Tokyo Ravens - Volume 10 - Chapter 5.2

Part 2 
The Armored Juggernauts that had dropped down in the courtyard immediately started to suppress the area. The freely-swinging eight legs drove off the surrounding people. The silver silk that the samurai spat accurately bound the armed soldier monks. 
The ajari were knocked flying after being bound by the Tsuchigumo's thread, then immediately lost consciousness. It wasn't a simple unconsciousness. Rather, it was because the thread absorbed their spiritual power. 
Of course, the soldier monks wouldn't just sit and do nothing, and some of them also counterattacked with their automatic weapons. But the rifle bullets were easily deflected off the armor of the Armored Juggernauts. 
The Armored Juggernaut was a mechanical shikigami whose metal body was its vessel. Firearms on the level of rifles couldn't even make it lag in the first place. In contrast, the Tsuchigumo fired the cannons installed on either side of its body as if to say 'Not bad, let me return the favor'. 
The rumbling sound of cannon fire from the Pacific War era, different from the sound of modern firearms, resounded through the mountain. Smoke curled up from the barrels. 
Stone lanterns were shattered, huge trees toppled, and large holes opened up in the monastery. The cannons bombarded the shikyakumon [56] like full-power chainsaws. Though it looked like their accuracy wasn't so good, their effectiveness as a deterrence was the real deal. The soldier monks who had surrounded Harutora before fled everywhere like scattering spiders. 
"Well, to be honest, things like military vehicles are exceptional fighting powers." 
Harutora murmured to himself with a bitter smile. Even with more than twenty military monks as its opponents, the strength of a single Armored Juggernaut was overwhelming. And though the soldier monks were all armed with firearms, they weren't used to using them and cooperating for a group battle. Judging from the way Jougen commanded them, he hadn't commanded an armed group before. And needless to say, infantry like this were useless against military vehicles. 
Before anyone noticed, the two Divine Generals who had announced their uninvolvement beforehand had disappeared somewhere. They were probably afraid of getting dragged in and hence had taken advantage of the chaos caused by the Armored Juggernauts to escape. 
"D-Don't panic, just draw back!" 
"No, aim! Aim at the shikigami's master!" 
It seemed that several high-ranking ajari were shouting angrily. Avoiding the shikigami and attacking the master was a fundamental of magic battle when confronting powerful shikigami. But the excellence of the Tsuchigumo wasn't just in their offense. The Tsuchigumo nimbly used their legs and bodies to block bullets, deflecting all of the shots aimed at Harutora. Then, the people who had aimed at Harutora along with their commanders were immediately dealt with by the loyal defensive shikigami-- 
"Scoundrel!" 
After they were subjected to a fierce counterattack, they went silent. The barrier based on the Mountain Gate would be destroyed soon and flaws had appeared in the array covering the interior of the monastery. Though the main hall's barrier still stayed up, a small defect would have huge consequences since the magic it was constructed with was extremely unstable. Right now, the lag had already subsided from Hishamaru and Kakugyouki. 
Then, as Hishamaru danced marvelously through the battlefield, Kakugyouki entered the depths of the main hall, destroying the final barrier. The array had already vanished completely when he came out. 
The soldier monks were still putting up resistance, but not long afterwards they saw the second Armored Juggernaut advancing while constantly knocking down the cedar trees to the left and right of the mountain path in front of it. This was the Armored Juggernaut that had just activated by the south side of the mountain and destroyed the barrier at the Mountain Gate. 
The monks moaned in despair upon facing the new powerful shikigami. The second Armored Juggernaut's eight legs clanked as it moved and climbed up the mountain path, gazing at the soldier monks. Then, it easily passed through the shikyakumon that had already become cannon fodder. It walked in front of the first Armored Juggernaut as if saying 'Requesting regroup', neatly and respectfully arranging its eight legs. In comparison, the first Armored Juggernaut stamped back respectfully as if to say 'Good work'. 
With the two gathered in the courtyard along with the one attacking on the north side of the mountain, the three Armored Juggernauts were all objects that had been stolen from the Onmyou Agency storehouses. Originally, vessels of the level of Armored Juggernauts ought to have been sealed in the Onmyou Agency building's sealed storage room. But unfortunately, the Armored Juggernauts' vessels were too huge, and it was difficult to keep them inside the agency building. Hence, the Armored Juggernauts had been kept in a storehouse administered by the Onmyou Agency under the name of research materials. 
Of course, magical security had been cast on the storehouse. Especially after the incident with the 'Child Prodigy' Dairenji Suzuka, that security had become even more serious. Even so, it was quite easy to break into the storehouse compared to the agency building's sealed storage room. Harutora and the others had used stealth magic to infiltrate the storehouse and cleverly stolen the Armored Juggernauts. 
"They were originally things I made, so it's more accurate to say that I'm 'taking them back'." 
To Harutora who casually said that, Hishamaru replied: 
"These things must be very happy right now as well." 
"Those things are armaments, not you." 
Kakugyouki rebutted. 
Also, Harutora had cast some misleading precautions on the simple shikigami guards and workers so that the Armored Juggernauts wouldn't be realized as stolen for a while afterwards. Actually, Harutora and the others had spent the seven days between receiving Jougen's message of 'summons' to arriving at Seishuku Temple on stealing the Armored Juggernauts along with handling and maintenance. 
Harutora's reasons for especially utilizing the Armored Juggernauts wasn't because he had anticipated Jougen's next move. Rather, he had prepared them as effective measures to suppress a forested mountain battlefield in case the summons to Seishuku Temple was a trap. In the end, it was just coincidence that they had become an effective countermeasure to oppose this magical-energy-sealing array. But even if he hadn't prepared the Armored Juggernauts, Harutora had other means of destroying the magical array. 
Hishamaru returned to Harutora's side, leaving the suppression of the courtyard to the two Armored Juggernauts. Harutora briefly checked the appearance of his defensive shikigami. 
"Are you fine?" 
"Of course, Harutora-sama." 
Hishamaru waved her fox tail, replying pompously. 
Kakugyouki shrugged his shoulders at the two, showing a fed-up expression. 
"What Harutora wants to hear about is the condition of your 'stability'. It's normally in a pretty bad condition, and the magical array just now could only have impacted it negatively. Why don't you just obediently stay on the sidelines?" 
"How foolish. Defensive shikigami are supposed to always stay by their masters. How can I alone stay uninvolved?" 
The fox spirit frowned and rejected the one-armed oni's proposal. But Harutora also looked troubled. 
"But what Kakugyouki says is reasonable. Hishamaru, you don't need to force yourself that much." 
"What! H-Harutora-sama, even you're saying such things? Harutora-sama, are you saying you no longer need Hishamaru!?" 
 
"I never said that kind of thing at all." 
"T-Then please don't say such heartless things. My current condition definitely isn't as severe as Kakugyouki says. It's my natural responsibility to move alongside you as a defensive shikigami." 
Hishamaru desperately spoke to Harutora with a despairing expression. Tears welled up in her clear blue eyes and the ears on her head and her elegant fox tail trembled pitifully. To be honest, it had been fine when she had her child form, but Harutora was pretty troubled every time he saw her do this kind of thing with her stifling beauty now that she had an otherworldly gorgeous appearance. He smiled bitterly, just replying to Hishamaru with an "I understand". Actually, he felt more at ease letting her follow him by his side than forcefully ordering her to leave and ending up with her secretly trailing him. 
Then, Harutora's gaze returned to the battlefield before him again. He wished he could have avoided letting the Armored Juggernauts loose in this old haunt if at all possible. Unfortunately, things had turned into this. The passage of time was truly cruel. 
Harutora wore a complex expression as his eyes reflected a scene from the same place but a different time. Then, there was a nostalgic figure from that scene. 
"I'm very sorry, Shinra." 
Harutora muttered with a lonesome expression. 
But it might be too early to say that. The changes to the battle situation brought by the vanishing array weren't just beneficial to Harutora and his two defensive shikigami. Seishuku Temple wouldn't yield that easily. 
"Noumaku saraba tatagyateibyaku saraba bokkeibyaku sarabata tarata senda makarosyada ken gyakigyaki saraba biginnan untarata kanman!" 
Acala's Fire Realm magic swirled in the courtyard. Harutora and Hishamaru took up stances against this powerful magical energy. Kakugyouki smiled lightly as he marveled. The Fire Realm magic in the courtyard spun into a giant tornado of flame. Sparks scattered in every direction like dust along with the fierce gale. 
The power it carried was presently more than the limited-use cannons of the Armored Juggernauts. The tornado of flame swelled more and more into a giant vortex. The two mechanical shikigami were forced to stop in a panic. They were protected by magical armor, so they weren't seriously harmed even after being engulfed by the Fire Realm magic, but unlike bullets, they couldn't do anything to stop the Fire Realm magic. Then, the Fire Realm magic that engulfed the Armored Juggernauts rushed towards the main hall. 
The Raven's Wing Harutora wore powerfully flapped its hem, bringing its master into the air. The two defensive shikigami continuously avoided the heatwave, moving to the roof of the main hall. But the Fire Realm magic didn't stop wildly extending in pursuit towards the black-clothed shikigami. 
"Don't think too much of yourself!" 
Hishamaru's magical energy rose from her body. It formed a pale blue flame - foxfire - and rushed straight towards the approaching Fire Realm magic. They engulfed each other, riding their momentums. The crimson and pale blue flames constantly intertwined, the gorgeously-colored flame dancing nonstop. 
However, just then, 
"...Harutora, Hishamaru, careful of below." 
Kakugyouki 'saw' under his feet and simultaneously leaped up. Harutora and Hishamaru instantly turned to evade, the black coat and the fox tail fluttering in the wind. 
Immediately, a raging aura spouted forth, shooting through the roof of the main hall from below. The aura that burst out like a volcano headed towards Harutora with the momentum of its eruption. Probably because the spiritual power was too violent, it wasn't even controlled by an organized magic spell. They probably wouldn't get off unharmed if they were drawn into this torrential, avalanching magical energy. 
The intense eruption definitely wasn't a simple magic. 
"They opened up a gap in the spirit flow." 
Harutora spoke helplessly. The three of them leaped into the air to evade. The Fire Realm magic and the torrent of magical energy that approached them from below constantly tossed the three of them around like leaves in the air. Harutora's hair and the Raven's Wing swished loudly as they were swept by the strong wind. 
However, at the same time as a powerful wind swept over Harutora's body, he narrowed his right eye and looked down. He spoke in a cold voice. 
"...Hishamaru, you're in charge of the Fire Realm magic. Kakugyouki, I'm leaving the spirit flow to you." 
"Understood." 
"I can't completely suppress it, you know." 
After they both replied, the two defensive shikigami flew out like meteors and landed again. Hishamaru was the first to act. 
"Taniyata udakadaibana enkeienkei sowaka!" 
She formed a dragon seal and chanted the mantra of Varuna, one of the Adityas [57] . Instantly, the defensive shikigami's magical energy turned into rain, the downpour battering the Fire Realm magic like a waterfall. The vapor that was produced from the collision swelled up like smoke. Hishamaru put up a barrier, unafraid of the scalding water vapor as she dropped towards it. 
"Noumaku sanmanda bodanan barunaya sowaka!" 
She continued chanting the mantra of the Aditya, and the waterfall pouring downwards became a whirlpool. She used the whirlpool to destroy the vortex of flame from the inside. The torrent overflowed out in all directions, and even the Armored Juggernaut left inside the Fire Realm magic were pushed away. 
On the other hand, the way Kakugyouki dealt with things was quite simple. 
"Anyway, I can get serious this time." 
At the same time as he broke out in a fearless smile, the spirit flow erupted. Kakugyouki bared his teeth the moment his entire body was instantly violently struck by magical energy. His normally narrowed eyes widened with a grim light and his short golden hair sparkled as it extended into a messy mane. High-density demonic aura filled his body, and his normally almost two-meter-tall body grew once, twice. It swelled more and more as if it were normally suppressed. 
Then. A pair of ominous horns grew from his forehead. After the magical energy touched the demonic aura entwined around Kakugyouki's body, it became demonic aura and started dissipating into the air behind him. Kakugyouki was immersed in the erupting magical energy, and the spilling magical energy flew out from the hole in the roof. 
He revealed the smile of a wild beast that had caught its prey. He bared his teeth and roared, firmly clenching his right hand-- 
He smashed the erupting ground. 
The resounding impact raised the ground around the spirit flow. At the same time, the main hall that it was centered on was blasted out explosively from the inside. The shockwave in the direction of the courtyard collided with Hishamaru's torrent and sent powerful splashes everywhere. After the powerful magics of the Fire Realm and the spirit flow were neutralized, Hishamaru calmly stayed in the courtyard and Kakugyouki stood on the foundation of the exploded main hall, leisurely stretching his body. Then, 
"...?????????????????????. ????????..." 
Harutora leisurely dropped down to the ground, spreading the wings of the Raven's Wing. After finishing the purification prayer, he clapped his hands at the same time as he landed. The magical-energy-carrying sound purified all the surrounding spiritual power. Then, Hishamaru returned to Harutora's side. 
"Harutora-sama..." 
"Yeah, I stabilized the spirit flow for now. Good work, Kakugyouki." 
"It's too early for thanks." 
Kakugyouki had already returned to his original appearance. He lightly stroked his chin, motioning towards the movement from the direction of the completely-destroyed main hall. 
The interior of the main hall was raised from the ground towards the peak of the mountain. A patched-up gathering hall was erected there. In front of the gathering hall stood the ajari of Seishuku Temple side by side. The retreated soldier monks had gathered together again centered on Jougen. 
Jougen's face was grim as he glared at Harutora. His lips were tight and his eyes burned with a vicious light as if he wanted to sear his opponent's soul. 

Hishamaru immediately moved to eliminate the enemies with a cold look. But Harutora stopped her. 
"Priest Jougen." 
Harutora called out. 
"Do you still want to continue?" 
"Of course. This monastery absolutely will not surrender to an outside force." 
"We don't plan on making you surrender or anything." 
"The end result will be the same if we leave the Onmyou Agency alone." 
"I never planned on leaving the Onmyou Agency alone in the first place." 
"In that case." 
Jougen gritted his teeth, speaking with an unbearable anger. 
"Why do you refuse to save this monastery when you possess such strength!? Why do you abandon this monastery that has branded its mark into history since ancient times to the Onmyou Agency? Without this monastery, the feats that the ancients constantly undertook - the great magic techniques that have existed for so long - might end! Why do you, who touched the world with magic and allowed it to bloom, want to abandon this place? There are countless things that you ought to protect here!" 
That cry that came from his soul enveloped fervent questions. Harutora calmly accepted the questions. 
"It feels bad to be thought of as such, but Priest, it's too late to bring up such criticisms now." 
Harutora replied in a bitingly cold voice. 
"Priest, how many 'feats of the ancients' do you think I've crushed and how many 'long-lived techniques' do you think I've severed in the past for the nation? I'm the person who melted and recast the things that you always prized, forging them into things sharp as sabers. Things I ought to protect, you say? Have you gone senile from old age? I'm the madman who once muddied the nation's magic into chaos and then reorganized them with no misgivings, you know?" 
Harutora's words weren't excited nor frenzied. Rather, they held a somewhat sad tune. But the current Harutora carried an abnormal feeling of pressure. He carried a deeper 'darkness' different from magical energy or spiritual power. Jougen's face paled in the blink of an eye. 
"Priest, you made a mistake the moment you entrusted the continuity of the dark temple to me." 
Jougen bit his lip hard at Harutora's lecturing tone. Then, his body shook and he shouted out, flipping the sleeves of his priest's clothing. 
"Attack!" 
At the same time as the soldier monks scattered, one group started chanting incantations like Fire Realm, curses, Unmoving Golden Chains. Some also threw charms. 
"My, oh my." 
Kakugyouki smiled slightly while severing all of the magics closing in with demonic aura in a flash. Hishamaru flew out from in front of Harutora, constantly releasing pale blue foxfire. 
A magic battle started again in the blink of an eye. 
Harutora didn't avoid the assaulting magics, as the Raven's Wing didn't let any magic attack get within half a step of him. Harutora calmly advanced, and the Armored Juggernauts that had been pushed into a corner of the courtyard moved again. 
"Since you no longer care about the monastery, then I don't need to be polite anymore - Overwhelm." 
The Armored Juggernauts that had been pushed away by the torrent seemed dizzy as if they had crashed into a giant tree, but once they received their master's order, their joints instantly creaked as they moved again. They stamped the ground with their eight legs as they advanced. When they were about to crash into the soldier monks, Harutora's grim and sad expression suddenly relaxed. He turned his gaze from the chaotic battle of the shikigami advancing through the group of soldier monks, turning his back to the battlefield and walking to a temple. 
The temple, which faced the courtyard like the main hall, was already in a half-wrecked state after enduring the magic battle and the shockwaves of cannon fire. But Harutora didn't face the direction of its entrance, but rather the other side of the building. There was a person coming out who had been there to avoid the battlefield in the courtyard. 
"Sen-san!" 
"Hohoho, it's been a long time, Yakou-sama. No, I should call you Harutora-sama now." 
The sound of explosions and shouts overlapped with chanted incantations from the other side of the courtyard. But the old man who had showed up didn't seem tense as he strolled leisurely. 
But his wrinkled smile was even deeper now. His eyes that were still clear, albeit weathering many years, currently contained an indescribable gratitude. 
"You're quite old. I really wouldn't know you if I couldn't clearly 'see'. But that's an obvious thing. How many years has it been?" 
"Well, this old man forgot as well. I stopped counting at about ninety." 
"'Old man'? Hahaha, the way you speak is suitable for an old fogey." 
"As you say, I'm already called 'Old Man Sen' nowadays. But there's no helping it. It's been a long time. It really has been so long." 
Sen laughed cheerfully, nostalgic emotions spilling forth from his chest. Harutora's remaining right eye moistened slightly. 
"Although Harutora-sama is a different person, Yakou-sama's appearance remains there." 
"It's the same bloodline, after all. Quite the resemblance, huh?" 
"Honestly, it's quite nostalgic. That reckless habit of yours hasn't changed at all." 
Sen's gaze turned to the courtyard as he said this. Right now, flame was dancing, water was pouring, wind was raging, and the ground was shaking there. An intense battle was cleanly destroying the past that the two of them shared. "How shameful." Harutora apologized bitterly. "It's alright, it's alright." Sen smiled. 
"Rather than that, Harutora-sama, could it be that you came here especially for 'that'?" 
As Sen said this, he brought Harutora around to the interior of the temple. The various things that were naturally placed on the ground here brightened Harutora's spirits. 
"The tokijiku! [58] As expected, it's already bearing fruit!" 
What Harutora looked at was a seedling planted in a pot inside. The sapling in the pot was less than a meter tall. Its leaves had become small and round for the coming winter, and there were two small, orange fruit the size of a baby's fist dangling sparsely on it. 
"Sen, did you help look after it?" 
"Yeah, I didn't have anything else to do." 
"A practitioner able to make this thing bear fruit. I never thought there truly would be one." 
"You're too kind. Nurturing is very interesting, whether it's humans or other things." 
Sen smiled, bending down to pick up the pot. 
"I just watered them in Tachibana hall. As expected, it wasn't wrong to have brought them here." 
He said this and then gave it to Harutora. 
"Is this alright?" 
"What are you saying at this point? Though, what do you want to use this thing for?" 
"I'm still unsure now." 
"Oh, unsure?" 
Sen inquired incredulously, and Harutora smiled bitterly after accepting the pot. 
"To be honest, I'm desperately investigating something right now. I'm not sure whether that thing will be helpful either. But I plan on gathering everything I can first." 
Harutora shrugged his shoulders, looking at the sapling's fruit with a hopeful look. The current Harutora resembled an immature boy befitting his age. Sen quietly looked at his good friend from long ago. 
He slowly spoke. 
"Harutora-dono, could it be that the Taizan Fukun Ritual failed?" 
Harutora was taken aback, showing a stunned expression. "How [59] ?" He asked back. Sen laughed out loud, saying with a bantering tone: 
"She's here right now." 
Eh. Harutora was speechless. Then, 
The huge sound of thunder came from the north of the mountain. Harutora noticed that 'presence'. His right eye widened. He gasped and opened his mouth. 
"Wha! That was lightning magic just now? Also - isn't that draconic aura!? Why is she here - ah. Yasuzumi's divining--!" 
Harutora immediately panicked, unconceivable restlessness on his face. He reflexively turned in the direction of the courtyard, clenching his teeth. 
Sen carefully observed Harutora. He eliminated any extraneous worry from his tone and spoke. 
"Hiyakuroubou is there too - that guy's moving around however he wants right now. I'm not sure about the details." 
"......?!" 
Harutora turned around, carrying the potted sapling. 
"You're not going to go meet them?" 
"There's a reason!" 
"I see... In that case... Would you meet someone else?" 
"Eh?" 
Harutora stopped and looked back. Old Man Sen smiled with an unreadable expression, looking at Harutora. 
A momentary silence fell over them. 
Harutora shook his head. 
"Sorry, Sen-san, I don't have time to chat with you anymore." 
"I see. Then, that's enough, go ahead." 
The momentary stiffness was released. Sen spoke with his original tone. That steady attitude made Harutora's feelings choke up again. 
He might not be able to see Sen again. ...No, perhaps this would be their final farewell. Harutora bit his lip. He forced himself with his willpower to smile cheerfully. 
"Sen-san, thank you so much. I'll play a board with you next time [60] ." 
"You still haven't had enough, huh. Harutora-dono, may everything go well for you." 
Harutora flipped the Raven's Wing, flying to the courtyard while holding the potted sapling. He flew into the still-ongoing magic battle, issuing an order. 
"Hishamaru! Kakugyouki! We're retreating!"