No, no, no! I am so sorry!
I shouldn't have neglected the Ancestor like this!
Please forgive me! Please forgive me…
Ignoring the surprise of the others around him, Hashimoto, who had criticized the ancestor in his heart just moments ago, immediately dropped to his knees. He performed the ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows to the figure in the storm.
He was afraid.
He was terrified of the Archmage Doman.
Although this Grandmaster was famous, he was not a benevolent figure like Seimei. If you really had to face this Archmage, few would dare to boast about their connection to him.
After all, this person's alignment on the moral compass was firmly in the bottom corner.
Chaotic Evil.
He was the kind of monster who destroyed cities and slaughtered nations for his own amusement.
Now, Kyoaki Hashimoto really wanted to hug the thighs of the ancient historians and howl in pain.
Ancestors! My ancestors!
You really saw it with your own eyes!!
It turns out you didn't rely on imagination at all—you were pure realists!!
Can't you leave behind some defensive measures? At least leave us descendants some real power for reference!!
Hashimoto's panic and horror were clearly seen by Haruno Yukinoshita and the others.
Their expressions gradually changed from shock to deep worry.
If their "Old Baby" (Grandma Mitsue) couldn't withstand this, then looking at the power of the natural disaster, the entirety of Tokyo might sink to the bottom of the sea.
And the name "Ashiya Doman" that Hashimoto had just screamed made them all feel terrified.
This person was not good at staying dead…
And if the ancient descriptions were accurate…
Haruno's face grew paler the more she thought about it.
Finally, Hashimoto, whose forehead was bleeding from kowtowing, stood up with a dazed look in his eyes. He told everyone a piece of news that was devastating.
"The vaguely visible city in the sky… it is called the Evil Spirit Left Ministry (Sama-no-Kami)."
It was the "Great Cause" of the Archmage Doman. His twisted "Merit."
In order to curse Fujiwara no Michinaga, the ruler at that time, Archmage Doman had set up a Grand Curse powerful enough to massacre an entire city.
The main targets were the dignitaries and nobles in the capital. But the other innocent creatures—commoners, animals, children—were either thrown into pools of blood or starved to death to fuel the ritual.
At that time, the ancients gave Doman's crazy curse a name: The Evil Spirit Left Ministry.
Now that this cursed city had reappeared, it was not difficult to guess what this chaotic, evil wizard intended to do.
"He wants to curse all the nobles in Tokyo… and even…"
Refine the entire city into a Dead Zone.
As soon as these words came out, whether it was the people at the scene or the officials watching the feed at Headquarters, everyone felt a primal, horrified fear.
This person… who exactly is this person…
Inspector Megure, far away in the Metropolitan Police Department, was stunned for a moment. Then, silently, he raised the small Suzu Bell he had prepared to please Grandma Mitsue.
His expression instantly distorted into something devilish.
Old Baby!
Old Baby!!
You must hold on!
If you can't, our Tokyo is f**king finished!!
Perhaps some people were confused. The noise at the scene was loud, but not deafening. How could it endanger all of Tokyo? At most, they could just evacuate and abandon the Sobu High School district.
Then they looked at the surging clouds gradually spreading outward from the sky, expanding like a cancer.
"...…"
Got it.
He's still charging up his ultimate move, isn't he?
At this moment, no one raised any stupid questions. In the minds of all those who knew the truth, there was only one voice left: Old Lady shaking the banner, you have to cheer up…
However, it wasn't that no one took the opportunity to escape.
The powerful were all people who cherished their lives. How could they put their life and death in the hands of others? They fled on special helicopters and private jets while nervously watching the projection screens.
The tremors radiating from Sobu High School could normally be dismissed as just another earthquake in Japan—a high-risk area for seismic activity.
But feeling the vibration of the MPD building, Inspector Megure shook the Suzu Bell more vigorously. It was as if his own desperate actions could add some strength to Grandma Mitsue at the scene.
Until the uneasiness in his heart became turbulent and reached a breaking point.
The bell fell from his hand. Clattering on the floor.
His eyes were dazed and stunned.
The earthquake stopped.
But the disaster had not been eliminated.
It was still hanging in the air. It was still spreading outward.
A blood-stained palm "slowly" descended from the clouds.
The palm was gigantic. It covered the sky.
One could even clearly see the fingerprints—which were composed of millions of writhing, resentful spirits.
It seemed as if the owner of the palm had slaughtered every living creature in an entire era to forge it. The sound of countless screams and wails was so loud that it made one's scalp numb.
Thrum.
Stuffy. Dull.
The thunder stopped. The lightning disappeared.
But the huge hand pressing down from the heavens made the observers feel so oppressed they wanted to vomit blood.
At the same time, Grandma Mitsue also stopped shaking her banner.
Behind her, a looming, grand spiritual domain hovered in the sky, trying to form a shield.
It's over…
Haruno Yukinoshita stared blankly at the collision about to happen.
She didn't know if Grandma Mitsue could stop it. But she had a hunch.
Even if she did, the collision between the two sides would probably produce a catastrophe similar to a nuclear explosion in the air. No one could stop the disaster from coming.
Because the huge hand was too magnificent.
There was a sense of despair, like Sun Wukong being pressed down by the Five Finger Mountain.
Is this a game between extraordinary beings?
In a trance, Haruno felt she could no longer see the upper limit of the Supernatural.
Nor could she see…
Hmm!?
Her eyes snapped open. Her breath caught in her throat.
What was that?
In her vision, the dull, dead scene suddenly had a spark of discord.
The Artifact—The Copper Pestle—was shaking.
A mortal object facing a natural disaster.
In just a moment, an incredible light exploded…
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