Tokyo Ravens - Volume 3 - Chapter 4.4

Part 4 
The shrine's outer garden was located within the bounds of Yoyogi [52] . The Meiji Shrine was a vast park stretching from Shinjuku to Shibuya, and there were many athletic-related facilities inside the park like the National Stadium and the Meiji Jingu Stadium. 
The Exorcist Bureau had chosen a softball field that was the largest among these as the location of this spiritual disaster purification. Of the composite, diamond-shaped ball field made up of six surfaces, five surfaces were natural turf and one was man-made turf. The entire field was similar in size to the Tokyo Dome [53] . This place had been chosen in order to conform with time, location, and spirituality, with its unimpeded spirit flow, low risk of causing damage to the surroundings, and various factors all taken into consideration. 
In any case, this was a wide, boundless place, and there weren't fences or outside barriers, with only trees encircling the surroundings. The lights in the normally brightly lit Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery and Meiji Jingu Stadium were all off today, making the expansive composite ball field look a bit more desolate. 
At the moment, a group of ravens wearing black clothes that were even darker than the night were gathered in the vast, boundless field. 
There was a tent erected near the north entrance to the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery acting as the temporary command post of the Exorcist Command Center. There were quite a few transport vehicles for the spiritual disaster purification teams parked behind it. In addition, there were movable altars positioned in a round shape within the area and barriers set down encircling the ball field to stop the mobile spiritual disaster from escaping. There were also two helicopters prepared on standby ready at any time as a precaution, in case something unexpected happened and it was necessary to give chase. 
The surroundings were pervaded by a feeling of tension and the aura of the exorcists, making it hard to breathe and associating the coming spiritual disaster purification with an uphill battle. 
At a distance of fifty meters above the heavily guarded ground. 
A golden dragon - Hokuto - was drifting around the expansive night sky. Hokuto who was close to ten meters long in total didn't seem as huge as before in this vast field, but the figure of the dragon roaming through the night sky was still filled with a mystical feeling in the eyes of the people who looked up from the ground. 
However, right now Hokuto was showing a rare impatience. 
Since it had received Natsume's orders, it had continuously been turning around in the same place. When it had been summoned, it had looked curiously at the scene on the ground, but it had quickly gotten tired of watching things like the Exorcists and the altar, feeling that they were boring. It often looked at the faraway tall buildings of Roppongi and the Tokyo Tower or the newly built high-rise district as if wanting to play over there. 
Natsume stayed patient, ordering this willful dragon from the ground. 
In the plan of action this time, it was necessary for Hokuto's aura to spread through the aura flow and proliferate through various parts of the city, Hokuto had to constantly release aura for this. Though this matter sounded simple, it was actually extremely difficult. Hokuto was quite a strong shikigami, and materializing for a long time was an abnormally heavy burden to the controller. Natsume might be the first to collapse if the operation went on for too long. 
"...You don't need to force yourself, Natsume-kun. If you collapse, that would truly be a failure upon a failure." 
Kogure whispered a warning into the ear of Natsume who was staring intently at Hokuto. Natsume replied with a "Yes", but her gaze, directed upwards, didn't move. 
Natsume was currently right underneath Hokuto near the center of the ball field, with Kyouko and Hirata next to her. In addition, they and also the exorcists present were all staring at Natsume without turning away. 
Several exorcists were currently chanting incantations, letting Hokuto's aura seep into the aura flow, but the other people were completely silent. At some time, the undulating tone of the incantation had assimilated with the background, and suddenly the sound of the wind blowing through the field became particularly harsh. 
It still hadn't come? 
Natsume practically heard the inner voice of the exorcists, and though Kogure wanted her not to force herself, it really wasn't her style to hold back in this kind of time. 
She glanced at the tent that had been set up temporarily. 
Including Kogure, the operation being held had four Independent Exorcists in total and one Special Sensor, five Divine Generals in total, and of course Kagami Reiji was also included among them. He was definitely sneering right now, looking with malicious intentions from the tent towards the center of the field. No, it was possible that he didn't even care and she wasn't even in his eyes. Regardless of which situation it was, she was definitely unwilling to shame herself in front of that man. 
And there were definitely quite a few people who held complex feelings towards the Tsuchimikado among this big group of Onmyouji, especially for these exorcists who had to purify spiritual disasters day after day. 
Tracing back the roots, the reason these spiritual disasters happened could be attributed to the ancient Tsuchimikado Onmyoudou family. However, the techniques they used to purify spiritual disasters were also from the Tsuchimikado. What kind of feelings would the exorcists view her with right now? 
Just then, the sound of rotors came from above her head. The sound came from a media helicopter, and there had been several helicopters in the sky above the Meiji Shrine outer garden at any given moment since just recently. 
The contents of the operation were secret, so it wasn't certain where the media had dug up the information from. Just the same, it hadn't been made public that Natsume was involved in the operation, but someone in the industry would immediately realize that upon seeing the dragon roaming in the night sky. 
...There's only one thing I should do. 
Regardless of what the exorcists thought and how the surrounding people reacted, she only needed to properly complete the mission she had been assigned. This was the bare minimum to have any self-respect as a Tsuchimikado family member. 
Natsume's expression was grim, her mind focused on Hokuto above her head. A bitter smile flashed over Kogure's face when he saw Natsume's appearance. 
But, Natsume's hard work finally bore fruit. 
'Mobile spiritual disaster spotted! It's approaching from the northeast - from the Demon Gate!' 
The Spirit Sensor on standby in the tent noticed the Nue's miasma, and an alert immediately came from the speaker. 
"......It's finally come." Kogure said. 
Natsume hurriedly looked towards the northeast sky, and Hokuto also showed a perplexed appearance, turning its head towards the same direction. 
The northeast, direction of Ichigaya and Iidabashi [54] . Not a single abnormality could be seen in the night sky obscured by darkness. But - "It's here......!" Natsume's intuition said this and her mind naturally focused. Her mind and body also went tense once she noticed the abnormality mixed in with the black sky in the distance. 
Right then-- 
EIEE-- 
A braying rode along with the night wind, and a twisted figure flying at a low altitude could vaguely be seen in the northeast. 
'Target confirmed! A 'Type-Chimera' spiritual disaster, estimated two minutes until arrival!' 
"Prepare to engage!" 
The commander announced and the exorcists acted hastily, various orders busily being thrown about. 
"......Good." Kogure relaxed his arms. "Natsume-kun, the important highlight is up next. Please follow the orders beforehand and have the dragon--" Kogure spoke as he walked towards Natsume. But when he was only half-done speaking, the sound of static suddenly came from the speaker. Then-- 'Th, The other mobile spiritual disaster has appeared! It's advancing from the southwest - from the Rear Demon Gate.' 
"What?" 
Kogure turned around suddenly and the exorcists preparing to engage couldn't conceal their fluster for a while. Natsume also hurriedly looked towards the southwest. Because of the trees nearby surrounding the ball field, she couldn't clearly see the low-altitude, but since the Special Sensor - one of the Twelve Divine Generals - had felt the spiritual disaster closing in, it definitely wasn't a mistake. 
"Kogure-san......?" 
"......Uh, that dragon of yours is very popular. I guess this will save us quite some time." 
Compared to Natsume's wavering and anxiety, Kogure was poised and showed a fearless smile, and the exorcists also had the same reaction. 
'...Listen up, the mobile spiritual disaster approaching from the southwest is expected to arrive in six minutes. The operation will immediately change to 'Plan C'. From now on, the first approaching mobile spiritual disaster is 'Chimera 01', and the second mobile spiritual disaster is 'Chimera 02'. I repeat, implement 'Plan C'!' 
The announcement came through the speaker again, the voice clearly different from before. "Plan C?" Natsume asked. "Don't mind it." Kogure replied briefly. 
"Simply put, it's purifying two spiritual disasters at once, but we only have a tight opportunity to set down a barrier. Alright, let's fall back - Hirata, you guys come too." Saying this, Kogure brought Natsume from the center of the field to the fountain in the south. Hirata and Kyouko also followed behind the two. 
The plan of action had suddenly changed, but Kogure wasn't visibly panicked at all. The exorcists had also only hesitated for a moment, and immediately prepared to engage according to the new instructions. 
"Wh, What about Hokuto?" 
"Before the second - before '02' arrives, we have to have it [55] standby in the air, but make absolutely sure not to let it approach '01', or it might accidentally get drawn into the purification." 
Natsume and the others rushed towards the fountain, and just then the field was wrapped up by a hair-raising yin flow. Natsume noticed that her heartbeat was gradually accelerating. 
She ran to the edge of the field and was taken aback in surprise. 
Three figures walked out of the temporary command post. Because the sky was dark and the distance was far, she couldn't see clearly, but she could vaguely make out one man and one woman. The last person's body was quite familiar, the 'Ogre Eater' Kagami Reiji. 
They were Independent Exorcists, the top of the nation - the current premier Onmyouji. 
Just then - "Tch." Kogure hissed. 
"The development progress is far more than I expected...... The spiritual disasters themselves were manipulated." 
"Huh?" Just as Natsume couldn't help but ask, Kyouko next to her screamed. 
The Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery was behind the temporary command post, and the dome in the center of the roof was the symbol of the shrine's outer boundary. Above it was a giant figure rumbling through the air, flying over at a low altitude. "Lights on!" After that order, the searchlights that had been prepared were turned on simultaneously. Countless beams of light tore through the black night and illuminated the giant black figure on the picture gallery. 
The thing illuminated by the light... was a Nue. 
The Nue's body was greatly different from when they had seen it during the evening. It had two long necks, a barrel-shaped body and glowing claws on its limbs. Its tails, however many there were, undulated like tentacles. Two giant bat-like wings grew out of its back, probably large enough to cover its entire body. That appearance seemed like a two-headed dragon, like the legendary dragons of the West. 
However, not only was its external appearance different, but also the change in its body size was even more surprising. 
Its unfurled pair of mammoth wings was no smaller than the picture gallery, and they were close to a hundred meters wide, with its body perhaps forty meters long. 
"Wh, What's that? It's a monster!" 
"............!" 
Natsume was speechless next to the stunned Kyouko who exclaimed. Hokuto stared at the Nue from the sky, seeming also to have taken no small impact from the gigantic size of the Nue's body. 
On the other hand, Kogure and Hirata glanced at each other. 
"......This is bad......" 
"Yeah, it seems like there's a good chance it'll develop into a phase four." 
Upon hearing the two speak, Natsume and Kyouko froze in place, dumbstruck. 
The progress of spiritual disasters was divided into 'phases'. A distortion of aura that had no chance of recovering naturally was a phase one, one that could create physical harm was a phase two, and a materialized spiritual being was a phase three. 
The next step, phase four, meant a rise in spiritual pressure, disseminating a high-density miasma, distorting the surrounding spirituality, and making the aura skew rapidly, leading to spiritual disasters happening one after another. A giant spiritual disaster as a fuse leading to the crisis of countless spiritual disasters happening successively, that was a phase four. 
Also known as a Hyakki Yagyou. [56] 
The Nue before them - 'Chimera 01' - had already grown to the point where it was one step from entering phase four. 
"......But, this helps me out a lot, because we 'caught up'." 
Kogure grinned. As if receiving an instruction, the movable altar placed in the field simultaneously lit up with flame. 
The blowing wind made the flame kindle rapidly, which climbed up in a flash like an explosion. 
Just then-- 

...Namah sarva tatha gatebhyah sarva mukhebhyah, sarva trat canda maha rosana, kham khahi khahi sarva vighnam hum trat... [57] 
Exorcists made hand seals, chanting in unison the incantation that Kagami had spoken in the evening, Fire Realm magic. 
The flame on the altar burned with magical energy, shooting into the night sky like a flaming sword, slashing through the darkness and spewing white smoke. 
Officially this was 'spiritual disaster purification', but actually they were going on the offensive against the Nue, 'subduing' it. Different from purification which prioritized the balance of yin and yang, subduing demons often used the magic of esoteric religious systems in General Onmyoudou. Because of this, the exorcists had chosen an esoteric magic as the major procedure of the current Nue subduing. 
Fire Realm magic shot out from the altar like a cannon and hit successively on the Nue, covering its entire body in flame. It screamed mournfully, the high-density miasma contained in its cry washing over the field like a tsunami. 
However-- "......???." On the north side of the field - Kagami who was closest to the Nue pronounced the seed syllable of the Kundali Vidyaraja, 'scattering' the wave of miasma closing in on the field. The tsunami of miasma shattered and dissipated like it had hit a rock wall, sprinkling large amounts of miasma on the field, which was then all burned and vaporized by the magic on the altar. 
Because of the miasma's frightful ferocity, Natsume and the others who were in the other direction were not spared. Just then, Kogure slowly put his hand on the scabbard of the katana on his waist. 
He didn't draw the sword, he just put his fingers on the scabbard, pushing the blade out slightly. 
In that moment, Natsume and Kyouko didn't even have time to react before a sharp aura burst forth from the blade, cutting apart all of the descending miasma. 
The Nue continued to soar upwards, and the Fire Realm magic continued to chase right after it. 
Natsume came to her senses, hurriedly calling: "Hokuto! Quickly retreat!" 
Hokuto opened its mouth, looking blankly at the intense battle that had suddenly begun. It probably didn't want to get involved, so it quickly followed Natsume's order, flying down over its master's head. 
But, the Nue noticed the dragon's movements and quickly descended from under the covering of the Fire Realm magic, trying to attack Hokuto from above. 
"Oh no! Hokuto!" 
Natsume hastily asked Hokuto to evade, but when it noticed the Nue was attacking, it seemed to flare up in anger for a while, not to be outdone. Hokuto quickly stopped, twisting its body to intimidate the Nue above it that was several times larger. 
"I, Idiot!" 
Natsume ordered it to escape with a pale face, but it pretended not to hear, even roaring as if threatening the enemy to 'come if you dare'. Kogure furrowed his eyebrows, his right hand going to the handle of his katana. 
But just as Kogure was about to draw his sword, when the Nue hadn't yet attacked Hokuto, the male Independent Exorcist standing on the north side flung something into the night sky. 
What the man threw was a magical tool used in Vajrayana [58] - a tokkosho [59] . 
The tokkosho carried a strong magical energy, giving off a sacred light and drawing a glowing path through the night sky like a surface-to-air missile. It cut apart the night sky, shooting towards the Nue with a hum and piercing the Nue's body in a flash, forcibly tearing one of the Nue's wings. 
The Nue screamed shrilly, its body momentarily losing balance. 'Lag' reactions appeared over its entire body, and it rapidly spun in front of Hokuto who had stopped moving out of surprise-- 
It fell. 
The impact accompanying the noise caused the ground to shake. The Nue happened to fall in the center of the field. No, this wasn't coincidence, but rather a 'certain outcome'. 
Kogure, who had momentarily taken a guarded stance, said: "As expected of Miyachi-san", dropping his guard. Then, accompanying the impact of the fall, miasma rushed forth like a tsunami again - but the Nue fell in the center of the field, inside the circle that the altar formed, and the miasma was already burned away before it had poured out of the circle. Natsume and Kyouko - even Hokuto - could only watch, stunned and speechless. 
...Th, This was...... the power of Independent Exorcists. 
The 'Child Prodigy' Dairenji Suzuka's power was undoubtedly strong, but the people here - the Divine Generals purifying this spiritual disaster - were even more powerful, whether it was Kagami Reiji or the man who had felled the Nue in a single strike. Not only were normal Onmyouji unable to match up, they even made others doubt whether they were human at all. Though Kogure still seemed leisurely, if he got serious, he should be able to display a power equivalent to theirs. 
The field became a sea of flame under the strong magical energy. 
Even so, the Nue still wasn't purified. The Nue that had been pulled onto the ground raged, and every time its twisted limbs beat the earth, its giant body leaped up like a fish that had been grounded, leading to an intense vibration that could be mistaken for an earthquake. 
But even if the Nue was furious, it couldn't take flight again. The Nue being unable to fly had nothing to do with losing a wing, as mobile disasters weren't governed by physical laws. The biggest reasons were the altar surrounding it and the Fire Realm magic above it, blocking the Nue from escaping out of the circle. Moreover, there was also another magical energy covering the entire battle from above. That was a magic they hadn't seen before, probably cast by the other female Independent Exorcist. 
"......It seems like things are going very smoothly." 
"That's what it looks like for now." 
Hirata's tone couldn't conceal his excitement, and in comparison, Kogure didn't dare to drop his guard, and his pessimistic gaze looked straight at the Nue. 
Then-- 
' 'Chimera 02' has appeared in sight range!' 
A shout came from the speaker, and only then did Natsume notice the presence of the other Nue. She hurriedly turned around to look in the southwest direction, unable to help but cry out in surprise. 
The Nue was in Jingu Stadium, climbing on top of the towering electronic scoreboard like a wild monkey climbing tree branches. 
She immediately noticed upon looking that the thing was the spiritual disaster that had disrupted the exam. Its body type wasn't like '01', but similarly, it had become quite large. With its body bent, it was already over ten meters tall, and even without counting the length of the tail, its body was perhaps on the order of twenty meters. Its head was like an ape's, with its round eyes reflecting the firelight and shining brightly, its tail dancing in the air, seeming ready to make trouble. 
"...Natsume-kun." 
"Yes!" 
Natsume calmly and immediately gave orders, having Hokuto lead the Nue over. Hokuto seemed to remember this spiritual disaster - '02', quickly turning around towards the second Nue with an attitude like it were saying 'so I ran into this thing again'. 
At the same time, '01' seemed as if it noticed that '02' had appeared, raising its two heads and crying out towards '02' as if asking for help. 
'Chimera 02' roared to reply, then leaped violently like it was trying to crush the electric scoreboard, leaping higher and higher into the night sky. 
'Prepare the barrier!' 
An organized announcement came from the speaker, and the exorcists standing by on the side immediately raised their aura, transforming it into magical energy. 
Then, '02' flew above the field, its shadow moving above Natsume and the others. 
'Spread the barrier!' 
A barrier of aura was erected along with the voice. 
But... 
"What?" 
Kogure couldn't help but exclaim. 
The spirit flow suddenly distorted. No, the word 'distorted' wasn't a sufficient description. The aura flow suddenly jumped, aura spewing out like a crashing wave, washing away the Fire Realm magic that the exorcists had spread, and even the magic cast by the Independent Exorcist. The aura flow spewed out an oppressive aura like a volcano erupting. 
And '01' was above the spewing aura. 
The Nue directly absorbed the aura spewed out by the spirit flow, not needing to spend any energy at all to consume the overflowing aura. 
EIEE--! 
As '01's gigantic body swelled further, and '02' lingered above receiving the billow of aura, the barrier that had just been set formed just in time. As a result, the barrier was completed, capturing '01', but with '02' still left outside. 
"This is bad!" Kogure yelled, but unfortunately it was too late. The situation was in the same rut as the exam, and Hirata also regretfully shouted: "Damn!" 
"The Twin-Horned Syndicate! Damn, where did they do this from?" 
'02' felt the obstruction of the barrier, circling outside the field and roaring. But the body of '01' rapidly enlarged, and even though the exorcists chanted the Fire Realm magic again, they couldn't stop it in time. High-density miasma overflowed from the giant body, and the aura in the area momentarily twisted, leading to spiritual disasters, and not just one. With '01' as the center, spiritual disasters happened one after another, and among them there were several immediately blowing whirlwinds sweeping up the ground, entering phase two. 
The current situation was just like-- 
'The spiritual disaster has started a chain reaction! 'Chimera 01' has entered phase four!' 
This was the situation that the people here feared to see the most, and '02' hadn't been sealed by the barrier. They could only let it loose to rage outside, and declare the failure of the operation - 'Plan C' here. 
"Kogure!" The Independent Exorcist that had brought down the Nue shouted. 
"I know." Kogure replied. 
"Come!" Kogure thundered. The motorcycle stopped behind the fountain immediately started its motor by itself, speeding towards Kogure. 
Kogure immediately jumped on the motorcycle, shouting: "Hirata! You go find the person from just now!" 
"Yes!" Hirata replied, immediately charging out. Kogure showed a severe look as he stared at '02', different from the first impression he gave others. He planned on chasing it alone and resolving this problem by himself. 
"Natsume-kun, I'm sorry, but please stay back. You can ask the exorcists nearby to protect you, and the same goes for Kyouko-kun. You don't need to worry about '01'. Though it's entered phase four, this group will definitely succeed in the purification! So..." Natsume had already rushed at Kogure when he was already half-finished, jumping on the backseat of the motorcycle. 
"Hey!' Kogure was greatly surprised, having difficulty concealing his anger. 
"Luring the Nue requires Hokuto! I'll go too!" 
"...!" 
Kogure's eyes widened, speechless for some time. Natsume didn't pay him heed, forcefully releasing Hokuto's materialization on her own. 
"N, Natsume-kun!" 
Kyouko exclaimed, but Natsume stared straight at Kogure without turning her head. Hirata who had already charged out couldn't help but stop his feet, looking up at Natsume and Kogure. 
After a moment, Kogure beamed with a smile. 
"...Alright, but remember not to tell Jin." 
"Yes!" 
'01' was closed inside the barrier, and '02' gradually left the field in order to avoid the barrier, seeming to be escaping alone, leaving '01' behind. 
Kogure's motorcycle made a rumbling noise. Kyouko was flustered, not knowing what to do. 
"N-N-N, Natsume-kun?" 
"Kurahashi-san! I'm going!" 
Kogure's motorcycle sped out, chasing the Nue.