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Tokyo Ravens - Volume 3 - Chapter 5.1




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Chapter 5 - Starting Point 

Part 1 
...What to do? 
Kogure ground his teeth in distress. 
The escaping Nue and Mutobe Chihiro. Kogure, who normally made prompt decisions, was rather lost upon encountering this kind of dilemma. 
Mutobe was the right-hand man of the Divine General Dairenji Shidou, and the second-in-command of the former Imperial Household Agency Lingering Spirit Division, with quite a powerful strength. Though he wouldn't be defeated, it would take some work to win against him. But, if he were delayed he would only be able to watch the Nue escape. If he didn't take the opportunity to deal with the Nue, it was bound to bring about more severe damage. 
Maybe he should contact Hirata. No, maybe he should first have the helicopters track the Nue's whereabouts. But the people on the field were currently completely occupied purifying a phase four spiritual disaster, and he feared that they couldn't fulfill his request quickly. 
Kogure had no way of deciding. 
Just then-- 
"Natsume!" 
The boy who ran from Aoyama Street shouted towards them. 
In the next moment, Natsume briskly jumped off the motorcycle. 
"I'll go chase it!" 
"Wha- Hey!" 
Natsume had already charged towards the boy before he even had time to say something to stop her. Chase? What did they plan on chasing? That didn't need to be said; of course it was the Nue. They planned on chasing the Nue relying only on the strength of two people. Since someone was blocking his own path, then certainly only Natsume was left to continue pursuing the Nue. 
About Mutobe...... He didn't need to worry, the attack he had used just now had only targeted him. In addition, in order to keep from harming Natsume in the backseat, there were even a few range-reducing charms deliberately mixed in with the thrown charms. Mutobe was a member of the Twin-Horned Syndicate, and he definitely wouldn't touch Natsume who was rumored to be Yakou's reincarnation. 
Kogure gritted his teeth and simultaneously made his decision. 
"Alright, damn! Reisen! Hou'oubiden! You chase the Nue, Dasai and Kokuryuu return for now!" 
From the perspective of an exorcist, this was a mistaken judgment. Knowing this Kogure still jumped off the motorcycle. 


Natsume looked up with bated breath at the Nue escaping the hunting ground. 
Just then-- 
"Natsume!" 
Harutora noticed Natsume and the others being attacked and frantically shouted, believing that something bad had happened. She looked at him, noticing that Harutora was charging at her. 
Once she heard the voice of her childhood friend and saw his face, Natsume instantly regained her courage and her judgment ability, thinking of the goal for which she was here. 
She took action almost reflexively, jumping off the motorcycle, leaving the words "I'll go chase it!", and immediately running towards Harutora. "Wha- Hey!" Kogure hastily called out to stop her, but she still charged forward without even turning back. 
She didn't worry about the man called Mutobe Chihiro. She couldn't possibly get attacked if the man and Kogure confronted each other. She believed that Kogure wouldn't permit such a thing to happen. 
When Natsume was running, she shot a glance at Mutobe, and Mutobe also looked at Natsume. 
The gazes of the two crossed. 
Perhaps this man was the Yakou fanatic who headed this series of events. Natsume originally should have hid out of fear, but strangely, Natsume didn't feel the same loathing as with the Mystical Investigator who had attacked her the previous year. 
When the two's gazes crossed, Mutobe showed a smile. That smile was gentle and tender. Not only did it have no intent of attacking, it didn't even have a bit of animosity. Natsume ran past Mutobe, not understanding. 
"Hah... Hah...!" 
She charged at full speed towards Harutora on the Ginkgo Tunnel - she ran towards the side of her childhood friend shikigami, Harutora. 
Just then-- "Wow! Can't tell from the exterior, but you have some pretty good spirit!" A sudden voice sounded, and it was even Kogure's voice. She jumped in surprise, hurriedly turning around to look, but she only saw a crow tengu that had been flying next to her since an unknown time. 
The crow tengu spoke using Kogure's voice: "I'm using the shikigami to go with you. Wait for me to deal with this person and then I'll immediately catch up, got it? Absolutely do not overexert yourselves - that's what he says! My name's Dasai, are we going? Let's go!" Right after Kogure's connection ended, the shikigami instantly called out with a high-pitched voice, and the noise of a motorcycle simultaneously sounded from behind them. She looked back, noticing that a motorcycle with no one on it was approaching her. It seemed that one of the crow tengu was inside the motorcycle, moving the engine. 
"Hurry! Jump on." 
"Hey, what?" 
"JUMP!" [61] 
Natsume jumped up without a word and Dasai immediately circled behind her back, lifting her entire self up. "Iyaa!" Natsume couldn't help but cry out, and the motorcycle slid forward just in time - Dasai let go and Natsume fell down, sitting right on the motorcycle. She was riding the motorcycle before she even noticed. 
"Ga! You scream like a girl! Calm down, grip tightly!" 
"O......Okay......!" 
Natsume hastily gripped the motorcycle handlebars - more accurately, she held them and wouldn't let go as the motorcycle's speed accelerated in a flash-- 


"H-H-H, Harutora-sama!" 
"Uwah!" 
Pale-faced, Natsume rode the motorcycle that sped closer. Harutora hurriedly stepped back, taken aback. 
But, the crow tengu that rapidly approached a step before the motorcycle called out: "Boy! Get on!" 
"G, Get on?" 
That was rather reckless, wasn't it...... Harutora thought. Kon quickly held Harutora up from behind once she noticed the crow tengu's intentions, holding him in midair - then tossed him into the backseat of the motorcycle. Harutora unconsciously grabbed on to Natsume. 
 
"Aaah! H, Harutora-kun! You're touching--!" 
"Oh god! I'm going to die! My life is at risk! I can't do this kind of stunt!" 
The motorcycle carrying the two didn't lower its speed at all, rapidly rushing through the Ginkgo Tunnel with no regard for the panicked students and speeding on Aoyama Road. The motorcycle wobbled, sliding as it turned to the right and rubbing tracks on the asphalt road. For the moment, Harutora and Natsume were like riding a roller coaster without safety belts. Natsume gripped the motorcycle and Harutora grabbed on to Natsume for dear life, with Dasai and Kon flying in the air right behind the two of them. 
"N-N-Natsume! What exactly is going on?" 
"N, Never mind that, your hands - Hyah! H-Harutora-kun, you're--!" 
"I'm not doing anything at all! Come to think of it, do you have a motorcycle license?" 
"How could I have such a thing!" 
Between the master and shikigami's shouts, the motorcycle with Kokuryuu inside it sped at full speed, zooming along the road that Harutora had been on before. It sped south, towards Shibuya. 
"A, Anyway, the Nue is the priority! We can't let it escape, let's chase it quickly!" 
Natsume raised her voice and shouted. That was right. Harutora worked hard to recompose himself, raising his head. 
He looked up to the sky, noticing the Nue and Hokuto who chased doggedly after it above the building to his right, as well as two crow tengu. Dasai, who had also been speeding beside them, also left the motorcycle to join in the assault. 
The dragon and the crow tengu attacked consecutively to keep from giving the Nue an opportunity to escape. The Nue suddenly dropped onto the roofs of buildings and suddenly leaped up to shake off the shikigami, constantly repeating similar movements. Though its body was gigantic, the Nue's movements were swift, very much like a baboon swinging through the trees. Even if 'lag' reactions occasionally appeared on its body, it still didn't show any signs of cowardice. 
...How could this......! 
"Kon! Go help Hokuto and the others!" 

"A-A-At your command!" 
"......Not good, they'll be shaken off no matter what they do!" 
"Damn, it would be good if we had a few more people to help!" Harutora and Natsume shouted as they looked up into the night sky. 
The Nue went south along Aoyama Road. If it continued to go on, it would reach Shibuya Station. Hokuto, Kon, and the crow tengu kept attacking, doing their utmost to block the giant Nue's progress. 
...Damn! 
Harutora gritted his teeth. If this went on, wouldn't he have wasted his time desperately rushing over here? 
The Nue howled loudly, spreading the miasma it gave off along Aoyama Road. It attacked Natsume and Harutora, and they were only able to bear it and let the miasma cover their bodies. 
Then, the chimera lashed out with its tail like a whip, hitting Hokuto who was about to circle in front of the Nue. Hokuto was sent flying out by the blow, crashing onto the road - in front of Harutora and Natsume. The dragon's body flashed intensely because of 'lag'. "Hokuto!" Natsume cried out. 
Harutora couldn't help but gasp, since this was his first time seeing Hokuto hit by the enemy, but Hokuto who had taken the attack didn't pay any heed to the injury. It thrashed on the ground, issuing a ferocious growl as if upset, then slammed against the ground, straightened its body, and was about to fly into the sky-- 
--Like this......! 
"Hold on, Hokuto! Come here!" Harutora inadvertently shouted. 
Natsume made a "huh?" sound, turning her head to look at Harutora, but Harutora didn't pay her any heed, just staring straight at Hokuto. Confusion momentarily flashed across Hokuto's face, but it quickly turned its body as if seeing some clue in Harutora's expression, gliding across the ground and rapidly approaching the motorcycle. 
Harutora thought of the feeling of jumping off the motorcycle. That was simply a death-defying stunt, and comparatively, the crow tengus' actions had just been horseplay. 
Even so... 
Harutora forcefully grabbed onto Natsume's shoulders, standing up on the back of the motorcycle. He pushed off the stunned Natsume, leaping off the motorcycle with a "Bring me up!" 
"Harutora-kun!" Natsume's face paled, unable to keep from screaming. Hokuto, who noticed Harutora's intentions, had its spirits suddenly roused, speeding over the road and supporting Harutora's body from below before he collided with the ground. 
Harutora grabbed onto a horn on Hokuto's head and Hokuto flew directly into the sky. "I'm going!" After leaving Natsume with those words, he straddled Hokuto's head - on its neck. Natsume's eyes were frightened round by that sudden action. 
The motorcycle and Hokuto rushed down the Aoyama Sanchome crossroad. Hokuto increased its speed and flew up in a flash, and this time finally succeeded in circling in front of the Nue. The wind pressure was strong, and Harutora clenched his teeth bitterly, reaching his hand into the charm box on his waist. 
"Order!" 
He threw out a charm - a water element charm. Magical energy created a mass of water and formed a torrent, directly hitting the Nue's head. The Nue roared angrily, stopped, and turned around. 
"Wh-Why have you showed up here? Harutora-sama!" 
"Kon! Don't mind me, keep attacking the Nue!" 
Harutora barked at his shocked and apprehensive shikigami, continuing to throw charms and doing all he could to impede the Nue's progress. 
"Ga! Incredible! Too reckless! But so cool!" 
"So cool! We can't lose!" 
"How exciting! Don't wait for the guy Zenjirou! We'll deal with this Nue!" 
The crow tengu were driven on by Harutora's wild actions, swirling into a storm and disrupting the Nue's vision while successively hurling magical energy at the Nue. In addition, Harutora only noticed when he entered the sky that the crow tengus' cries seemed to be a form of magic itself. As they cawed, the sound gradually penetrated and eroded the Nue's sense of balance. 
Harutora and the others didn't fall behind either. Kon used her foxfire to divert the Nue's attention, and Harutora took the opportunity to attack with a charm. Bursts of noise sequentially pierced through the Nue's entire body. 
The Nue roared angrily, the roar filled with miasma and magical energy, but - Harutora had long since gotten used to it. He was no longer scared, instead roaring: "Don't think that'll work!" and infusing his magical energy into charms, attacking randomly. His strong spiritual power was his only weapon, and he relied on this spiritual power, indiscriminately and desperately throwing charms. 
The Nue that had been single-mindedly escaping finally counterattacked under this heavy onslaught. It raked its claws, attacking Hokuto underneath Harutora's feet. 
"Don't even try - Order!" 
Harutora simultaneously threw out three protective charms and three defensive walls were temporarily erected, blocking the Nue's movements in midair. The Nue couldn't help but roar angrily, reaching out its claws and trying to forcefully tear open the obstructing defensive walls, utterly discomfited. But, that movement just happened to make a weak point appear in its movements. 
This stupid thing - Hokuto's eyes shone and it immediately lunged towards the Nue, its movements like a fierce snake and its prey. Due to its shocking speed, Harutora who sat on its neck was immediately thrown into midair because of inertia. 
"--!" 
Above the roof of a building, a kind of floaty and bloodcurdling feeling assaulted Harutora, who had momentarily lost his balance. Before his eyes, Hokuto bit into the giant Nue's throat. The Nue's shriek became a turbulent shockwave, violently battering Harutora who was in midair. 
"Harutora-kun!" 
Natsume screamed in shock. Oops - Hokuto hurriedly reached out its hind leg, nimbly grabbing Harutora who had almost fallen down. Harutora's whole body was frozen and he couldn't even cry out. But the moment Hokuto's consciousness turned towards its rear, the Nue violently slammed its fist into Hokuto's face, escaping the dragon's fangs. 
Intense interference appeared over the bodies of the Nue and Hokuto, but the Nue's was the most severe. The Nue directly dropped onto the roof of a building, its gigantic body flickering intensely and miasma spurting in large amounts out of Hokuto's bite wound like fresh blood. Though Hokuto had also been injured, it refused to show a weak appearance, roaring angrily at the Nue. 
"This is a good opportunity! Let's take advantage of it!" 
"Take advantage of it! Reisen! Hou'oubiden! Give this thing the finishing blow!" 
"Understood!" 
The three crow tengu took the moment to attack, their spiritual pressure adding to each other and gradually rising. 
"S-S-S-Scoundrel! Look at what you are doing!" 
At the same time, Kon flew towards Hokuto, angrily scolding it. Hokuto frowned as if reproaching her for getting upset over a little thing, then twisted its body, letting Harutora sit back on its head. 
Harutora quickly grabbed on to Hokuto's horn, then abruptly shook his head. 
"...Kon, what are you doing!" 
"Huh? I, I......" 
"Can you understand orders? Don't mind me, hurry up and attack the Nue!" Harutora roared, quickly drawing out a new charm. 
"Right now is a good opportunity! Hokuto too, attack all-out with the pace from before!' 
Actually, he couldn't stop his limbs from trembling, but that kind of thing wasn't important at all right now, and the priority was to deal with the Nue before them as soon as possible. 
As Harutora said this, Hokuto immediately lunged towards the Nue again with a frightening momentum, but Kon only hesitated with a naive expression. 
"......As you command......" However, she still obeyed Harutora's order, returning to the attack. As things were now, the culprit endangering her master was the thing that had to be eliminated the most. 
Harutora and the others attacked, and the battle became even more intense. 
The Nue jumped towards the wall from the roof of the building and then jumped down, moving while avoiding attacks. Since Hokuto's strike had succeeded, the Nue was unable to counterattack or even forcibly break through Harutora and the others' enclosure. 
Not long after, they moved to a crossroads - above the Omotesando Subway Station. The Nue was pursued for the whole way and finally stopped in the center of the crossroads. 
"Okay! Everyone, go!" 
Dasai ordered, and Hokuto, Reisen, Hou'oubiden, Kon, and Harutora swarmed the Nue, focusing their magic into attacks and unleashing an onslaught from above the Nue's head. The Nue, which used all of its power to defend, leaped away again. 
Intense interference appeared on the Nue's body, and its giant body twisted and deformed. 
Since they couldn't let it continue to go deeper into the city, right now was the time of reckoning, as if they didn't deal with it as quickly as possible before the wound Hokuto had made healed, they would end up just watching it escape. With a consciousness that could collapse at any time, Harutora converted his spiritual power into magical energy, infusing it into the charms and throwing them to strike the Nue. 
However, the Nue endured these attacks. It was wounded and became weak, but it still vigorously moved its huge body, destroying Harutora and the others' enclosure in one leap. "Damn!" Harutora cursed, and Hokuto angrily pursued it. 
In that moment-- 
"Harutora!" 
He heard the call of his good friend.



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