Chapter 143: Shingon: Onmyōdō Framework
"Thrilling!"
Tsuchigumo's roar tore through Nijō Castle's main palace and rolled across the battlefield.
"This is truly thrilling!"
His savage aura surged outward like a storm. For one brief moment, even the attacks of the surrounding Onmyoji and Great Yokai faltered.
"Since fighting Nue a thousand years ago, this is the first time I've had such a painful, exhilarating battle!"
Everyone had heard of Tsuchigumo's strength.
A terrifying existence second only to monsters like Shuten-dōji and Tamamo-no-Mae.
But hearing rumors and witnessing it with their own eyes were two entirely different things.
The raw combat power he displayed now made even Kidōji, a Great Yokai highly skilled in battle, feel wary. If Kidōji were the one facing Tsuchigumo, it feared it might not last more than a few rounds.
After all, there were gaps even among Great Yokai.
"Fortunately, Tsuchigumo agreed to help," Kidōji muttered.
Its blade swept out fiercely.
Under the enhancement of its Ghost, layers of sword storms erupted and forced Kūgū Tenma back more than a hundred meters.
Using that chance, Kidōji looked toward the cool, beautiful figure battling Tsuchigumo, the woman radiating sacred and inviolable divine power.
"Otherwise, this battle might have ended in complete failure, just like four hundred years ago."
Kidōji tightened its grip on its blade.
"We only need to delay them until Nue is successfully born."
Then Kūgū Tenma charged again, and Kidōji had no choice but to meet him.
Bang!
Shōko's delicate hand struck Tsuchigumo in the chest.
Compared to Tsuchigumo's huge, powerful body, Shōko seemed almost tiny. But size had nothing to do with the force she unleashed.
Brilliant, holy divine power flashed from her palm.
Tsuchigumo was hit head-on, as if struck by a recoil cannon, and smashed down from the second floor of the main palace all the way to the bottom.
Wooden pillars shattered.
Floorboards collapsed.
The entire main palace tilted under the impact. Some Onmyoji and Great Yokai still fighting inside were forced to retreat from the surrounding area.
"You truly have thick skin."
Shōko looked down at Tsuchigumo, who had smashed a deep crater into the palace floor.
Aside from several superficial wounds, his aura had not weakened at all.
That blow had done almost nothing to him.
"A deity as powerful as you was rare even a thousand years ago, Shōko Saio."
Tsuchigumo jumped out of the crater and brushed dust from his body.
"That man really did cultivate an incredible existence."
From his tone, it was clear he knew something about Shōko.
Shōko's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
She glanced toward the third floor.
She could not afford to waste more time.
"Kami no Kuni."
A domain fundamentally different from a Ghost descended.
In the next instant, sacred power rippled outward like divine heavenly might.
Wherever it passed, Yin energy was purified. Some newly born Yokai that had just emerged from the source of Yin energy were erased before they could even resist.
Outside, Miyoshi Tōgo, Otomo Jin, and the other Onmyoji struggling against the endless horde finally gained a brief chance to breathe.
At the same time, Great Yokai such as Kidōji and Giant Skeleton felt their own Ghosts being suppressed and weakened to a certain degree.
Their expressions darkened.
None of them had expected Shōko Saio's Kami no Kuni to be this powerful.
Five layers of Ghosts overlapped throughout the battlefield. Although Shōko could not suppress all five completely by herself, she came alarmingly close.
"Tsuchigumo."
After deploying Kami no Kuni, Shōko's aura and pressure surged to their peak.
"I wonder if you can still withstand my next attack so easily."
The faint pressure Tsuchigumo had felt before was now much stronger.
However, Tsuchigumo was not truly reckless or brainless.
His eyes sharpened.
He lowered his stance and became fully vigilant, ready to go all out at any moment.
"Divine Art: Falling Sword Rain."
Shōko formed hand seals.
The power of Kami no Kuni surged.
Countless golden blades condensed in the air, each radiating a sacred and inviolable aura.
Then they fell.
Like ten thousand arrows piercing the heart.
Like a golden tide crashing down from the heavens.
They tore through layer after layer of space and rushed toward Tsuchigumo.
Kidōji, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, Rukugumō, and the other Great Yokai all revealed looks of shock and fear.
If any one of them had to face this attack alone, they would absolutely be unable to withstand it.
"Come!"
Tsuchigumo roared.
He stepped on empty air and charged forward like a raging beast.
Faced with that overwhelming attack, he did not defend.
He did not evade.
He chose to meet it head-on.
For a moment, no one knew whether to call him a fool or a battle maniac.
Boom!
The collision between Tsuchigumo and Shōko's Divine Art sent an explosive shockwave through the entire area.
Golden blades filled with sacred power were crudely snapped and scattered by Tsuchigumo's arms.
But even he could not avoid all of them.
Hundreds of blades pierced his body.
Every blade drew blood.
The sacred divine power acted like potent poison, constantly destroying the vitality within his wounds.
Drip.
Drop.
Bowl-sized droplets of blood fell from the blades embedded in his flesh, splashing across the ground. The thick smell of blood spread through the palace.
"How delicious!"
Tsuchigumo showed no pain at all.
Instead, his face revealed deep satisfaction.
Shōko had no intention of stopping.
While mobilizing the power of Kami no Kuni to suppress Tsuchigumo, she formed another set of hand seals.
"Divine Art: Divine Wheel Slaughter."
Buzz.
Buzz.
Two enormous, razor-sharp light wheels rose into the air.
One radiated with the brilliance of the sun.
The other carried the cold glow of the moon.
They spun with terrifying divine light and an irresistible pressure, then shot toward Tsuchigumo with crushing force, intending to slice him apart.
"Graaaaaaah!"
Tsuchigumo roared and prepared to meet the attack with full force again.
Unfortunately, the two Sun and Moon Light Wheels were far too fast.
Pfft!
In an instant, they severed all four of Tsuchigumo's arms.
Blood sprayed like fountains, turning into a rain of crimson that fell from above.
Bang!
Tsuchigumo crashed heavily to the ground, unwilling but unable to rise.
He had completely lost his ability to fight.
At that moment, Shōko's terrifying strength was fully displayed.
"This is bad!"
Seeing Tsuchigumo fall, Kidōji, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, Rukugumō, and the other Great Yokai all turned grim.
The balance of victory between the Onmyoji and the Yokai shifted with Tsuchigumo's defeat.
Now it had completely tilted to one side.
Tsuchigumo was defeated.
Hagoromo Gitsune could not fight while giving birth.
The remaining five Great Yokai were being pinned down by the Onmyoji and could not easily break free.
If Shōko Saio reached the third floor, where Hagoromo Gitsune was giving birth, the consequences would be disastrous.
On the Onmyoji side, however, Tsuchimikado Arima, Kurahashi Genji, Keikain Hidemoto, the Thirteenth Generation Keikain Hidemoto, Amami Daizen, and the others were all visibly excited.
Victory in this battle was close.
"Your Highness Shōko!"
Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi shouted while bombarding Rukugumō with one Onmyō Art after another.
"Please go to the third floor and interrupt Hagoromo Gitsune's labor! Leave this place to us!"
At the same time, he relentlessly kept Rukugumō from interfering with Shōko.
The same situation played out against Kidōji, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, and the other Great Yokai.
"Damn it..."
Kidōji gritted its teeth.
"Giant Skeleton! Hold them back for a moment!"
"Hmph. Trying to rescue them and stop Her Highness Shōko will not be that easy."
Kūgū Tenma swung the greatsword in his hand even faster.
Thousands of sword shadows converged onto a single point, forcing Kidōji to defend and preventing it from escaping easily.
"Kak, kak, kak..."
Giant Skeleton's laughter echoed through the battlefield.
"White Bone Prison!"
Its massive body collapsed apart in an instant.
Along with its Ghost, it transformed into prisons formed from pale white bones, enveloping all the Onmyoji present.
Tsuchimikado Arima, Kurahashi Genji, Keikain Hidemoto, the Thirteenth Generation Keikain Hidemoto, Amami Daizen, and the others were stunned.
None of them had expected Giant Skeleton to still possess such a move.
But they reacted immediately, unleashing Onmyō Arts to blast the bone shackles before them.
Crack.
Crack.
The sound of breaking bones rang continuously.
After all, Giant Skeleton was a Great Yokai more specialized in treasure hunting than direct combat. Being able to restrain so many National Level Onmyoji at once was already remarkable.
Within a few breaths, Tsuchimikado Arima, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi, and Kurahashi Genji broke free first.
After them came Kūgū Tenma and several others.
Clearly, the strength of the White Bone Prison varied depending on who it restrained.
The National Level Onmyoji who broke free immediately reengaged their previous Great Yokai opponents.
Unfortunately, among the original five Great Yokai, Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku still managed to break away from their entanglement.
They blocked Shōko's path.
"A decent tactic."
Shōko glanced at Giant Skeleton, whose body had already reassembled.
Dense cracks covered its pale bones, and its aura had weakened considerably. If it was careless, Miyaji Hanao, who stood before it, could easily slay it.
"However, if all of you had worked with Tsuchigumo from the beginning, I might have found this slightly troublesome."
Shōko looked back at Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku blocking her way.
"But now, the two of you will not delay me for long."
Her gaze made it seem as though she was not facing Great Yokai standing at the pinnacle of Yokai, but two reckless little demons blocking her path.
"This is also a good opportunity to use the Divine Art that man taught me."
Shōko raised her hands.
"Since he has already reincarnated and returned, this should not count as a breach of contract."
With those words, Shōko formed another set of hand seals.
Her third Divine Art of the day began to unfold.
Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku exchanged glances.
Their vigilance rose to the extreme.
They had witnessed the two Divine Arts Shōko had used against Tsuchigumo.
Both had been terrifying.
Naturally, they did not dare underestimate this one in the slightest.
They immediately poured the full power of their Ghosts into themselves, preparing their strongest defense.
"Do you think mere defense can withstand this?"
Shōko pressed her hands together.
Her voice rang out clearly.
"The beginning of chaos. The prelude of destruction."
"The end of holy light. The final source of creation."
"Five-pointed seal, release."
"Illusory divine dance."
"Divine Word Curse!"
In an instant, the sky brightened.
No.
It was not the sky.
Every inch of space inside Nijō Castle began to emit brilliant holy light.
Obscure divine language, seemingly originating from the heavenly realm of Takamagahara, echoed endlessly in everyone's ears.
Then, pieces of golden Shingon Onmyōdō Framework scattered through the air like celestial maidens casting flowers.
"What is this?"
An Onmyoji in the inner garden of Nijō Castle curiously reached out and caught one of the golden fragments.
But before he could examine it closely, it passed through his palm like an illusion.
For the Onmyoji, these fragments were intangible.
But to the Yokai, they were calamity.
When the pieces of Shingon Onmyōdō Framework landed on the Yokai, they erupted with terrifying purification power.
The Yokai were purified completely in an instant.
Miserable screams rang out one after another.
All ordinary Yokai inside Nijō Castle were wiped out by Shōko's single attack.
Even the colossal Yin energy tornado was affected, becoming slightly thinner for a brief moment.
Of course, that change was only temporary.
Even so, the terrifying sight still shocked Onmyoji like Otomo Jin and Miyoshi Tōgo.
"This is bad!"
Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku immediately realized that their Ghosts had no effect.
More fragments of Shingon Onmyōdō Framework descended, filled with terrifying purification power.
They transformed into chains.
One after another, the chains pierced through Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku.
The horrific purification power erupted inside their bodies, searing them from within.
It felt as though their entire existences were being purified.
Both Great Yokai howled in pain.
"Graaaaaah!"
"Drive these Shingon fragments away!"
Unfortunately, even the power of their Ghosts was useless against the Shingon Onmyōdō Framework.
Dispelling them was even more impossible.
The other Great Yokai watched the scene with horror in their eyes.Chapter 143: Shingon: Onmyōdō Framework
"Thrilling!"
Tsuchigumo's roar tore through Nijō Castle's main palace and rolled across the battlefield.
"This is truly thrilling!"
His savage aura surged outward like a storm. For one brief moment, even the attacks of the surrounding Onmyoji and Great Yokai faltered.
"Since fighting Nue a thousand years ago, this is the first time I've had such a painful, exhilarating battle!"
Everyone had heard of Tsuchigumo's strength.
A terrifying existence second only to monsters like Shuten-dōji and Tamamo-no-Mae.
But hearing rumors and witnessing it with their own eyes were two entirely different things.
The raw combat power he displayed now made even Kidōji, a Great Yokai highly skilled in battle, feel wary. If Kidōji were the one facing Tsuchigumo, it feared it might not last more than a few rounds.
After all, there were gaps even among Great Yokai.
"Fortunately, Tsuchigumo agreed to help," Kidōji muttered.
Its blade swept out fiercely.
Under the enhancement of its Ghost, layers of sword storms erupted and forced Kūgū Tenma back more than a hundred meters.
Using that chance, Kidōji looked toward the cool, beautiful figure battling Tsuchigumo, the woman radiating sacred and inviolable divine power.
"Otherwise, this battle might have ended in complete failure, just like four hundred years ago."
Kidōji tightened its grip on its blade.
"We only need to delay them until Nue is successfully born."
Then Kūgū Tenma charged again, and Kidōji had no choice but to meet him.
Bang!
Shōko's delicate hand struck Tsuchigumo in the chest.
Compared to Tsuchigumo's huge, powerful body, Shōko seemed almost tiny. But size had nothing to do with the force she unleashed.
Brilliant, holy divine power flashed from her palm.
Tsuchigumo was hit head-on, as if struck by a recoil cannon, and smashed down from the second floor of the main palace all the way to the bottom.
Wooden pillars shattered.
Floorboards collapsed.
The entire main palace tilted under the impact. Some Onmyoji and Great Yokai still fighting inside were forced to retreat from the surrounding area.
"You truly have thick skin."
Shōko looked down at Tsuchigumo, who had smashed a deep crater into the palace floor.
Aside from several superficial wounds, his aura had not weakened at all.
That blow had done almost nothing to him.
"A deity as powerful as you was rare even a thousand years ago, Shōko Saio."
Tsuchigumo jumped out of the crater and brushed dust from his body.
"That man really did cultivate an incredible existence."
From his tone, it was clear he knew something about Shōko.
Shōko's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
She glanced toward the third floor.
She could not afford to waste more time.
"Kami no Kuni."
A domain fundamentally different from a Ghost descended.
In the next instant, sacred power rippled outward like divine heavenly might.
Wherever it passed, Yin energy was purified. Some newly born Yokai that had just emerged from the source of Yin energy were erased before they could even resist.
Outside, Miyoshi Tōgo, Otomo Jin, and the other Onmyoji struggling against the endless horde finally gained a brief chance to breathe.
At the same time, Great Yokai such as Kidōji and Giant Skeleton felt their own Ghosts being suppressed and weakened to a certain degree.
Their expressions darkened.
None of them had expected Shōko Saio's Kami no Kuni to be this powerful.
Five layers of Ghosts overlapped throughout the battlefield. Although Shōko could not suppress all five completely by herself, she came alarmingly close.
"Tsuchigumo."
After deploying Kami no Kuni, Shōko's aura and pressure surged to their peak.
"I wonder if you can still withstand my next attack so easily."
The faint pressure Tsuchigumo had felt before was now much stronger.
However, Tsuchigumo was not truly reckless or brainless.
His eyes sharpened.
He lowered his stance and became fully vigilant, ready to go all out at any moment.
"Divine Art: Falling Sword Rain."
Shōko formed hand seals.
The power of Kami no Kuni surged.
Countless golden blades condensed in the air, each radiating a sacred and inviolable aura.
Then they fell.
Like ten thousand arrows piercing the heart.
Like a golden tide crashing down from the heavens.
They tore through layer after layer of space and rushed toward Tsuchigumo.
Kidōji, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, Rukugumō, and the other Great Yokai all revealed looks of shock and fear.
If any one of them had to face this attack alone, they would absolutely be unable to withstand it.
"Come!"
Tsuchigumo roared.
He stepped on empty air and charged forward like a raging beast.
Faced with that overwhelming attack, he did not defend.
He did not evade.
He chose to meet it head-on.
For a moment, no one knew whether to call him a fool or a battle maniac.
Boom!
The collision between Tsuchigumo and Shōko's Divine Art sent an explosive shockwave through the entire area.
Golden blades filled with sacred power were crudely snapped and scattered by Tsuchigumo's arms.
But even he could not avoid all of them.
Hundreds of blades pierced his body.
Every blade drew blood.
The sacred divine power acted like potent poison, constantly destroying the vitality within his wounds.
Drip.
Drop.
Bowl-sized droplets of blood fell from the blades embedded in his flesh, splashing across the ground. The thick smell of blood spread through the palace.
"How delicious!"
Tsuchigumo showed no pain at all.
Instead, his face revealed deep satisfaction.
Shōko had no intention of stopping.
While mobilizing the power of Kami no Kuni to suppress Tsuchigumo, she formed another set of hand seals.
"Divine Art: Divine Wheel Slaughter."
Buzz.
Buzz.
Two enormous, razor-sharp light wheels rose into the air.
One radiated with the brilliance of the sun.
The other carried the cold glow of the moon.
They spun with terrifying divine light and an irresistible pressure, then shot toward Tsuchigumo with crushing force, intending to slice him apart.
"Graaaaaaah!"
Tsuchigumo roared and prepared to meet the attack with full force again.
Unfortunately, the two Sun and Moon Light Wheels were far too fast.
Pfft!
In an instant, they severed all four of Tsuchigumo's arms.
Blood sprayed like fountains, turning into a rain of crimson that fell from above.
Bang!
Tsuchigumo crashed heavily to the ground, unwilling but unable to rise.
He had completely lost his ability to fight.
At that moment, Shōko's terrifying strength was fully displayed.
"This is bad!"
Seeing Tsuchigumo fall, Kidōji, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, Rukugumō, and the other Great Yokai all turned grim.
The balance of victory between the Onmyoji and the Yokai shifted with Tsuchigumo's defeat.
Now it had completely tilted to one side.
Tsuchigumo was defeated.
Hagoromo Gitsune could not fight while giving birth.
The remaining five Great Yokai were being pinned down by the Onmyoji and could not easily break free.
If Shōko Saio reached the third floor, where Hagoromo Gitsune was giving birth, the consequences would be disastrous.
On the Onmyoji side, however, Tsuchimikado Arima, Kurahashi Genji, Keikain Hidemoto, the Thirteenth Generation Keikain Hidemoto, Amami Daizen, and the others were all visibly excited.
Victory in this battle was close.
"Your Highness Shōko!"
Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi shouted while bombarding Rukugumō with one Onmyō Art after another.
"Please go to the third floor and interrupt Hagoromo Gitsune's labor! Leave this place to us!"
At the same time, he relentlessly kept Rukugumō from interfering with Shōko.
The same situation played out against Kidōji, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, and the other Great Yokai.
"Damn it..."
Kidōji gritted its teeth.
"Giant Skeleton! Hold them back for a moment!"
"Hmph. Trying to rescue them and stop Her Highness Shōko will not be that easy."
Kūgū Tenma swung the greatsword in his hand even faster.
Thousands of sword shadows converged onto a single point, forcing Kidōji to defend and preventing it from escaping easily.
"Kak, kak, kak..."
Giant Skeleton's laughter echoed through the battlefield.
"White Bone Prison!"
Its massive body collapsed apart in an instant.
Along with its Ghost, it transformed into prisons formed from pale white bones, enveloping all the Onmyoji present.
Tsuchimikado Arima, Kurahashi Genji, Keikain Hidemoto, the Thirteenth Generation Keikain Hidemoto, Amami Daizen, and the others were stunned.
None of them had expected Giant Skeleton to still possess such a move.
But they reacted immediately, unleashing Onmyō Arts to blast the bone shackles before them.
Crack.
Crack.
The sound of breaking bones rang continuously.
After all, Giant Skeleton was a Great Yokai more specialized in treasure hunting than direct combat. Being able to restrain so many National Level Onmyoji at once was already remarkable.
Within a few breaths, Tsuchimikado Arima, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi, and Kurahashi Genji broke free first.
After them came Kūgū Tenma and several others.
Clearly, the strength of the White Bone Prison varied depending on who it restrained.
The National Level Onmyoji who broke free immediately reengaged their previous Great Yokai opponents.
Unfortunately, among the original five Great Yokai, Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku still managed to break away from their entanglement.
They blocked Shōko's path.
"A decent tactic."
Shōko glanced at Giant Skeleton, whose body had already reassembled.
Dense cracks covered its pale bones, and its aura had weakened considerably. If it was careless, Miyaji Hanao, who stood before it, could easily slay it.
"However, if all of you had worked with Tsuchigumo from the beginning, I might have found this slightly troublesome."
Shōko looked back at Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku blocking her way.
"But now, the two of you will not delay me for long."
Her gaze made it seem as though she was not facing Great Yokai standing at the pinnacle of Yokai, but two reckless little demons blocking her path.
"This is also a good opportunity to use the Divine Art that man taught me."
Shōko raised her hands.
"Since he has already reincarnated and returned, this should not count as a breach of contract."
With those words, Shōko formed another set of hand seals.
Her third Divine Art of the day began to unfold.
Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku exchanged glances.
Their vigilance rose to the extreme.
They had witnessed the two Divine Arts Shōko had used against Tsuchigumo.
Both had been terrifying.
Naturally, they did not dare underestimate this one in the slightest.
They immediately poured the full power of their Ghosts into themselves, preparing their strongest defense.
"Do you think mere defense can withstand this?"
Shōko pressed her hands together.
Her voice rang out clearly.
"The beginning of chaos. The prelude of destruction."
"The end of holy light. The final source of creation."
"Five-pointed seal, release."
"Illusory divine dance."
"Divine Word Curse!"
In an instant, the sky brightened.
No.
It was not the sky.
Every inch of space inside Nijō Castle began to emit brilliant holy light.
Obscure divine language, seemingly originating from the heavenly realm of Takamagahara, echoed endlessly in everyone's ears.
Then, pieces of golden Shingon Onmyōdō Framework scattered through the air like celestial maidens casting flowers.
"What is this?"
An Onmyoji in the inner garden of Nijō Castle curiously reached out and caught one of the golden fragments.
But before he could examine it closely, it passed through his palm like an illusion.
For the Onmyoji, these fragments were intangible.
But to the Yokai, they were calamity.
When the pieces of Shingon Onmyōdō Framework landed on the Yokai, they erupted with terrifying purification power.
The Yokai were purified completely in an instant.
Miserable screams rang out one after another.
All ordinary Yokai inside Nijō Castle were wiped out by Shōko's single attack.
Even the colossal Yin energy tornado was affected, becoming slightly thinner for a brief moment.
Of course, that change was only temporary.
Even so, the terrifying sight still shocked Onmyoji like Otomo Jin and Miyoshi Tōgo.
"This is bad!"
Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku immediately realized that their Ghosts had no effect.
More fragments of Shingon Onmyōdō Framework descended, filled with terrifying purification power.
They transformed into chains.
One after another, the chains pierced through Kidōji and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku.
The horrific purification power erupted inside their bodies, searing them from within.
It felt as though their entire existences were being purified.
Both Great Yokai howled in pain.
"Graaaaaah!"
"Drive these Shingon fragments away!"
Unfortunately, even the power of their Ghosts was useless against the Shingon Onmyōdō Framework.
Dispelling them was even more impossible.
The other Great Yokai watched the scene with horror in their eyes.
....
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