Chapter 171: Qualification
Momoe Tenma had defeated Dafudai Makoto.
The result surprised more than just the students of the Onmyo Academy.
Even Amami Daizen, Kurahashi Miyo, and Otomo Jin quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
If Makoto had continued his winning streak and swept through every challenger the academy sent against him, modern Onmyodo would have lost far more than a few matches. They would have been thoroughly humiliated in front of the very predecessors whose legacy they had inherited.
"Hmph. At least one competent youngster finally showed himself."
The former head of the Kurahashi family gave an irritated snort.
After witnessing the previous matches—and especially after learning about the principles behind Imperial Style Onmyojutsu—his dissatisfaction with modern Onmyodo had only grown.
Abe no Yoshihira, however, was focused on something else.
"That technique…"
His gaze remained fixed on Momoe Tenma.
"It should be based on the Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Mantra, but the Sanskrit incorporated into the spell contains several sections unfamiliar to me. It has clearly been modified by later generations rather than preserved in its original form."
A trace of approval entered his eyes.
"By using that altered mantra, he temporarily displaced his existence into another layer of space. That was why Makoto's attacks passed through him without causing harm."
The explanation immediately clarified the mystery behind Tenma's earlier performance.
The lightning had not been blocked.
Neither had the flames.
For that brief period, Tenma himself simply had not fully existed within the same spatial layer as those attacks.
Even though much of modern Onmyodo left Abe no Yoshihira dissatisfied, he had never believed it was beyond redemption.
And Momoe Tenma had just proved it.
More importantly, Yoshihira could see something that most students could not.
Tenma possessed considerable talent as an Onmyoji.
It had simply never been properly drawn out.
Perhaps his reserved personality had kept him from displaying himself. Perhaps no teacher had ever pushed him hard enough to uncover his true potential.
Whatever the reason, the foundation was there.
With proper instruction, his future could be extraordinary.
The thought naturally led Yoshihira toward another conclusion.
He wanted to teach the boy.
The Kingyo had never been created merely to preserve the dead. Its true purpose was inheritance—to allow the knowledge accumulated by one generation of Onmyoji to survive into the next.
His father had already made his position clear as well.
Any student of the modern Onmyo Academy who caught the attention of the ancient masters would be eligible to receive part of their legacy.
And though Abe no Yoshihira had once served as the second head of the Abe family, he was not narrow-minded enough to insist that everything he knew had to remain exclusively within the Abe or Tsuchimikado bloodlines.
"Yoshihira."
Kamo no Yasunori, standing beside him, smiled.
"It appears you have found a promising seedling."
Abe no Yoshihira inclined his head respectfully.
"Whether he is truly worthy of inheriting anything remains to be seen. I would like to observe his performance further."
He looked back toward Tenma.
"But his talent as an Onmyoji cannot be denied."
Despite Yoshihira's status as the second head of the Abe family, he had never behaved arrogantly toward Kamo no Yasunori.
The man beside him was his teacher.
He had also been one of Abe no Seimei's closest friends.
Those two facts alone were more than enough to earn Yoshihira's respect from the bottom of his heart.
"Lord Yoshihira," the former Soma family head suddenly asked, "do you truly need to observe him any further?"
"Observation is still necessary," Yoshihira replied. "Though at this point, it is less about determining whether he has talent and more about seeing how far he can take it."
The Soma family head nodded and said nothing more.
The arena battles continued.
And Momoe Tenma did not disappoint.
Using the strange Onmyo Art that seemed to render him completely untouchable, he defeated one student of the ancient Onmyoryo after another.
First one.
Then another.
Then a third.
With every victory, the atmosphere among the modern students changed.
The pressure created by Dafudai Makoto's earlier winning streak gradually disappeared, replaced by excitement.
But the ancient Onmyoryo students were hardly fools.
They had survived in an age where learning an opponent's habits quickly could mean the difference between life and death.
If the modern students were capable of observing and adapting, the students of the Heian Period were even more accustomed to doing so.
By Tenma's final match, his opponent had already identified the flaw hidden within his seemingly invincible technique.
The opening was seized without hesitation.
Tenma's defense was broken in a single decisive exchange.
His winning streak ended there.
Yet the outcome no longer mattered.
Kasugano Sora stepped forward and announced the result.
"Momoe Tenma has successfully endured three rounds."
Her voice rang clearly across the arena.
"He has earned qualification to become an official member of the Myriad Dharma Supernatural Department."
The academy erupted.
"He qualified!"
"Tenma actually made it!"
"That's incredible!"
"I seriously underestimated him…"
"So did everyone else."
Countless gazes fell upon Momoe Tenma.
There was envy in them.
Admiration as well.
But above all, there was respect.
Before today, many students had barely noticed him.
Now, no one could dismiss him as an unremarkable classmate hiding behind a pair of glasses.
He had stepped onto the arena after the Onmyo Academy suffered three humiliating defeats in succession.
Then he had beaten the opponent responsible for all three.
After that, he had continued winning against students of the ancient Onmyoryo until he had earned his place in the Myriad Dharma Supernatural Department.
For the students of modern Onmyodo, Tenma's victories had released much of the frustration that had been building inside them.
More importantly, he had forced the Onmyoji of a thousand years ago to look at their generation again.
Not as sheltered descendants.
Not as weak imitations of the past.
But as Onmyoji capable of standing on the same arena and fighting back.
Chapter 173: The Beginning and End of Everything (Finale)
The selection test continued.
As time passed, more exceptional students began to distinguish themselves.
Shirayukihime.
Tsuchimikado Natsume.
Kurahashi Kyoko.
And several others.
One after another, they produced impressive performances against the students of the ancient Onmyoryo.
Even when viewed across the long history of Onmyodo, their aptitude could only be called outstanding.
Their backgrounds were equally formidable.
Natsume stood behind the legacy of the Tsuchimikado clan.
Kyoko carried the resources and teachings of the Kurahashi family.
Shirayukihime had Ashiya Doman behind her.
The advantages possessed by these young Onmyoji were far beyond those available to ordinary students of the old Onmyoryo.
As their battles continued, the expressions of the legendary Onmyoji watching from above gradually softened.
Several nodded with satisfaction.
Amami Daizen and Otomo Jin finally looked more at ease as well.
At least the modern generation had recovered some dignity.
Had every student of the present era been effortlessly swept aside by youths from the Onmyoryo of a thousand years ago, neither of them would have known how to face the ancient masters afterward.
Eventually, the assessment came to an end.
Gin Tsumugi looked over Tsuchimikado Natsume and the others gathered before him and nodded.
"This visit to the Onmyo Academy has achieved what it needed to."
The selection had been completed.
Promising students had emerged.
And the ancient predecessors had been given a chance to evaluate what remained of Onmyodo after a thousand years.
But the moment of relief did not last.
"Seimei."
Kamo no Tadataka's voice turned grave.
"Even from within the Kingyo, I can sense that Mount Fuji is becoming unstable."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Abe no Yoshihira, the former heads of the Soma and Kurahashi families, and the other ancient Onmyoji all turned toward the outside world.
Their expressions hardened.
The malignant presence radiating from Mount Fuji had grown stronger.
Far stronger.
Even separated by distance and the barriers surrounding the Kingyo, the aura belonging to Yamata no Orochi could still be felt.
Its awakening was approaching.
And quickly.
Otomo Jin frowned.
"It seems our prediction was wrong."
The Onmyodo authorities had previously estimated that Yamata no Orochi would require roughly three months to complete its revival.
That estimate was now obviously useless.
Gin Tsumugi's expression was calm, but his answer was immediate.
"Less than three days."
The others looked toward him.
"There are fewer than three days remaining before Yamata no Orochi fully revives."
He had been watching Mount Fuji more closely than anyone.
There was no possibility that he would fail to notice such a dramatic change.
Unfortunately, knowing the exact timing did nothing to solve the real problem.
He was not strong enough.
Not yet.
With his current strength, attempting to seal Yamata no Orochi once it fully revived was no longer realistic.
His original plan had depended on time.
Three months.
Three months to cultivate.
Three months to increase the completion rate of his role-playing system.
Three months to accumulate enough strength to confront Yamata no Orochi at the moment of its resurrection.
Now those three months had become three days.
The plan had collapsed before it could even begin.
Kamo no Tadataka watched him for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"Seimei."
Gin Tsumugi turned toward him.
"I do not know what method you use to increase your strength," Tadataka continued, "but if the only thing you lack is time, I may have a way to give it to you."
Gin Tsumugi froze.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"Teacher, please explain."
Time.
That was exactly what he needed most.
"Come with me."
Kamo no Tadataka turned and walked deeper into the Kingyo.
Gin Tsumugi followed.
The two traveled through the hidden depths of the ancient treasure until the surrounding space grew unnaturally quiet.
As they walked, Tadataka spoke.
"Seimei, have you ever wondered why the Soul Imprints stored within the Kingyo can survive for so long?"
Gin Tsumugi frowned.
"For a thousand years?"
"The Kingyo was forged through the combined efforts of the entire Onmyoryo. Considering what went into creating it, preserving Soul Imprints for a thousand years is extraordinary, but not impossible. I would not even be surprised if it could maintain them for another thousand."
Kamo no Tadataka shook his head.
"You misunderstand me."
He stopped.
"What I mean is that even after tens of thousands of years, the Soul Imprints preserved within the Kingyo would not suffer the slightest deterioration."
Gin Tsumugi stared at him.
"That's impossible."
A few thousand years, perhaps.
He could accept that much from a secret treasure created by the full power of the ancient Onmyoryo.
But tens of thousands of years without the slightest consumption?
Without decay?
Without weakening?
No artifact should be capable of maintaining spiritual information indefinitely without paying some kind of price.
"What kind of technique could possibly accomplish that?"
"This."
Kamo no Tadataka began forming hand seals.
Spiritual energy stirred.
The space before them twisted.
Then it opened.
A black void roughly the height of a man appeared in midair.
It was not simply darkness.
Its depths seemed endless, layered with distortions that made space itself difficult to perceive.
Terrifying energy leaked from within.
Only a trace.
Yet even that trace would have been enough to threaten an ordinary Great Yokai.
Gin Tsumugi's expression immediately became serious.
His instincts warned him more clearly than any explanation could.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
He had considerable confidence in his current strength, but if that dark passage dragged him inside without preparation, he could imagine only one outcome.
Death.
"Teacher…"
He stared into the distorted darkness.
"What is this?"
Kamo no Tadataka answered without hesitation.
"A Space-Time Tunnel."
Gin Tsumugi's pupils contracted.
"A Space-Time Tunnel?"
He looked back at the void.
Something capable of linking different points across space and time.
A path that could cross the boundary between past and future.
Such a thing actually existed.
"You are surprised?"
Kamo no Tadataka gave a small smile.
"We were no less shocked when we discovered it."
He turned toward the tunnel.
"This is the greatest secret of the Kingyo."
His expression grew solemn.
"And one of the greatest secrets ever possessed by the Onmyoryo."
Then he began explaining.
The origin of the Kingyo.
The true reason its Soul Imprints could remain preserved without deterioration.
And the nature of the passage before them.
By the time Kamo no Tadataka finished, Gin Tsumugi finally understood.
The Space-Time Tunnel led to the Heian Period.
A thousand years into the past.
By exploiting the difference in temporal phases between the two eras, he could enter the Heian Period, spend the time necessary to accumulate power there, and eventually return to the present.
For the outside world, hardly any time needed to pass at all.
The three days he had remaining no longer mattered.
The months he had lost could be reclaimed.
Perhaps even far more than that.
When Gin Tsumugi finally understood what this opportunity represented, he did not hesitate.
"Teacher."
He looked once more at Kamo no Tadataka.
"Then I suppose we'll meet again in a moment."
A secret technique enveloped his body.
Spiritual light covered him from head to toe.
Then Gin Tsumugi stepped forward.
Without hesitation, he plunged into the Space-Time Tunnel.
His figure vanished into the endless darkness.
The passage trembled.
Then silence returned.
Kamo no Tadataka remained standing there for several seconds.
"Seimei…"
He slowly lowered himself into a cross-legged position before the tunnel.
"What comes next is up to you."
He would wait here.
For his disciple, only a moment might seem to pass in the present.
But beyond that passage, who knew how much time would unfold?
Kamo no Tadataka closed his eyes.
He would wait for Abe no Seimei to return.
For the man history would remember as the Lord of Myths and Miracles.
For the one who had carried the burden of salvation a thousand years ago and would now be forced to shoulder it once more.
Whether in the Heian Period or the modern age, that truth had never changed.
Without him, the coming chaos might consume everything.
And so Kamo no Tadataka waited.
However long the road beyond that tunnel became, he believed the person who emerged from it would be ready.
Every moment of waiting would be worth it.
…..
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Frieren: The Demon Who Learned to Love