Ryougi Raku stood still for a moment, then suddenly moved, rushing in the direction Kamo no Meihin had fled. His speed was neither fast nor slow, always maintaining a specific distance—enough to apply pressure without letting his prey realize escape was impossible and give up hope.
…
After fleeing the main hall, Kamo no Meihin sprinted towards the hills behind the shrine. The forest was dense; he stumbled over a rock and fell hard. The wound on his chest, which had been partially healed by magic, tore open again from the impact. Blood flowed freely, staining his clothes crimson. He grimaced in pain but didn't dare stop. Groaning miserably, he climbed back to his feet and continued his desperate flight. Having lived a life of luxury, how could he have ever endured such suffering?
A roar echoed from the foot of the mountain. As he fled, Kamo no Meihin looked back to see his ancestral temple blown to pieces. A shiver of fear ran through him, and he sped up even more! Yet, he felt a sliver of delight, thinking those shikigami must have held the enemy back for quite some time!
'Just you wait, kid, until I get there...' He cursed inwardly, but a deeper panic about that youthful figure gnawed at him.
…
After settling the Kamo family members, Nagata Teppei was filled with anxiety. Remembering his teacher's unusual behavior that day, he grew deeply concerned. After much deliberation, he decided to go to the ancestral temple. "If the teacher has defeated the enemy, I will go to congratulate him. If the enemy is stronger than expected, I might even be able to assist," Nagata Teppei thought to himself.
Acting on this thought, he hurried towards the ancestral temple. Fortunately, he wasn't far away. Before long, the temple came into view.
A loud "boom!" startled him. A flash of fire erupted from one side of the hall, casting a red glow on his face. Nagata Teppei was shocked. He recognized this as his teacher's most powerful technique. After using it, Kamo no Meihin would be drained of power for a while. One could imagine how formidable the enemy must be!
'I wonder if the enemy was killed by that move?' Nagata Teppei thought, but he didn't dare relax. He quickened his pace. When he arrived at the main hall, he saw Kamo no Meihin running out and heading towards the back mountain!
'It seems the enemy hasn't been eliminated. But the teacher is running so purposefully; there must be a reason. I'd better follow him!' After a moment's thought, he understood the situation and followed Kamo no Meihin.
The path up the mountain was rugged, but this didn't slow him down. On the way, he witnessed the collapse of the ancestral temple, which saddened him greatly. That was the place where the Kamo clan ancestors were worshipped, the result of generations of inheritance!
Before he could dwell on it, after many twists and turns, he finally reached the forbidden area of the Kamo clan.
"It seems the teacher has entered the forbidden area. I..." He hesitated before the cave entrance. His family had been shattered in his youth, both parents dying in an accident. He had lived in poverty for years until, by chance, he was adopted by the Kamo family. The family head had even taken him as a disciple, teaching him the arts of Yin-Yang, something he'd never dared dream of. He was a man who believed in repaying kindness, and thus held great respect for this family, devoting himself wholeheartedly to its welfare. He was extremely obedient to its rules, never daring to disobey.
Now, facing this place the family had repeatedly forbidden anyone to enter, he hesitated. But thinking of the unknown enemy and his teacher's danger, he gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and ran inside!
The cave entrance looked narrow, but once inside, Nagata Teppei found the passage quite spacious. It wasn't dark at all; countless candles burned on the walls on both sides. Paying this no mind, he hurried deeper. Soon, he exited the passage into an empty hall!
The hall had no ceiling; moonlight shone directly down, surprising Teppei Nagata. He never knew such a small valley lay hidden here!
In the center of the vast square was a huge stone covered with all kinds of talismans. Beneath the stone was a massive, strange magic circle. His teacher, Kamo no Meihin, was pacing anxiously in front of the stone! Aside from this, there was nothing else.
Seeing his usually dignified teacher now in tattered clothes, covered in dust, with a massive wound on his chest, Teppei Nagata was shocked!
"Master Meihin!" he shouted, running quickly towards him.
Hearing someone call his name, Kamo no Meihin jumped in fright, his first thought to flee. But when he saw it was Teppei Nagata, a look of joy spread across his face!
"Teppei, why are you here?" Kamo no Meihin asked happily.
"After settling the family members, I was afraid something might happen, so I came to assist you. When I saw you enter the forbidden area, I feared for your safety, so I entered without permission. I beg your forgiveness, Master." He bowed respectfully, his tone apologetic.
"It's fine, it's fine. These are extraordinary times; we must act accordingly. It's not your fault." Kamo no Meihin waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind.
Then, as if remembering something urgent, he hurriedly said, "Teppei, the enemy will be here soon. Help me hold them off. Activating the secret art of my Kamo family requires time. If you can buy me the necessary time, the enemy will be powerless!"
"Yes, Master! It is my duty!" Nagata Teppei agreed to this dangerous task without a second thought.
"Good, good, good! My kindness to you was not in vain! If we succeed this time, I will teach you all the techniques of the Kamo family, and you shall take the Kamo name!" Kamo no Meihin nodded repeatedly, hastily making a promise.
"Master, you have treated me like your own son. I would do this even without your promise!" Nagata Teppei shook his head. His loyalty to the Kamo family was absolute. Facing a powerful enemy, it was his duty to help the family resist. Now, with the master's promise, he was even happier, as it meant he could truly integrate into this family!
…
Ryougi Raku, following Kamo no Meihin, arrived at the cave entrance. The mouth of the cave was dark and ominous, but skilled and brave, he entered without hesitation. Passing through the corridor, he emerged into the square. A casual glance was enough to understand the layout.
Seeing an additional person, he didn't care in the slightest. If they wanted to stop him, he would just kill them.
Nagata Teppei steadied himself. Seeing Ryougi Raku appear, he knew the enemy's strength and secretly pondered how to buy more time. Simultaneously, he said to Kamo no Meihin, "Master Meihin, I will do my best to buy time. Please hurry... Uh~"
A sharp pain erupted in his chest. Thinking it was an enemy attack, Nagata Teppei looked down to see a short dagger protruding from his chest. The enemy in front hadn't moved. He turned his head with difficulty and saw Kamo no Meihin holding a ceremonial short knife, his expression ferocious, his eyes insane. "Mas... ter... Meihin... why... cough..." A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips, and his body tilted, collapsing to the ground. In the end, he never managed to ask that final question, and now he never would.
"Hah, hah, hah~ Hahahahahaha~~" Kamo no Meihin, indifferent to the blood spraying on his face, laughed maniacally. "It will succeed, it will succeed, hahahahaha!"
Ryougi Raku simply watched this farce quietly, unmoved, a sneer playing on his lips.
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Kamo no Meihin's crazed laughter echoed through the cave.
Nagata Teppei's body lay before him, blood flowing from his chest and slowly spreading across the ground. As the blood was absorbed by the strange magic circle, the densely packed talismans flashed. The incantations pasted on the boulder rustled without any wind, as if ready to tear at any moment. Roars, as if from a distant shore, emanated from the stone, like a ferocious beast about to break free from the bonds of hell and descend upon the earth!
Kamo no Meihin finally stopped his disgusting laughter and looked at Ryougi Raku with resentment. "Brat, you'll be dead soon! Even if you run now, it's useless! The thing inside has memorized your aura! It will chase you to the ends of the earth until you die!"
Ryougi Raku wasn't panicked at all and asked with great interest, "Oh? That powerful? What's inside?"
Seeing Ryougi Raku's nonchalant expression, Kamo no Meihin gritted his teeth and spat venomously, "Brat, have you heard of the Nine-Tailed Fox? This is the Cursed Stone that the Nine-Tailed Fox turned into after its death!" He emphasized the words "Nine-Tailed Fox" and "Cursed Stone," hoping to see panic on Ryougi Raku's face. But he was doomed to disappointment.
"The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox? The Cursed Stone? Didn't that thing get shattered?" Ryougi Raku had of course heard of them. They were famous in both this life and his previous one, but this didn't frighten him. If he felt anything, it was an unbearable excitement!
However, in his memory, the Cursed Stone formed after the Nine-Tails' death had long been broken by a monk. But now Kamo no Meihin claimed this was the Cursed Stone. Since he dared to use it as a final trump card, he probably wasn't lying. Then there must be some secrets involved. He was still quite interested in secrets, so he asked curiously.
Kamo no Meihin was eager to keep him talking. If Ryougi Raku ran now, the monster inside might revive, and there could be unexpected complications in its pursuit. So he quickly answered his question: "Hmph! It's true the Cursed Stone was broken by the monk Hōnen Shōnin, but its power isn't so easily dissipated. Even shattered, the fragments hold great power. This stone is the largest piece found by my Kamo ancestors!"
"If you have any more questions, ask them quickly! I'll answer them all! It will be ready soon, soon..." Kamo no Meihin calculated the time, feeling secretly anxious.
"Tsk, just a fragment." Ryougi Raku sighed, somewhat disappointed. He thought he might see the legendary Nine-Tails, but it seemed impossible.
It turned out that after the Cursed Stone was shattered by Hōnen Shōnin, the Kamo clan ancestors secured the largest fragment. At that time, the Kamo clan was still powerful. They used Yin-Yang arts to seal the fragment and suppress it. This was partly due to the Onmyoji's duty to prevent it from harming others, and partly out of selfish motives. Because of the seal, the power within the stone couldn't dissipate. Over time, it condensed and took form, transforming into a demon. While not as powerful as the original Nine-Tails, it was still formidable.
Thus, if the Kamo family faced an existential threat, they could use their secret arts to resurrect this newly born demon for defense. Given time, the Kamo family possessed other secrets to reseal it. However, resurrection came at a high cost—the practitioner's life! But a genius within the Kamo family once devised a sinister plan. He altered the ritual, using secret techniques to transfer the required life force to another person, absorbing their vitality instead. All he had to sacrifice was a few years of his own life. In a crisis requiring the Cursed Stone, a few years was a valuable asset!
Naturally, Kamo no Meihin wouldn't sacrifice his own life. That's why, after reaching the forbidden area and realizing he lacked a sacrifice, he hesitated. His joy upon seeing Nagata Teppei was immense.
Ryougi Raku, of course, didn't know these details. Learning the stone was incomplete, he lost interest in further questions. He noticed the skin on Kamo no Meihin's face becoming dehydrated, wrinkles gradually appearing. Part of his originally black hair was turning gray from the roots. The whole man seemed to have aged ten years. The vibrations from the huge stone grew louder, the talismans on it gradually dimming from their bright state. Ryougi Raku knew the ritual was nearing completion!
Ryougi Raku smiled, as if suddenly remembering something, and said softly, "Well, let me ask you one last question, Master Kamo. If I had escaped just now, would the thing inside have gotten out and followed me to all of Kyoto? What would have happened to the ordinary people in Kyoto?"
Hearing this, Kamo no Meihin sneered and said as if it were obvious, "So what if it went to Kyoto? Why should we care about those ordinary people? It is their honor to contribute to my Kamo clan!" He looked arrogant, as if those ordinary people were merely dispensable ants. If not for his utterly wretched state, he might have even had an air of condescension.
Ryougi Raku nodded. Kyoto was the Kamo clan's domain, and its inhabitants were, in a way, his subjects, yet he didn't care. Of course, for Ryougi Raku, aside from those important to him, he cared even less about these other people! This question was merely a whim.
Clap, clap, clap! The crisp sound of applause echoed in the cave. Ryougi Raku chuckled sarcastically, "Master Kamo is truly magnanimous! But, also far too foolish!" At the end of his words, Ryougi Raku shook his head as if disappointed and began walking step by step towards Kamo no Meihin.
"Huh?" Seeing him approach, the fear that had slightly subsided rose from the depths of Kamo no Meihin's heart. He panicked, stepping back twice. "You...!" Before he could finish, a blade flashed. He suddenly felt a void on his left side. He looked blankly to the left only to find his entire left arm severed cleanly at the shoulder. The cut was smooth. The draw had been so fast no blood initially flowed. Kamo no Meihin was stunned for a second; the next moment, a pig-slaughtering scream erupted.
"Ah! My arm! My arm...!"
With a thud of piercing flesh, a katana shot out from Kamo no Meihin's chest, precisely mirroring how he had stabbed Nagata Teppei earlier!
Pierced through the chest, Kamo no Meihin suddenly realized the two sides weren't evenly matched at all; the gap was overwhelming. Even if the demon could kill Ryougi Raku, by the time it revived, it would be more than enough time for Ryougi Raku to kill him first...
Why? How could he kill me so easily, yet not do it from the start? Could his goal have been the Cursed Stone all along? This thought echoed wildly in his mind. He felt this was exactly the case. He had been played from the beginning, manipulated like a mouse by a cat, all for the sake of the Cursed Stone, and he had foolishly followed the script step by step...
"Who is it? Which faction is trying to destroy my Kamo clan...?"
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(TL : More Chapters @)[1]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/c/Gooberilla