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Tokyo Ravens - Volume 3 - Chapter 2.3




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Part 3 
...O, Ogre Eater? 
This man who had suddenly come out - Kagami - stole away all of Harutora's attention. 
He didn't need to look at his aura. He pretty much knew what kind of person this man was just from the presence he gave off from his entire body. Other than the feeling that he definitely wouldn't want to approach him, he also had some kind of inexplicably fascinating traits, like a brightly colored venomous snake or the beautiful, wild, and dangerous charm of a carnivorous animal. 
...And this person was also...... a Divine General? 
Harutora stood stock-still, his hair standing on end. The Nue backed away with a growl, and its spiritual pressure continued to increase, a sharp light casting from its eyes. 
It was entering a battle state. 
"I, Independent Officer! We're from the Onmyou Academy and were attacked by a phase three spiritual disaster during a practical exam! Please provide emergency assistance!" 
The old instructor shouted, his face urgent. Kagami casually made a "Ah?" upon hearing. 
"What 'assistance' are you talking about, old man. Didn't I just say that this thing was my prey? You group of obstacles better get out of the way." Upon saying this, Kagami stuck his hands back in his pockets, fearlessly heading towards the scene of the spiritual disaster and directly walking over to the Nue that was taking a threatening fighting stance. 
"Idi-- [37] ! Don't provoke it!" 
The old lecturer paled in surprise. The situation was just as he expected. The Nue hadn't showed any intention of counterattacking even after being hit by the fire-element charm attack, but it showed quite an agitated reaction when Kagami approached. 
The Nue made a strange sound, twisting its giant body. That cry was different from the roar from before, and it clearly carried an 'offensive' flavor. Some of the students who had still been able to resist the miasma's assault up to now fainted and some of them took mental blows, with some vomiting where they were, and some collapsing while foaming at the mouth. 
Harutora glimpsed Tenma faint to the ground out of the corner of his eyes, and of course he himself also suffered effects. "Ugh!" He grunted, his entire body dripping with sweat, but Touji was the one who showed the most obvious reaction. The arm he hung on Harutora's shoulder spasmed, and the other hand grabbed on to the bandanna on his forehead. Seeing that Harutora and Touji were almost both collapsing, Kon hurriedly supported them from below. 
However, Kagami still walked forward without stopping, even among the screams that were let out one after another. He faced the strangely shrieking Nue head-on, his steps proper and orderly. 
"You're noisy, shut up." He cursed. 
But even though it was muttered, it pierced through the hearts of the spectators. The Nue stopped shrieking. No, it had been forced to stop shrieking. Kagami's words carried a strong and elaborate magic energy. 
"Huh?" Harutora's eyes widened in surprise, and he heard Natsume utter breathlessly: "That's first-class spirit language [38] ." 
"S, Spirit language?" 
"It's a magic belonging to Imperial Onmyoudou - his words have coercive power that can be used to affect the opponent's mind. But never mind a human opponent, to think even a spiritual disaster--?" 
Natsume helplessly raised her head to look at Hokuto to try to give orders, but she wasn't able to decide what order to give for a while. The dragon still loitered in the sky, watching the situation unfold in befuddlement. 
The Nue whose voice had been sealed charged forward in a breath, twisting its giant body like the free movement of a wild beast. It showed fierce fangs, attacking Kagami with a churning anger and hatred. Harutora couldn't move a muscle, awed by its astonishing boldness, but Kagami just opened his mouth, showing a derisive smile. 
"...???..." 
Seed syllable. [39] That was a mantra representing the Kundali Vidyaraja [40] who eliminated foreign enemies. Kagami's will and magical energy used this seed syllable mantra, which was just a short word, to attack the giant figure. The Nue's entire body spasmed as if it had accidentally touched a high-voltage power line, its body showing intense 'lag' reactions, and it writhed on the ground, unable to bear the pain. The impact had released the spirit language bindings, but what came from its mouth were no longer angry roars, but rather tormented wails. 
It suddenly leaped upwards, its giant body suspended in midair. Then, it ascended in midair, continuing to leap up high. 
The Nue descended, sitting down on the wall of the high-rise office building towering behind them. The glass windows shattered, shards of glass falling to the ground one after another. The spiritual disaster had only been able to do such a gravity-defying action because its material had 'ambiguous' properties. 
Hesitation flashed over the face of Hokuto who was staying in the same sky, not knowing whether to chase it. In the end, it decided to turn around and keep a distance. That response wasn't to defend against the Nue, but instead because Hokuto had judged that it had to be cautious of Kagami. 
"Hey, I didn't get to prepare today, so don't waste too much of my time." Kagami spoke lazily, raising his head to look at the Nue, his hands still stuck in his pockets. 
"...Namah sarva tatha gatebhyah sarva..." [41] 
In a single breath, Kagami chanted a long incantation with a unique cadence. Vajrapani's [42] most fundamental original dharani [43] - the Fire Realm magic, one of the Acala [44] system of worship's main suppression methods. 
An incredible strong magical energy swirled into a spiral centered at Kagami, like a true tornado. An aura of fire immediately formed suppression magic, rising upwards like a gas. The Nue kicked off the wall to try to dodge, but the Fire Realm magic still chased after it, capturing it effortlessly. 
Once the Fire Realm magic captured the Nue, the spiritual disaster immediately ignited into a malicious flame. The Nue became a ball of fire, wailing shrilly, and falling straight down to the ground. 
Right underneath... was Kyouko, helping to evacuate the other students. 
"Kyouko!" 
Harutora shouted. Kyouko's face paled in surprise, quickly ordering to her two defensive shikigami. Hakuou gave the student in its hands to Kokfuu, tumbling away from underneath the Nue with its master in its arms. 
Then, the Nue fell, causing the ground to shake. 'Lag' appeared in the Nue's giant body, and the Fire Realm magic's fire aura spread everywhere. 
"Kurahashi! ...I, Independent Officer! Please consider the safety of the others!" The old instructor roared angrily, his face pale. 
"Kurahashi~?" Kagami didn't heed the old instructor's protest, instead showing interest towards Kyouko's family name. 
"Kurahashi's that - Ah, right! Onmyou Academy. In that case, that little girl's the Chief's daughter, huh? ......Hold on, that also means that the dragon's - it's the Tsuchimikado dragon, right?" 
The tone Kagami spoke with was like he had noticed a new toy. The Nue that had fallen to the ground and was dying in front of him wasn't in his sights at all. 
As if he had only just now seen the students - "So there's a Tsuchimikado successor here, a brat who's rumored to be and may or may not be Yakou's reincarnation, huh?" He sized up the students present as he said this. 
...Tch. 
Not good. Almost by instinct, Harutora felt from the bottom of his heart that things weren't good. 
There weren't many people present who could stand straight, and more importantly it was impossible for a Divine General to not see who had a link of spiritual power with the servant shikigami Hokuto. 
The gaze from underneath the sunglasses focused on Natsume. Natsume took half a step back, and Harutora felt like a chunk of ice had slipped into the bottom of his stomach. 
"......So you're the brat." 
Kagami licked his lips like a cannibal, murmuring as he stared at Natsume. Then, he walked towards Natsume. 
"Kagami! Don't touch the students!" 
The old instructor's face paled, and the other two teachers hastily ran forward, planning on putting themselves between Natsume and Kagami. 
"Don't move." Kagami used spirit language without even turning his head, and they immediately froze petrified to the ground, unmoving as if they had been bound. Natsume had nowhere to run and could only gaze wide-eyed at the Divine General approaching step by step. 
"D, Damn--!" 
Due to Touji on his back, Harutora couldn't rush to Natsume's side. It was best not to act rashly, especially since the Nue hadn't been completely purified. 
"......Ha, it looks like you really are a well-raised brat. It's you, right? Tsuchimikado?" Kagami stood in front of Natsume, happily smiling while looking down at her. 
The flickering Fire Realm magic showed almost no signs of extinguishing, and the Nue still burned in the flame. The flame burning with magical energy illuminated Kagami's sunglasses from the side, reflecting the fire's sparkling light. 
Natsume managed to face Kagami's gaze head-on. 
"......Th, That's me." 
"What's your name?" 
"T, Tsuchimikado Natsume." 
"Tch...... What are you scared of, I won't eat you - I heard that you made that goth loli Dairenji cry? At any rate, that little girl's one of the Twelve Divine Generals. Since you won against her, you can stand tall and proud. That way's more suited to my preferences." 
Kagami smiled even more savagely as he said this. 
"After all - only a self-confident brat makes others feel 'drive', you understand? Like how an idiot who thinks of himself as smart is more interesting and how it's more meaningful to trample on a small fry who thinks himself powerful. Plus, you're the descendant of a famous family, which really makes people eager to test you." 
"............" 
Natsume stared at Kagami, pressing her lips together wordlessly. Kagami noticed Natsume's reaction, letting out a low snicker. 
Just then, the Nue shrieked with a sharp "EE--!", leaping up. 
An attack. The Nue had taken advantage of Kagami's defenseless moment, attacking Kagami by surprise from the shroud of flames. As a spiritual disaster, the miasma on the Nue's body was still quite powerful. "Natsume!" Harutora's body inadvertently went rigid. 
However, Kagami was unmoved. He hmphed in annoyance, taking one hand out of his jacket. 
He slashed his fingers horizontally from left to right like he was trying to tear apart the air, and then used the four fingers from his forefinger to his pinky finger to draw four vertical lines from up to down. An intense, dazzling light burst forth from the grid Kagami drew in midair as the wall's magical energy rose in a flash, not only stopping the Nue's continued advance, but even repulsing it back. 
He hadn't chanted an incantation or formed a hand seal. His magic was extremely simple, but his power was frighteningly strong. In comparison, the haya-kuji that Harutora had drawn was simply worthless. 
...T, Too strong...... 
Harutora couldn't help but look stupidly. Even if a phase three spiritual disaster was an enemy that an entire team of exorcists would have trouble confronting, Kagami was playing with it in the palm of his hand. 

After witnessing Dairenji Suzuka's strength, he had been quite clear on how powerful the Twelve Divine Generals were, but Kagami's strength was a level higher. No, just like he himself had said, Suzuka was just a child, and she was just a simple researcher compared to Kagami who had been appointed an Independent Exorcist. The difference in strength of the two was like the one between an adult and a child. 
"Damn annoying...... If I don't deal with this thing first, that group of people heading to Shinagawa will rush over here." Kagami murmured impatiently and was just about to fight the Nue again, but-- "Wait, I thought of a good idea." A crooked smile emerged on his face again and his gaze moved upwards. He looked at Hokuto in the air and snickered. 
"You're called Natsume, right? Why don't you have that dragon purify the spiritual disaster." 
"......What?" 
"What, the spiritual disaster's power has been weakened quite a bit. This kind of small fry Nue is nothing to be scared about, especially since you've got that genuine dragon." 
Kagami spoke with a grin and Natsume's expression looked even more rigid as she listened. 
Kagami spoke correctly, the servant shikigami Hokuto was 'materialized aura', the same kind of being as this phase three spiritual disaster Nue - namely, a 'materialized spiritual disaster'. Hence, Hokuto and the Nue's original strengths were comparable - No, considering Hokuto's 'level', Hokuto was actually far stronger than the Nue. 
But Hokuto was a shikigami, not a spiritual disaster. As a shikigami, it was strongly affected by its master - Natsume. Though Natsume was an excellent student called a genius, in the end she was just a 'student with especially outstanding grades', not a 'specialized Onmyouji'. Not only was the current her unable to wield Hokuto's true power, using Hokuto at will was also a problem. 
Needless to say, Kagami was naturally provoking Natsume because he had seen through this. In his eyes, not only Natsume, but also the Nue, the teachers, the students, and a phase three spiritual disaster here were all clearly insignificant in his eyes. 
Natsume gritted her teeth, staring straight into Kagami's eyes, hidden behind the sunglasses he wore. 
"......A, Are you even qualified to be an exorcist?" 
"What did you say?" 
"Only a lunatic would treat a spiritual disaster like a game! This is a phase three spiritual disaster! Why don't you properly purify it first before playing around!" 
Natsume denounced Kagami to his face, and the sneering smile on Kagami's face faded. 
"......Ho." He hummed then grabbed Natsume, who was unable to respond in time, by the collar. Kagami's movement was keen like a skilled martial artist, because he had long since trained to be skilled at surprise attacks. 
"This gifted student here is really speaking well. Hey, Natsume-san? Why don't you brace yourself and let us see how the gifted student of a famous family carries out justice - alright?" He spoke to the stunned and pale Natsume, a savage smile emerging on his mouth as he drew near Natsume's face in a flash. Natsume reached out her hands to shake off Kagami, but Kagami was as immovable as a mountain. 
"Hahaha...... Not bad, not bad at all. Your 'value' is really worth a try." 
Aura flowed along Kagami's body, giving off a dangerous air. The immobile teachers could only grit their teeth and glare angrily at Kagami. 
Just then-- 
"Let Natsume go, you cross-marked bastard!" 
This angry outburst didn't make its target tremble in fright, but it did for everyone on the sidelines who heard those words. 
Kagami's gaze shot out like an arrow, and Harutora welcomed the Divine General's gaze. 
"I, Idiot......!" 
Natsume hurriedly scolded Harutora, but not just Harutora, even Kagami turned a deaf ear to her words. 
The smile on Kagami's face vanished again. 
"......Where'd this brat come from?" 
"......I'm Tsuchimikado Harutora, the son of the Tsuchimikado branch family!" Harutora replied in an angry roar while supporting Touji. Actually, he was scared to death inside, but his intense anger won out over his terror, forcing him to come forward. 
...What kind of joke is this bastard playing at! 
Regardless of who the opponent was or how large the gap in strength between them was, he definitely wouldn't back down quietly when he should be angry. 
This sudden action stunned the teachers for a moment, and Kyouko who had finally stood up also gaped in shock. Kon was the only exception. "H, Harutora-sama!" She cast a reverent gaze towards Harutora, her face flushed in excitement. 
Kagami tilted his head, saying: "The branch family child, ah~", still not releasing the hands grabbing Natsume's collar. He continued to size up Harutora, then suddenly frowned, ignoring Harutora, releasing Natsume, and abruptly leaping backwards. 
Right after, a thick band of light swooped down from above in the space opened up between Kagami and Natsume. 
A dragon rapidly rushed down. 
"Hokuto!" 
Hokuto threatened Kagami like it was protecting the frightened Natsume. Even though it was willful, did as it pleased, and didn't listen to its master's orders, Hokuto was still Natsume's servant shikigami, and not a single shikigami in the world would forgive a person trying to harm its master. 
"......Ha!" Kagami continued jumping backwards, crouching on the ground and laughing happily. 
He stared at the dragon lingering in midair in front of Natsume - "Very nice, this is much more of a challenge than that useless Nue...... Alright, let me teach you group of unworldly brats how harsh the world of adults is." 
He let out a low laugh, slowly standing up. With that, not only Harutora, but also even Natsume couldn't avoid a fight. Harutora, Natsume, Kon, and Hokuto took their own fighting stances, entering a state of battle readiness. 
An explosive situation. 
Just then, something strange happened as if to stop them from exploding into conflict. 
Of course, Kagami was the first person to notice the anomaly. 
"...What's going on?" His expression changed - and the ground bubbled up instantly. 


"This is - spirit flow?" 
Even Kagami had difficulty concealing his panic. 
The ground spewed out aura, scattering the magical chains on the teachers' bodies. Natsume and Kyouko couldn't help but scream, their feet unsteady. It was a similar situation to a geyser eruption - or a giant water pipe bursting underground. Among those, the latter was closest to the real situation. 
...Could it be that someone was secretly manipulating the spirit flow? 
Though Kagami was a First-Class Onmyouji, he couldn't easily control spirit flow with magic. "Who's doing this!" He asked angrily, and of course he got no reply. 
Then, as if to push aside Kagami's question, the Nue roared angrily. 
The Nue's body continued to swell, absorbing - 'devouring' - the aura that was spewing out, recovering the wounds Kagami had created in moments. He had ignored the regular order of spiritual disaster purification - he hadn't sealed the spiritual disaster inside a barrier, so as a result it had brought unexpectedly big trouble. 
"Tch." Kagami clicked his tongue, immediately forming several seals with both hands naturally and smoothly. 
He had come directly to the scene of the spiritual disaster after leaving the branch office, so never mind pre-prepared magical tools, he didn't even have a single charm with him. If he let the Nue escape from this place right now, the situation might become even thornier. 
"...!" Just then, as expected of a battle-hardened person, Kagami rapidly noticed an attack, making the prompt decision to abandon his magic binding of the Nue and focusing his magical energy into his blade seal instead, bringing down the charm that came flying at him - a charm that had been thrown after invisibility magic had been cast upon it. 
The magical energy contained inside the charm exploded, blotting out Kagami's vision, and the Nue took advantage of the opportunity to leap up powerfully. 
It escaped the scene with all its might, not wasting a moment of time. The upsurge of spiritual pressure released the Fire Realm magic wrapping around its body, and embers scattered in the sky. Kagami clicked his tongue, but he didn't have the spare energy to immediately capture the Nue because he had to deal with the unknown attacker's pursuit. The opponent had chosen this moment to attack, so it was clear that he was the same person who had messed with the spirit flow. Judging by that, this person definitely wasn't a pushover. 
Moreover-- 
"Aaaaaahh!" 
There was another spiritual disaster. 
The distance was extremely close, and Kagami raised his spiritual pressure, reflexively strengthening his spiritual defense. Things would be troublesome it they got any worse. He locked on to the new spiritual disaster, planning on 'crushing' the distorted aura in a breath. 
But, once he saw the source of the spiritual disaster, his movements immediately stopped. 
"The hell's this." 
Kagami doubted whether he was seeing wrongly, but the spiritual disaster was indeed coming from the one who had just condemned him as the 'cross-marked bastard', that Tsuchimikado brat-- 
--No. 
It wasn't him. The spiritual disaster was unrelated to the branch family brat, but rather it was next to him. The other person that the branch family brat - the one called Harutora - was supporting was the source of the spiritual disaster. That person had exhausted his strength roaring out loud amidst the aura erupted by the spirit flow. Harutora desperately tried to keep him under control, but he seemed like he could no longer hold himself back, knocking aside Harutora's hand and wrapping his arms around himself, his forehead smashing violently onto the ground. 
"......That brat......" Kagami's gaze stared intently at him. 
Finally, the brat kneeling on the ground and moaning painfully passed out, collapsing directly on the ground. Harutora's face paled, calling out: "Touji!" and reaching his hand out to support his shoulder. Natsume was speechless from shock, and Kyouko stood still blankly. Even the teachers were dumbstruck and perplexed. 
The eruption of the spirit flow gradually stabilized. The Nue had long since left - it had escaped the scene. 
But the second spiritual disaster was still right by that brat's body, and it wasn't just a simple spiritual disaster. A mobile spiritual disaster. No, more accurately, the two weren't similar at all. 
"......Ha! This is too interesting......" 
Kagami momentarily forgot about the person who had attacked him, a fierce smile emerging on his face. 
His mouth curved into a crescent - the 'Ogre Eater' Kagami Reiji smiled. 
"That brat's been possessed by something, right? ...No, it's none other than an 'oni'. To think I would encounter a living spirit here...... Haha! Not bad, you group of brats are really interesting!" 
 



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