He cut off all contact with Hagoromo-Gitsune.
That was right. After helping Hagoromo-Gitsune reincarnate and giving her an explanation, Abe no Seimei vanished without a trace and did not visit her for a full hundred years.
Even Hagoromo-Gitsune could not find her own son.
During those hundred years, Hagoromo-Gitsune gathered her former subordinates and searched everywhere for Abe no Seimei, but he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth and never appeared.
Then, after a hundred years, Abe no Seimei suddenly returned.
This time, he helped Hagoromo-Gitsune seize control of Kyoto and transformed the entire city into her stronghold.
Afterward, Abe no Seimei disappeared again.
Over the long years that followed, Abe no Seimei would appear once every few decades. Each time, he came and left in a hurry. The longest he ever stayed with Hagoromo-Gitsune was one month.
After that month, Abe no Seimei vanished once more.
In short, since the battle several centuries ago, the number of times Hagoromo-Gitsune had seen Abe no Seimei could be counted on two hands.
That was why Rowan strongly suspected Abe no Seimei had been recuperating from his injuries.
His most recent appearance had been several months ago. Abe no Seimei suddenly sought out Hagoromo-Gitsune and declared that he wanted to resume the extermination of humanity and establish a world belonging to yokai.
Although Hagoromo-Gitsune was surprised, she still agreed and began making preparations.
After all, Seimei was her most beloved son.
Then Abe no Seimei disappeared again.
Even Hagoromo-Gitsune had no idea where he had gone.
After examining all of Hagoromo-Gitsune's memories, Rowan could not help frowning.
He had originally intended to use her memories to locate Abe no Seimei. Yet even Hagoromo-Gitsune did not know where he was.
That was rather absurd.
This guy was far too good at hiding.
"What do we do now?"
Nurarihyon, who had also finished examining Hagoromo-Gitsune's memories, asked the question.
He had originally believed that the centuries-long destiny binding him and Hagoromo-Gitsune would finally be severed tonight.
But now it seemed he had been too naive.
Even if Hagoromo-Gitsune died tonight, there was still Abe no Seimei, who had lived for a thousand years, lurking behind her.
Nurarihyon was extremely wary of this legendary great onmyoji and progenitor of jujutsu sorcerers.
He had already struggled so much against Hagoromo-Gitsune, let alone Abe no Seimei, whose strength surpassed hers.
If the other party attacked, both he and the Nura Clan would probably be finished.
There would be no possibility of survival.
Therefore, Nurarihyon placed all his hopes on Rowan.
Perhaps this unfathomable human could help him deal with Abe no Seimei and crush his ambitions and plans.
Rowan narrowed his eyes. His gaze flickered continuously as his mind raced.
Suddenly, he asked Nurarihyon, "Do you know about the Star Religious Group?"
"The Star Religious Group? The one connected to Abe no Seimei?"
With Rowan's reminder, Nurarihyon abruptly remembered the cult hiding in the shadows.
Rowan nodded.
"Not long ago, I obtained an interesting memory from the brain of someone named Suguru Geto, who belonged to the Star Religious Group."
"This Suguru Geto was originally the leader of the Star Religious Group. But one day, a mysterious person suddenly appeared, effortlessly defeated Geto, and took over as the group's leader."
"Suguru Geto was forced to step down from leader to deputy leader."
Nurarihyon was no fool and immediately understood Rowan's implication.
Anyone capable of becoming the leader of the Star Religious Group was certainly no ordinary person. He had to be an expert.
And someone who could effortlessly defeat that expert…
"Do you suspect that the Star Religious Group's mysterious leader is Abe no Seimei?"
"I'm not certain."
Rowan did not dare speak too definitively.
"But I estimate that the Star Religious Group's mysterious leader is connected to Abe no Seimei somehow. After all, Suguru Geto was still a Special Grade jujutsu sorcerer."
"More importantly, ever since this mysterious leader took control of the Star Religious Group, it withdrew from public view and became more discreet than ever before. That is completely unlike the group's previous behavior."
Nurarihyon hummed and said, "I understand. Once we return, I'll send people to investigate the Star Religious Group and find out where this mysterious leader is and whether he is Abe no Seimei."
Then he turned toward Hagoromo-Gitsune and asked, "What do you plan to do with this filthy fox?"
"Take her back and use her as an experimental specimen," Rowan replied.
Hagoromo-Gitsune was, after all, a rare nine-tailed fox yokai. Killing her would be a waste. It would be better to let her become an experimental subject for Medea and Serie. Perhaps they would make some unexpected discovery.
More importantly, he could use Hagoromo-Gitsune as bait to lure out Abe no Seimei.
He wanted to see whether Abe no Seimei in this world truly cared about Hagoromo-Gitsune.
If Abe no Seimei genuinely cared about her, Rowan could use her to draw him out, then capture and eliminate him as well.
If Abe no Seimei did not care about Hagoromo-Gitsune, then Rowan would simply gain another experimental specimen.
Nurarihyon was somewhat disappointed to hear that Rowan did not intend to kill Hagoromo-Gitsune.
However, when he heard that she would become an experimental subject, he gave her a sympathetic look.
"Experimental specimen" was hardly a pleasant phrase.
Usually, it meant being treated like a laboratory rat.
One did not even need to think deeply to know what kind of treatment Hagoromo-Gitsune would suffer next.
It definitely would not be anything good.
At that moment, even Nurarihyon felt a little sympathy for her. Perhaps dying on the spot would have been the best ending she could hope for.
Of course, sympathy was one thing.
Pleading on her behalf was impossible.
It would never happen in this lifetime.
Whatever fate befell Hagoromo-Gitsune was entirely of her own making.
Nurarihyon was already delighted. How could he possibly beg for mercy on her behalf?
"My men!"
Nurarihyon's voice echoed in the ears of every yokai in the Nura Clan.
"We have won this battle! Next, we return to the Nura Clan, drink to our hearts' content, and celebrate this victory!"
"No one leaves sober!!!"
Every yokai in the Nura Clan immediately erupted into earthshaking cheers. Waves of sound rose and fell, echoing through the night sky.
Rowan opened an air door and brought everyone back to the Nura Clan.
Once they returned, Nurarihyon repeatedly urged Rowan to stay and celebrate their glorious victory together.
Rowan neither agreed nor refused at first and asked the others for their opinions.
Cú Chulainn declared firmly, "Since we won, of course we should celebrate with fine alcohol."
Even Heracles and Nero agreed.
In their view, victory in battle naturally called for a celebration with good wine.
Heroic Spirit EMIYA and King Hassan did not refuse either.
As for Medea, Medusa, Serie, and the others, they had no particular opinion.
In the end, Rowan agreed to stay and celebrate with everyone.
But he had forgotten one thing.
Nero loved to sing.
Halfway through the celebration, a drunken Nero stood up and announced that she would sing a song to enliven the banquet.
Rowan and the others were immediately horrified.
Cú Chulainn was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and sobered up on the spot.
Medea, Medusa, and the others turned pale and grabbed Rowan tightly.
Their reason was simple.
When Rowan escaped through an air door, they wanted to hitch a ride and flee with him.
The yokai of the Nura Clan, however, knew nothing about Nero's terror and began cheering enthusiastically.
"That's the spirit, young lady! Sing us one!"
"That's right! Give us a song! Let us appreciate Lady Nero's beautiful singing voice!"
In truth, they could not be blamed.
Nero's speaking voice was simply far too deceptive.
When she was not singing, her voice was genuinely pleasant—clear and crisp, carrying the unique sweetness of a young woman.
With a voice like that, one would naturally assume she had been blessed with heavenly vocals.
But who the hell could have imagined that Nero was naturally tone-deaf?
Her voice sounded wonderful, but her singing was horrendous beyond belief.
"Umu! Since everyone welcomes my performance so warmly, then I shall grace you with a song."
"Witness my talent! Hear the thunderous applause! Embrace the glory of the sovereign! Bloom like a flower! Let the curtain rise! Aestus Domus Aurea, the Golden Theater that Invites One to Rapture!"
To prevent everyone from running away halfway through her song, Nero activated her Noble Phantasm without hesitation and dragged everyone into the Golden Theater.
"Ooh! What is this place?"
"It's so luxurious! Absolutely magnificent! Everything is glittering gold!"
"Premium seats! We have premium seats!"
Completely unaware of what they were about to face, the members of the Nura Clan continued cheering for the Golden Theater.
Hearing them, Rowan could not help looking at the Nura Clan's members with pity.
Aside from Rowan's group, the only person who sensed that something was wrong was Nurarihyon.
He had noticed that the moment Nero announced she wanted to sing, the expressions of Rowan and the others had become extremely strange.
Thus, an inexplicable sense of unease arose in his heart.
However, Nurarihyon could not determine exactly what felt wrong.
Before long, he understood where that sense of unease came from.
Because Nero began to sing.
Demonic music pierced the brain!
In an instant, those words accompanied Nero's singing and slammed viciously into Nurarihyon's mind, tearing apart every defense and shred of dignity he possessed.
The pipe in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, while the corners of his eyes twitched uncontrollably.
He had encountered people who could not carry a tune before.
But never anything this terrifying.
At that moment, the phrase "singing that could kill" became literal reality.
Nero's voice seemed to possess a demonic quality. It was like an enormous hand continuously stirring Nurarihyon's brain.
His brain…
His brain was trembling!!!
"Aaaah! Stop singing! Please stop singing!"
"I'm going to die! I'm really going to die!"
At that moment, it was not only Nurarihyon.
Every yokai in the Nura Clan began boiling over—in the most literal sense.
Many covered their ears and rolled across the ground. Some even continuously begged Nero for mercy.
But Nero, completely immersed in her own singing, could not hear the yokai's wails and pleas at all.
The more she sang, the more passionate she became.
The more passionate she became, the louder she sang.
As for the yokai, the longer they listened, the deeper their despair became.
At that moment, they suddenly felt that perhaps dying at Hagoromo-Gitsune's hands would not have been such a bad choice after all.