When Tenjoin Yuto opened his eyes again, it was already the following morning.The great yōkai war that had engulfed all of Kyoto had ended the day before.
From Nekomata and the others, Yuto learned how everything had concluded.
Although the crises caused by the three falling meteors had all been resolved, and Abe no Seimei had been weakened to a considerable degree, Nura Rikuo and Hagoromo Gitsune ultimately failed to finish him off. Seimei had managed to escape.
In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that if Rikuo hadn't pulled off a last-minute protagonist-style power surge—and if Abe no Seimei hadn't remained constantly wary of Yuto's presence, refraining from using high-output onmyōjutsu that might awaken him—Rikuo and the others might have completely wiped out instead.
And once Abe no Seimei fled, the fragile alliance that had been forced together under pressure collapsed almost instantly.
The Hanakaiin family's stance had always been clear. From the very beginning, they had stood firmly opposed to Hagoromo Gitsune.
As for the Nura Clan, one of Hagoromo Gitsune's long-standing nemeses—even though the current young master, Nura Rikuo, felt genuine gratitude for her aid during the battle, the clan was never something he alone could decide for. He simply didn't have the authority to sway the overall direction.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, Hagoromo Gitsune was the one who had torn out Nura Nurarihyon's living liver, drastically shortening his lifespan—and the very culprit who had killed the Nura Clan's Second Head, Nura Rihan.
On top of that, Abe no Seimei's revival this time around could be attributed, at least in large part, to Hagoromo Gitsune's actions.
So once Seimei withdrew, the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Clan immediately turned their attention toward settling accounts with Hagoromo Gitsune.
During the Kyoto battle alone, quite a few Hanakaiin onmyōji had died at her hands. And the matter of Nura Rihan, the Second Head of the Nura Clan, was never something that could simply be brushed aside.
Rikuo wanted to mediate, but the veteran yōkai who had once followed Nura Rihan had no intention of letting it go.
Meanwhile, Hagoromo Gitsune herself had suffered heavy damage one blow after another. Her yōki had plummeted repeatedly, and with most of her subordinates having left alongside Abe no Seimei, only Kyōkotsu and Aragokurō remained by her side. There was no way she could contend with both the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Clan.
However, just as the Hanakaiin and Nura forces were about to move against her in a fury, Nekomata, Samurai Spirit, and the other yōkai of Kidōin stepped forward once more, positioning themselves in front of Hagoromo Gitsune to shield her.
"Samurai Spirit, what exactly are you trying to do?"Kubina snapped, fury flashing across his face as thin threads extended from his hands and mouth."Is this what your Kidōin does—jumping back and forth between sides?"
The Tsune Province thread-killing yōkai had once been among the most feared monsters of the Edo period, until he was ultimately subdued by Nura Rihan, the Nura Clan's Second Head.
Because of that, the person Kubina respected and revered most was Nura Rihan. Though he often felt deeply dissatisfied with Rikuo's perceived lack of backbone, he had endured it all these years simply because Rikuo was Rihan's son.
And precisely because of how deep Kubina's feelings for Nura Rihan ran, seeing Hagoromo Gitsune—the one who had killed Rihan—naturally sent his emotions spiraling out of control.
As he spoke, the expressions of everyone present grew tense and uncertain.
Ever since Kidōin entered Kyoto, they had constantly thrown themselves into chaotic battles, leaving both the Hanakaiin family and the Nura Clan unsure of where they truly stood.
If you said they were allies, then why had they helped Hagoromo Gitsune give birth to Abe no Seimei in the first place?
But if you said they were enemies, then why had they contributed the most when fighting against Seimei?
Kidōin's behavior was impossible to read—just as Kubina said, constantly swinging back and forth.
"Don't lump us in with fickle cowards like that," Samurai Spirit said coldly."Our goal has been clear from the very beginning—to help Hagoromo Gitsune, not Abe no Seimei.
"We don't know what kind of relationship Lord Yuto shares with Hagoromo Gitsune, but Lord Yuto's will is our faith. Since Lord Yuto ordered us to protect her, we will do so—even at the cost of our lives!"
"If you want to kill Hagoromo Gitsune, then fight us first!""Step over our corpses if you can. Anyone who lays a hand on her becomes our enemy!"
The atmosphere instantly grew razor-sharp.
Abe no Seimei had only just fled, yet because of Hagoromo Gitsune, the remaining factions looked ready to erupt into battle again.
Faced with Kidōin's unwavering resolve, both the Nura Clan and the Hanakaiin family felt an aching headache coming on.
If possible, they truly did not want to become enemies with Kidōin.
Putting aside Kidōin's formidable strength, the fact remained that nearly everyone present owed their survival to Kidōin's lord—Tenjoin Yuto.
And if they really turned against Kidōin, then Yuto's existence could no longer be ignored.
That man was even more terrifying than Abe no Seimei.
Was it really wise to make an enemy of such a powerhouse—one who had shown them no hostility to begin with?
It was true that with Yuto drunk senseless, the combined strength of the Nura Clan and the Hanakaiin family would be enough to defeat Samurai Spirit and the others, and even kill Hagoromo Gitsune.
But once they crossed that line, the enemy they would face afterward wouldn't just be Abe no Seimei.
They would have to deal with Tenjoin Yuto—an existence far more terrifying.
Confronted with this impossible decision, the current head of the Hanakaiin family decisively passed the responsibility along, announcing that the position of family head would be inherited by Hanakaiin Yura, who had mastered Breaking Army (Hagun)—and that this matter would be left for Yura to decide.
There were two reasons for this.
First, after mastering Breaking Army, Yura truly did possess the qualifications to become family head.
Second, she seemed to have a fairly good relationship with Kidōin's leader, Yuto. If anyone could resolve this peacefully, it might be her.
After Yura assumed the position of Hanakaiin family head, and following the advice of Hanakaiin Hidemoto, an agreement was ultimately reached with Kidōin.
Four hundred years ago, the Hanakaiin family had acted against Hagoromo Gitsune only because she had run rampant with atrocities. As Kyoto's onmyōji clan, exorcising yōkai was their duty, and that was how the grudge between them had formed.
Hidemoto stated that as long as Hagoromo Gitsune was willing to leave Kyoto and lift the curse placed upon the Hanakaiin bloodline, they were willing to let bygones be bygones.
After all, the reason the Hanakaiin family had survived this time was largely thanks to Yuto. Even though he was a yōkai, he had undeniably saved them.
One could not disregard the face of a benefactor.
And besides—Abe no Seimei was not truly dead yet. No one knew when he might return.
If Seimei were to strike again, the Hanakaiin family alone would have no hope of stopping him.
Offending a superpower capable of standing toe-to-toe with Abe no Seimei, all over Hagoromo Gitsune, would be nothing short of foolish.
Seeing even Hidemoto—who had been killed by Hagoromo Gitsune—display such magnanimity for the sake of the clan, the rest of the Hanakaiin family had nothing left to say.
Moreover, as Hidemoto pointed out, Hagoromo Gitsune really had saved them more than once. Letting this go could be seen as repaying that debt.
And truth be told, they desperately did not want to become enemies with Yuto.
His battle with Abe no Seimei was still burned into their memories.
At that level of power, Yuto and Seimei were practically gods—beings who could annihilate them with a casual gesture.
Compared to the Hanakaiin family, matters were far more complicated on the Nura Clan's side.
Hagoromo Gitsune had torn out Nurarihyon's living liver, leaving him frail and aged, and she had killed Nura Rihan, the clan's Second Head.
That hatred ran far deeper.
Nurarihyon himself, however, stated that he bore no resentment over losing his liver.
Battles between yōkai were always life-and-death affairs. If he had been defeated, it was simply because he was weaker—nothing more to say.
Hagoromo Gitsune, for her part, explained that although she had long intended to kill Nura Rihan, she had always planned to conquer him through force.
What ultimately led to his death was the false memories implanted into her by Gyūki Jizō and Abe no Seimei.
Moreover, with Yamabuki Otome now occupying the dominant position within Hagoromo Gitsune's body—and having genuinely aided Nura Rikuo in battle—the Nura Clan yōkai found themselves torn.
There was no doubt that Hagoromo Gitsune was an enemy.
But Yamabuki Otome—the Second Head's former wife—was not.
And after understanding the full sequence of events, they realized that Hagoromo Gitsune had ultimately been nothing more than a pawn.
The true masterminds, from beginning to end, were Abe no Seimei and Gyūki Jizō.
Seimei sought resurrection and dominion over the world once more.
Gyūki Jizō acted because Nura Rihan had once destroyed the Hyakumonogatari.
In short, Rihan had been an obstacle to them—so Hagoromo Gitsune, masquerading as Yamabuki Otome's daughter, was created.
With false memories implanted by Gyūki Jizō, the Yamabuki Otome of that time even believed herself to be Rihan's daughter, allowing her to approach him successfully.
Then, under Abe no Seimei's secret control, she used the Demon King's Little Hammer to stab and kill the strongest Second Head the Nura Clan had ever known.
In other words, although Hagoromo Gitsune had been involved in every major incident, she had largely been the one left to shoulder the blame.
Many of those actions were taken against her own will—but for the sake of Abe no Seimei's birth, she had allowed it all to happen.