Tokyo Ravens - Volume 14 - Chapter 4.4

Part 4 
She saw him. 
That moment, Natsume shouted Harutora's name. 
How long had it been since the altar had appeared in the city? Hama rushed along the asphalt road. Natsume stood up in the passenger's seat, pointing and gazing at the scene in front of her. 
She had no idea at all what the exact situation was, but Harutora and the others had attacked Kanda Shrine from the south, and people had come to stop him. Then, Hama had driven along the right side of Hongo Road, heading to a visible part of Yushima Seidou, a shingled rooftop deep within the trees. 
And on that shingled rooftop, she saw a figure. 
A black-clothed figure. 
"First seal, release!" 
Natsume released her seal and draconic aura wove around her body. 
Then, 
"Second seal, release!" 
"Shikigami, arise! Order!" 
"Hakuou! Kokfuu!" 
Touji, who had released his second-phase seal and become a living spirit, jumped up from backseat onto the open roof. At the same time, Suzuka also got onto a flying shikigami in order to move into position and Kyouko summoned her Type-G2 Yaksha defensive shikigami to Hama's right and left. 
"Eh!? Is that the thing Ohtomo-sensei used against Doman!?" 
"The 'Fire Demon's the one being sealed! And where's that Bakatora--" 
"The others are all on the shrine road! In that case, Natsume, you go to Harutora. Suzuka and I will go to the shrine road! Tenma and Kyouko, stay in the car!" 
"That depends on the situation!" 
"I agree with Tenma!" 
"Then keep Hakuou and Kokfuu behind to defend! Hama, you be careful too, don't crash!" 
They shouted loudly as they ran to their own battlefields. Their hearts beat as adrenaline filled their bodies. Now that they were here, they felt a high of tension and nervousness that made them feel like throwing up. But there was no time to pay attention to those things as Hama reached the front of the shrine roead. 
The screeching sound of brakes rose up. 
Natsume and Touji jumped down from the car and Suzuka flew into the sky on a shikigami. Defensive shikigami Hakuou and Kokfuu guarded Hama on the left and right, readying their katana and spear. 
They all glanced at each other momentarily. 
Touji headed to the shrine road, surveying the battlefield as if he were at war. His gaze moved up and to the side. "Kagami!?" Touji's eyes widened. Kagami also noticed him and smiled. 
"Oh, Touji! You're so slow, living spirit." 
He shouted in disdain. Touji didn't say anything to the transfigured Kagami. 
Suzuka also had no words to say from the sky. In front of her eyes was a magic battle in process, but what an incredible, high-level battle! She understood things to a certain extent from gazing down at the shrine road. The ingenious magic sealing off Miyachi, and the power of the demonic aura being given off by the one-armed oni. Even so, what stole her attention the most was still the transformation of Kagami and Shaver. From a spiritual standpoint, he was a completely different person from before. "Could it be..." Suzuka unconsciously muttered to herself. "The seal..." 
Kyouko also jumped out of the backseat when Hama came to a complete stop. The shrine road burning with flame before her shocked her into silence, and after Touji's words got her to notice Kagami and the person behind him, nervousness and fear caused her body to stiffen. The sokutai-wearing man commanded two lions that she recognized. "Otou-sama!" she cried. "Kyouko?" Kurahashi uttered with a grim expression. 
Tenma didn't look at the battlefield, but at Natsume's back. Then, he looked at his cherished friend Harutora and smiled naturally. But after noticing the complex expression on Harutora's face, his smile slowly disappeared. "Harutora-kun?" His question was mixed with anxiety. 
And as for Natsume-- 

Natsume stood on the shrine road, looking at the Hall of Worship of Yushima Seidou. From the roof of the Hall of Worship, Harutora looked down at the road and Natsume. 
Finally. 
Finally, she had met him. 
She had originally had many other emotions, but the moment she met Harutora's eyes, only that simple thought remained in Natsume's heart. 
Harutora wore the Raven's Coat and an eyepatch on his left eye. 
He seemed a little bit taller, and his hair was longer than before. 
He had changed, but he hadn't changed. It was still Harutora in front of her. The childhood friend she had always been searching for. 
It was great. 
She thought. 
But Harutora was shouting something. She couldn't hear too clearly. He seemed to be trying desperately to tell her something, but for some reason it didn't enter her ears. 
Then - she felt that gaze. A gazt pointed straight at her from behind her back. 
Natsume slowly turned her head. Harutora was shouting something - as if trying to stop her - but it didn't stop Natsume from turning her head. 
Then...... 
The owner of that gaze was behind her back, turning her body as if to look back at her. 
Several gazes momentarily crossed. 
In the end. 
Natsume's and Hishamaru's gazes slowly overlapped. 
Right-- 'She' inexplicably thought-- 
Her soul began to resonate. 

The first person to notice something strange was Tenma, who was looking at her and Harutora from outside the battlefield. 
He watched in the direction of Kanda Shrine and saw the way Harutora shouted "No!" and tried to convey his point so desperately and Natsume turn around abnormally slowly. 
And then, the way she froze motionlessly. 
He had a bad premonition and felt uneasy, as if his insides had turned to ice. 
Harutora suddenly sprinted down from the roof, shouting. It was already very clear that something had gone wrong. 
Tenma burst open the driver's seat door. 
But, 
"Wait." 
Kyouko's voice stopped him before he jumped out of Hama. 
He turned around for a moment and was so astonished that he almost stopped breathing. 
Kyouko stood in the backseat, staring at Kanda Shrine. But he recognized this unusual expression of hers. Kyouko was currently divining. A condition of Kyouko's divining was that she had to understand the aura of the subject. And right now, there were probably a few additional stars twinkling ominously. 
Also, stars were connected to each other, as Suisen had said before. The connections between stars were complex and chaotic right now in this battlefield. The stars flashed brightly, radiating together with other stars to draw out constellations. Kyouko observed these constellations. 
Then, 
"Please, go stop......" 
Saying that, Kyouko pointed up the shrine road towards Kanda Shrine. 
Stop. But stop what? Tenma opened the door, watching Kyouko. 
But Kyouko didn't say anything more than what she did. If she meant stop the Tenchuu Chifu Ritual, that didn't even need to be said. But Kyouko had called out to Tenma in particular and asked him to stop something. While pointing to Kanda Shrine. In that case, what did she truly mean? 
What exactly was Kyouko saying by stopping Tenma when he was planning to go join up with Natsume and Harutora? 
Tenma ground his teeth. He couldn't make a decision, but he couldn't ignore it. 
In that case, 
"Suzuka-chan! I will leave Natsume-chan to you!" 

Kurahashi noticed the abnormality happening to his daughter from far away. It was similar to what occasionally happened to Takiko, a magnificent change in aura accompanied by a rapt, blank expression. This was the same kind of abnormality that happened to his mother Kurahashi Miyo and Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi. 
"Kyouko, you--" 
There was no mistaking it, this was divination. His daughter was truly divining. 
Kurahashi himself was surprised at the emotions that suddenly overflowed in him. An extremely rare - an extremely precious and hard-to-obtain ability had bloomed in his own daughter. As her figure was reflected in his eyes, joy, loneliness, and pride all whirled inside him at the same time, filling him with deep emotion. But he witnessed and was moved as if she were 'a youngster' rather than 'his own child'. Kurahashi had stopped feeling emotions that a father normally ought to feel since a long time ago. 
He wasn't the least bit qualified to feel those emotions. 
But the pride he felt at this time was doubtlessly genuine. 
Kurahashi's bloodline had truly been passed down there. She was a new holder of the Kurahashi blood, unlike him and his father. 
Keep practicing, he softly said in his heart. 
Then, Kurahashi resolutely cut his feelings of attachment with an iron will and turned his gaze to Harutora. 
Perhaps Harutora was a more powerful and outstanding Onmyouji than he was right now. 
But Kurahashi also had something Harutora didn't. It wasn't a problem of who was more powerful or who was superior, it was just that they were acting in different positions. As Kurahashi turned his gaze back form his daughter, Harutora ran towards Natsume. 
Kurahashi wouldn't let up this opportunity. He leaped out with adept movements. 

Heat and wind raged above the battlefield alongside thunderous noise. Suzuka rode on her shikigami's back, flying as she tried to observe the situation below her. The transformed Kagami and his shikigami Shaver were in the center of the battlefield right now. They were with Kurahashi, probably. In that case, how should Suzuka and the others fight against them? 
As she was desperately thinking, she suddenly heard someone calling her name. 
It was Tenma's voice. Then, Natsume's name also reached her ears. The voice carried urgency, making Suzuka turn her head immediately. 
Natsume was suddenly about to collapse where she stood on the road. This reaction made Suzuka think of the attack [18] that had happened yesterday. Some kind of problem had happened with the magic that kept Natsume alive. She felt her body become cold. If the magic cast on Natsume crumbled, it meant her immediate destruction. If her soul was released one more time, then there would be no way to get it back again. 
Just then, a dark shadow flitted by and grabbed the collapsing Natsume in his arms. 
"Bakatora!" 
She sighed in relief, freed from a moment of extreme tension. Then, her heart warmed up, realizing from how he rushed over to Natsume that Harutora's attitude hadn't changed. 
That warmth wasn't just pure joy. It was more complex and multifaceted, with a yearning that made her heartbeat speed up alongside painful worry. Emotions that she couldn't control. Right now wasn't the time to be driven around by these emotions. Right now, she already knew her naivety, selfishness, and mental immaturity. But she couldn't allow herself to stay that way. Suzuka wanted to grow along with her comrades and become strong together. 
"...Ah!" 
She noticed it due to trying to maintain an objective grasp of the entire battlefield. Actually, Suzuka was the only one who spotted it. 
A small presence surreptitiously moving through the battlefield. A shikigami - a WA1 Swallow Whip. The blue swallow binding-type shikigami passed through the battlefield roiling with eddies of aura and demonic aura without making a sound. It glided over to a low altitude above the shrine road, heading straight for the place Natsume and Harutora were. 
I can't let you succeed. 
"Order!" 
Almost unconsciously, Suzuka threw out a fire-element charm of her own creation. A fireball became an arrow of light that shot at the blue swallow making a beeline for Natsume. But the WA1 Swallow Whip changed its flight path before it hit. In front of Suzuka's surprised gaze, it flapped its wings and rose with the wind. It flew past Natsume and Harutora's heads, heading towards the Hall of Worship rooftop where Harutora had just been. 
Over there was the rock that was still wrapped in bamboo leaves. 
Ah! As Suzuka let out a gasp, the WA1 Swallow Whip flew into the roof, breaking the surrounding shingles together with the curse implement. 

Touji, Suzuka, and Natsume had all arrived. Finally, the players were present. Kagami joyfully smiled and showed his teeth. Spiritual power circulated through his body alongside his continuously-beating pulse. The unstable flow made Kagami even more excited. He felt as if he were forcefully reining in a wild bronco. More relevantly, considering this ever-changing battle and this intense battlefield, perhaps his current condition was only fitting. 
But he couldn't understand Hishamaru. 
At the first, he had suspected some kind of trap. He hadn't thought that Hishamaru would have flown over this way, only to suddenly freeze, turn, and fly back as if ignoring him. Kagami had noticed when Hama arrived as well, as his gaze had unconsciously moved to track the shikigami. 
And now, Hishamaru had stopped looking at Kagami and was turned away, without reacting at all. As if she were completely unguarded. As he thought that, intense lag appeared all over the shikigami's body. 
And this lag wasn't minor. The more Kagami watched, the more he wondered, his eyes narrowing. This lag was to the same extent as when she had released her seal - when the little girl shikigami had turned back into Hishamaru...... No, maybe it was even more powerful than back then. It 'looked' to him to be more severe. 
Then, 
"Damn!" 
Kakugyouki noticed Hishamaru's abnormality and prepared to move to her. But Shaver wouldn't permit that. He bellowed angrily, feeling as if he were being looked down at, and slashed at him. And the blade grazed him. Kakugyouki's movement lacked finesse. Naturally, Hishamaru's abnormality was the most important. 
What to do. [19] 
The moment Kagami wondered, a huge magical energy came from the shrine road, along with a violent heatwave as if to herald the end of the world. 
Flame. 
The flame that had been contained spread like hellfire pouring from the underground. The magic sealing Miyachi had been undone. Regaining its freedon, the flame left Miyachi's control and destroyed everything around it as if to vent its anger. Harutora put up a strong barrier for him and Natsume. Kyouko immediately strengthened Hama's barrier, and Suzuka above their heads also flew to a higher altitude to retreat. "Third seal, release!" Touji instantly released the final seal, crossing his arms and readying himself. The sea of flame spreading in all directions engulfed everything and poured over the shrine road. 
Kurahashi put up a barrier behind him. Kagami also couldn't ignore this firepower. He made a hand seal and put up a barrier. Even at this time, Hishamaru still had no reaction. 
How unfortunate. It was very clear that even Hishamaru would be easily eliminated if Miyachi's out-of-control flame swallowed her at this state. 
But, 
Kakugyouki's giant body slipped between the motionless Hishamaru and the approaching flame in the nick of time. 
Then, the flame immediately buried the shrine road, covering Kagami and the others, even scorching the surface of Zuishin-mon. 
The hastily-assembled barrier mad a noise telling him that it would shatter soon. What insane firepower. But Miyachi seemed to have finally taken back control. The magical flame that had buried the surroundings suddenly vanished, and the flame scattered. 
What a fierce, dazzling battlefield. 
But at that moment, it was the single-minded Shaver who was in control of any agitation or excitement. 
Kakugyouki had used his body to protect Hishamaru, and Shaver needed only to pursue him. He finally had an opportunity. From behind Kakugyouki, under the cover of fire-- 
The blade of Higekiri pierced through his left side. 
"Got you!" 
Shaver squealed joyfully like a child. 
Demonic aura poured from the wound along with a thick flow of blood. Lag appeared over his giant body and his valiant form wavered. This one was no graze. 
It was almost a deadly wound. Though Hishamaru could be seen collapsing on the shrine road in front of Kakugyouki, now it was Kakugyouki's condition that was more severe. The oni turned unsteady on his feet, going down on one knee. He couldn't stop close his wound, and the demonic aura that leaked from him every time lag coursed through him began to dissipate. 
Kagami smiled at the legendary oni's suffering figure. 
But, 
"......Not yet." 
The defensive familiar put on the reckless, blooc-chilling smile of a demon god. 
A spiritual blade that countered oni had certainly pierced into Kakugyouki. 
Even so, Kakugyouki couldn't back down here. 
Higekiri's blade thrust further into Kakugyouki's body, accompanied by crackling, electricity-like lag. 
Kakugyouki shortened the distance between him and the surprised Shaver. 
Finally, after the blade was completely thrust into him, Kakugyouki twisted his body. 
He unyieldingly bared his fangs while enduring the piercing pain of the blade in his body, throwing a fist into Shaver's face. Kagami broke out in goosebumps. The demonic aura that had filled that momentary impact was clearly an even higher output than Miyachi. 
Shaver was knocked flying, crashing into a still-burning wall that collapsed along with the outside of the building. "Ugh!?" Kagami ground his teeth. Since his spiritual power was unstable, he had just given Shaver magical energy and let him do as he pleased with it. Getting careless and taking that blow from close range had put the shikigami into a state unsuited to fight. Never let up, and finish the enemy in a single blow. That strike had proved the might of the ancient power Kakugyouki. 
But the cost was great. 
The horns on Kakugyouki's forehead disappeared, and his body returned to its original size. He wasn't leaving his battle form, he was no longer able to maintain it. His face pale as he suffered through lag, and his messy hair stuck to his face. The shirt he wore had become a ruined rag, and the demonic aura that had flowed like a waterfall accumulated densely at his feet. 
"Honestly." 
Kakugyouki looked at Kagami and smiled proudly. 
"If it isn't the brat who needs attention...... So? What's going on, kid? Are you up next?" 
Kagami's body shivered with excitement. 
"......Ha. Great. How fascinating, Kakugyouki......!" 
It had to be this way. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth sacrificing myself to remove the seal. 
Kagami refined his magical energy. He formed a hand seal, converting all of the spiritual power flowing forth into magical energy. His head swayed weakly, as if his blood was being sucked away. But he didn't care at all. Happiness. Joy. Kagami was filled with a rousing fighting spirit in front of the one-armed oni whose intense lag made him seem like a spectre. 
He started off with a jab. 
"On bishibishi karakara shibari sowaka!" 
He didn't mess around with little tricks, he just threw out Unmoving Golden Chains head-on with all his power. 
But before Kakugyouki took a stance, an oni ran into the shrine road and deflected Kagami's Golden Chains. Kagami's eyes widened. 
A young samurai clad in flames of demonic aura. 
An oni - no, a living spirit. 
"Sorry Kagami, I'm switching in." 
Touji breathed demonic aura from his fanged mouth and stared at Kagami with ferocious intent. 
 
He had been immersed in the flame of the Fire Demon, with its legendary might. 
But he had gotten through it. 
Perhaps the altar set up for the Tenchuu Chifu Ritual was affecting him. 
In the past, he had seen their enemy Kumomaru increase the power of a spiritual disaster. Perhaps a similar effect was now happening to Touji's body. This intensely growing strength scared even him. 
Ara-mitama, the dependents [20] of Taira no Masakado. 
The oni's strength inhabiting Touji's body was ineffective against the Masakado dependents. But strength was ultimately strength. He still had ways to support his comrades. 
Sweeping away the remnants of flame wreathing his body, Touji looked at the Fire Demon who had escaped his sealing away. 
Miyachi still seemed short of breath. His hands were on his bent knees, and he panted while greedily sucking in air. That said, it was impressive that he had lived through the 'Eight-Way Bamboo Cage Curse' that had even made Doman get serious. 
Anyways, the battle was changing one incident after another. Natsume's anomaly and Miyachi's return. Since it had come down to it, all he could do was support Harutora. He knew that it wasn't reasonable, but he had to attack Miyachi. At least before he recovered completely. But how? When his third seal was released, the oni's destructuve impulses were extremely strong, and it was difficult for him to react calmly and objectively. So all he could do was leave it up to instinct and go after a single target without looking back. 
But, 
"Touji!" 
Harutora called out. 
When was it that Harutora had started calling him by his first name [21] ? How nostalgic. But that cornered voice forced Touji to cast aside his sentimental feelings. He came to his senses and met Harutora's one-eyed gaze. Harutora looked straight over and spoke. 
"Help Hishamaru! I'm counting on you--" 
"!?" 
His legs that were readied to sprint out, stopped. 
Immediately afterwards, a huge sound came from behind him. 
Kakugyouki had sent Shaver flying. But Kakugyouki had also suffered a great wound - a wound that made it difficult for him to even stay materialized. And behind Kakugyouki was the collapsed Hishamaru that he had been protecting. Along with the next enemy - Kagami. Harutora and Kakugyouki were both prepared to protect Hishamaru. 
Though Hishamaru and Kakugyouki were shikigami that Harutora commanded, Touji had no interaction with them. In contrast, he ought to prioritize his cornered friends Natsume and Harutora. 
But, 
"...If you're counting on me, I guess I have no choice..." 
He would just trust Harutora here. Touji hopped down to the ground, running over to the shrine road like a shot arrow. He appeared in front of Kakugyouki wreathed in flames of demonic aura. 
Then, he used that momentum to block with one hand the Unmoving Golden Chains that Kagami had unleashed. 
He faced the wide-eyed Kagami and said, 
"Sorry Kagami, I'm switching in." 
"Touji! You!!" 
Kagami flew into a rage again. 
Touji had fought Kagami for a long time in training battles. He ought to be reasonably familiar with how much power Kagami had, but the person who stood before him right now was almost a different person. He could surmise a guess as to the reason. His spiritual form was clearly odd. Perhaps the seal regulating his spiritual power had been undone. 
"Are you dissatisfied? Kagami-sensei." 
"Well, this is fine! I'll give you a final lesson!" 
Kagami rapidly formed a seal. A basic seal. Fire Realm Magic. 
But it was a feint. 
"Down!" 
First-class spirit language. Touji had suffered this during their training, but the magical energy was far stronger than back then. But this restraining power was blown away by Touji's bellow. The roar of a living spirit created demonic aura and disrupted the spirit language spell. Kagami's expression changed quickly. He also noticed that Touji was no longer the same as the Touji of the past. 
"You!!!" 
Saying that, Kagami jumped back, keeping his distance. In contrast, Touji pursued him. He wouldn't let Kagami escape. A long-distance magic battle was very unfavorable for him, so he had to make it a close-quarters fight. However, Kagami noticed that intent. He jumped ant chanted, unleashing the Fire Realm magic he had just prepared. 
Touji saw the flame approaching from the front. He wanted to break straight through, but he couldn't. Behind him was Kakugyouki and Hishamaru. If Touji didn't prootect them, the two of them would be incinerated by the flame. So he took a defensive stance, like when he had been immersed in Miyachi's flame and made it through. But this time, the flame didn't stop coming. 
Being hit all over by the flame's might was quite tough even for a living spirit whose strength had increased. He gritted his teeth. He desperately stopped the spiritual pressure from pushing him back. 
"We're fine, go on." 
A low voice came from behind him. He looked back, meeting the gaze of Kakugyouki who was retreating with Hishamaru on his shoulder. Kakugyouki was still so calm even after taking such a wound. Touji laughed at himself. What reliable shikigami for such a flighty master. 
Touji shoved aside the brunt of the Fire Realm magic that he had been enduring, approaching Kagami as if drilling through the flame. But by then, Kagami's next attack was already coming. His fingertip slashed through the air time after time. A grid of kuji-kiri. The living spirit's momentum stopped as he was assaulted by a powerful attack. Next, Kagami threw out a wood-element and fire-element charm. They instantly reinforced each other - wood births fire, fire births earth - to reinforce an earth-element charm. A powerful weight burdened his shoulders. Touji barely managed to maintain his stance, almost falling over unsteadily. 
But Kagami's continuous attack weren't over. Next were five charms. The five charms he threw out along with his magical energy arranged themselves into a pentagram pattern above Touji's head. 
Then, Kagami chanted an incantation. 
"God of the east sea, Amei. God of the west sea, Shukuryou. God of the south sea, Kyojou. God of the north sea, Gukyou. Gods of the four seas, fend off a hundred demons and drive back the fierce disaster. Order!" 
The spiritual-disaster-repelling barrier of Imperial Onmyoudou. Touji knew it was bad news, but the earth-element charm was restricting his movement. He tried to push it off, but Kagami's magic was too fast. This was supposed to be a magic barrier to keep away spiritual disasters. But Kagami made it press down on Touji the living spirit from above. This he could no longer bear. Touji's knees buckled and he went down on a hand and a knee. 
"Rgh!" 
The barrier solidified teh air. But the power of a spiritual disaster couldn't combat this spell. And Touji's strength stemmed from a mobile spiritual disaster. He was completely disabled. 
"Hah! What's wrong, Touji. You're gonna end up lying on the ground again?" 
As expected, he was very strong. 
His spiritual power was clearly unstable, but Kagami was one of the strongest. The same went for his tactics. They seemed haphazard, but they were actually calculated. As expected of a Divine General. Truly a high-level opponent. But Touji wouldn't be kicked away so easily... 
"...!?" 
A single instant. A blinding aura flowed into his body. 
His strength hurtled upwards. Touji used that instant and instinctively unleashed the powerful strength into the ground that supported him. 
Demonic aura crushed the asphalt road and roiled into the ground, forming underground pockets. Then, he escaped to the side, away from the magical barrier enveloping him. He threw his body out, tumbling over the ruined road and escaping from Kagami's magic. His wounds had already recovered before he noticed it. His body became light. Strength poured forth again. 
The reason for this sudden change was nearby. Kagami and Touji both noticed the same thing. 
They noticed that Touji wasn't the reason. They turned to look at Kanda Shrine. 
"It's starting again......!" 
The spirit flow that connected the heavens to the earth was radiating and pulsing. The interrupted Tenchuu Chifu Ritual was beginning again. "Tch." Time was short. Touji clicked his tongut, then headed immediately for Zuishin-mon. 
Then - he noticed that Kurahashi's figure had vanished. 

The work Yashamaru had done could be classified into three parts. 
Preparing an undoing magic to the the malicious magic that had infiltrated the altar, putting that magic into the altar, and circulating it to purify the altar. 
Though Yashamaru couldn't leave his work, he was still free to 'watch' what happened outside from within. Harutora had set a trap to seal Miyachi in a barrier. The biggest hindrance to the altar purification was his appropriation of the magic comprising the altar. 
But...... 
Finally, that obstruction had been cleared away. Because Kurahashi had freed Miyachi. 
"In that case...!" 
Yashamaru hastened the circulation of the magical energy lines and spiritual power, swiftly cleansing the altar. 
Time seemed to still around Takiko as a faint layer of light appeared again. It seemed almost as if the spirit flow connecting the heavens to the earth was cut, but a strong light began to shine again. Yashamaru started to flow his own power in as well. Connecting to the divine domain himself made his body shiver. 
The paused Tenchuu Chifu Ritual had finally started back up again. 
The spirit flow to the stone platform sped up and became more divine. Takiko, in her black miko clothing, gave off a warm white light that made it hard to look straight at her. 
THen, the sleeves of that miko gently floated into the air as if being blown by a warm wind. 
Takiko's light-covered body gently floated upwards. She moved up into the center, her fingertips losing contact with the stone platform. The events of Ogikubo transpired again. But this time, they weren't stopped halfway through. It went on until the end. Stunned, Yashamaru could do nothing but watch the scene before him. 
Because of that, he couldn't immediately understand exactly what was happening to his body. 
Before he realized it, Yashamaru was thrown from the front of the stone platform out to the side. His vision spun and shook up and down. "Wha--" He let out a voice that he usually didn't make. It - it had been so sudden that he hadn't noticed. 
His body reacted before his mind as he turned in midair and landed on the edge of the territory. "Eh!?" A small wail leaked out from nearby. It was the 'Full Moon' girl whose existence he had nearly forgotten about. But Yashamaru's gaze was only watching the place he had just been. 
On the side of the stone platform appeared two oni. 
A thick, large-headed man whose proportions didn't at all match and a large woman who was practically half-nude. It seemed to have been the large woman who had sent him flying, as she seemed to be proudly clapping her hands. The ox-head and horse-face oni. 
Ancient shikigami that served Doman. 
And also, 
"Ha." An aged voice. 
The roof of the Hall of Worship. On the edge shingled roof, dangling his legs, was a boy who seemed to be an elementary schooler no matter how he looked. He wore an old black suit and a bowtie, and the sunglasses that stared at him were red as blood. 
"...Priest Doman." 
He said in a daze. 
"That's right." 
Doman replied with a smile. 
"I see, this is your area of expertise. If I say so myself...... this is quite an unfortunate meeting. Sir, might I get you to reconsider?" 
Now, Yashamaru finally began to recognize the desperate situation. 
He had been too focused on Harutora and the others...... and had rushed to purify the altar. At some point, he had forgotten the existence of an interloper. 
A dry voice sounded within the territory. Quiet footsteps resounded in Yashamaru's ears like thunder. 
Releasing his stealth magic, 'Shadow' already stood in front of the stone platform. Right in front of Takiko whose sleeves were spread like wings. He ignored his shikigami's taunting, and didn't spare a glance for the hindrance Yashamaru now that he had been pushed aside. He was an industry professional. He knew that nonsense and taunts could cause the smallest of openings. No matter how much he believed that it was his victory, no matter what grudges he held, completing his job was first and foremost. 
There wasn't even any tension on his face. 
With his face emotionless and cold, his coat rustled to expose an arm. 
Takiko was covered in a spirit flow descending from the sky that protected her spiritually and magically. It was a firm defense, and even the Fire Demon's flame couldn't easily destroy it. 
So 'Shadow' held a black piece of metal in his hand. 
Forty-five caliber. An old-model Colt Government. 
Yashamaru's eyes widened. 
With as much significance as one might attribute to flicking the ash from a cigarette, 'Shadow' emotionlessly moved his finger to the trigger.