Tokyo Ravens - Volume 9 - Chapter 5.2

Part 2 
It was a battle of sword magic and illusion magic. 
The nighttime park. Dawn was gradually approaching. Tenma had retreated to a safe place and took care of the unconscious Kyouko while watching the magic battle before him in a trance. 
Every time Kogure's Demon Sword flashed, Ohtomo's charms were cut in two. Also, every time Kogure's Demon Sword flashed, Ohtomo's charms promptly disrupted the slash. 
Back and forth. But a tense feeling flashed like electricity through that indifferent footwork and finger movements. It felt like their overlapping, profound intentions and strategies could be glimpsed through the timing of their breathing and the flowing of their gazes. Of course, Tenma couldn't surmise its true abstruseness, but he clearly understood that it was something 'incredible'. 
Then, the magical energy that burst from the two of them formed a complete tie in their states of high output. 
Their magical energies and the auras they gave off seemed almost exactly the same. In addition, even the 'atmosphere' that emerged was inexplicably balanced, like the Taijitu of Onmyoudou. 
A balanced, harmonious battle as they flowed intensely. Tenma couldn't even avert his gaze as he thought of how inexplicable this scene was. 
During that. 
"Jin!" 
Kogure shouted again. 
"Think about it again. Kyouko-kun's prediction is a separate matter from whether your actions are right or wrong! Are you really going to let Harutora-kun use forbidden magic? Do you want to turn your student into a criminal?" 
"......Zenjirou, it's not that kind of question anymore." 
"Then what is it? I'm talking about a 'real' question. If the Taizan Fukun Ritual succeeds, the Onmyou Agency will hunt down Harutora-kun as a magic criminal. Even Natsume-kun will be the same. Even if she's resurrected, do you think she will be able to live normally in the future? First off--" 
Kogure swung his blade and Ohtomo avoided it by a hairsbreadth. 
"Do you think it will succeed? The Taizan Fukun Ritual? The chances are one in a thousand! And who knows what will happen if it fails! Things might become irreversible!" 
"Irreversible things happened a long time ago." 
Ohtomo replied and then slashed out with a blade seal, and Kogure put up a barrier to stop the magic. 
"Hence, I'm being reckless. My students say they can do it, so what can I do but trust them?" 
An incompatible argument between the exorcist Kogure who protected the nights of Tokyo and the Onmyou Academy teacher Ohtomo who guided his students into the future. It wasn't just that their thoughts were different, their respective positions were also different. 
"Moreover......" 
Ohtomo glanced at Tenma. Tenma tensed up out of surprise. 
"Have you heard? It seems that Suzu's also related to this. In that case, the chance of success is far higher than one in a thousand." 
Kogure's face reddened upon hearing this. "Jin!" He spat. 
"You're still prepared to trust that woman!" 
"Of course, I've never 'trusted' that woman. But she rarely fails." 
Ohtomo was very calm in contrast to the agitated Kogure. Rather than being composed, he was trying to deny his emotional fluctuation. Kogure's anger turned to bitter remorse when he saw his appearance. 
"No." 
Though his voice was calm, he denied him firmly. 
"I know that she had one huge failure, which was betraying you and me." 
"............" 
Ohtomo didn't respond with anything, staring motionlessly at Kogure. Kogure endured Ohtomo's gaze without taking a stance. 
What kind of look was Ohtomo showing behind the lenses of his glasses at that moment? Tenma couldn't see, nor did he feel like he should look. 
Before he noticed, the two of them had stopped moving at some point, confronting each other at the center of the park. 
Kogure breathed in deeply and slowly, exhaling with the same speed. 
He held the Demon Sword with two hands, pointing the blade at Ohtomo. A clear-eyed stance. Then, he reversed the blade in his hands. 
He took up the reverse stance with the katana [26] . Originally, the so-called reverse referred to instantly turning the blade around during the strike. His special preparations beforehand were a kind of antagonistic warning. 
Kogure had swung the blade to fight thus far. However, he hadn't meant to 'hit' and hadn't been prepared to cut Ohtomo. 
However, Kogure was now taking the reverse stance. Of course, even the back of the blade could be deadly depending on the circumstances...... It expressed that he would no longer hold back. It wasn't a command to get out of the way, but rather a proclamation that he would clear him out of the way with his blade. 
How upright, Ohtomo seemed to say as he smiled faintly and wryly. His right hand moved forward, stamping the ground with the cane it held as he maintained that posture while waiting for Kogure. 
"......Om chishabana shira madayama karashiya yaku kasha chibatana hobaga gatei matara hatani sowaka." 
The subjugation mantra of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the god of war Bishamonten [27] . A mighty aura poured from all over Kogure's body and the magical energy gradually converged onto the Demon Sword. The divine sword's spiritual pressure swelled, making one feel as if the space centered on the blade had begun to twist. 
Tenma's limbs trembled in fear. His throat was dry and he felt as if he were about to faint just from watching. 
On the other hand, Ohtomo was composed. He stared at the aura given off by Kogure's divine blade with a penetrating gaze as if he were overlooking the dawn from a cliff. He relaxedly took a flexible stance towards the strength that very well might take his life. 
Sss. Kogure's blade vibrated slightly. The hand Ohtomo grasped his cane with tightened slightly. 
However, that moment didn't come. 
"Stop right there, both of you back up." 
The auras of the two of them were disturbed. Tenma was also taken aback, turning towards the direction the voice came from. 
"Hoho." 
A small boy appeared in the nighttime park accompanied by a strange voice. Tenma doubted his own eyes because the intruder was so unmindful of the situation. 
But Tenma's attention very quickly moved behind the boy. "Ah." He looked there and inadvertently let out a gasp. A shikigami. Doman's shikigami that had attacked the agency building. Also, there was another person. There was a man who was managing to stand by borrowing the shikigami's shoulder - an extremely weak old man. 
The boy laughed with a 'hoh' again. 
"Incidentally, those words just now were this guy's, not mine. It seems that he can't talk right now, so I'm speaking for him." 
He spoke to Kogure and Ohtomo, who were stunned and rooted to the ground. 
Who was it? Tenma stared at the boy and the old man. He didn't recognize the boy. He wouldn't be able to forget such a peculiar child even after just one meeting. But he felt like the old man was a bit familiar. His appearance had changed greatly, but they had met somewhere - right as he thought that. 
"......Chief Amami." 
Kogure spoke with a hoarse voice. That made him remember. The old man who had visited the hospital room before them when they had gone to see Ohtomo. He remembered that he was Ohtomo's former boss, the Mystical Investigator Chief Amami Daizen. 
"That undying old man......" 
It was Ohtomo who said that. His voice seemed to be uncharacteristically shaking. 
"You should stop acting so recklessly when you're at this age, it's unfitting for an old person. You'll make trouble for the people left behind." 
The old man was extremely weak. 
But he smiled rebelliously at Kogure and Ohtomo. 

"Kon!" 
Higekiri's magical-energy-carrying blade pierced through Kon's left flank. 
The girl's blue eyes opened wide as if they would pop. 
Kagami pulled out Higekiri. Kon's expression froze and her body was covered with intense lag. She stumbled as she tried to escape, used up her strength, and fell onto the road with a plop. 
The lag all over her body didn't stop. Kon lost her balance. The asphalt road on the other side of her was visible through her transparency. 
"Kon!?" 
Kon didn't reply. But he felt the spiritual link between master and shikigami rapidly weakening. His mind was blank. His legs that tried to run pedaled in midair. 
Kagami didn't stop his attack. 
The wound on his left hand was quite serious, but Kagami put priority on the 'final blow' rather than treatment. He stepped towards Kon. The blade of Higekiri that extended from his right hand flashed white from the light remaining from the Fire Realm magic. 
The Raven's Wing flew out like an arrow, replying to Harutora's wordless cry. 
He circled around from behind and charged between Kagami and Kon. But the instant Kagami glanced at him - a glance as hot as magma - the Raven's Wing changed its path. 
"Hey!?" 
The Raven's Wing agilely pulled away, ignoring Harutora's protest. It judged that it shouldn't enter the range of Kagami's sword. 
By now, the Raven's Wing had endured the slashes of magical energy that flew from Higekiri multiple times. Though it wasn't unhurt, the blade had never pierced through to its wearer. 
But Kagami's surprise attack at the start had been different. Higekiri's blade had cut the Raven's Wing's hem. In other words, a direct cut from Higekiri's blade would overcome the Raven's Wing's defensive power. 
It put priority on the wearer's safety rather than his thoughts. It was a natural judgment for a magical tool that protected its wearer, but it strayed from the rules that a shikigami ought to 'absolutely obey the master's wishes'. Harutora angrily gnashed his teeth. In other words, the Raven's Wing currently hadn't recognized Harutora as its true master. 
"......Harutora. Are you looking down on me?" 
As his blood dripped, Kagami spoke in a voice that felt paralyzing due to its incredible anger. 
"The master's preparing to risk himself for a shikigami? Isn't that about enough?" 
After he spat abuse, he stared at the Kon slumped on the road. It wasn't killing intent that emerged in his eyes. It was just a cold decision to cut down something like his enemy's charm. 
"Damn--!?" 
He couldn't just sit and watch. Even if that was what the Raven's Wing decided. 
...Go! 
The Raven's Wing beat its wings again as Harutora pleaded. 
It approached Kagami. Kagami shot a stabbing gaze towards Harutora again. The result was the same. The Raven's Wing beat its wings again before reaching the largest range Higekiri could reach, gaining the lift to escape above. After Kagami confirmed that Harutora had changed his course, he mercilessly raised Higekiri over his head, returning his gaze back to Kon's collapsed body. 
In that instant, Harutora took off the Raven's Wing. 
When his arms slipped out of the sleeves, a surprised gasp came from the Raven's Wing, or maybe that was just an illusion. Harutora descended, dropping to the road. His legs bent as they absorbed the impact. When Kagami turned his head in surprise, he sprinted forward with all his might. 
"Kon!" 
Kon weakly opened her eyes. 
Then, the fierce flash of a blade. 
The first thing he felt was heat. Burning heat. A burning shock as if he had touched scorching iron. A heat and shock that forcibly crashed all of his thinking - along with pain. 
But at the same time as he felt that heat, shock, and pain, he felt a light, unreliable sensation on his fingertips. 
He had to protect her. 
That feeling called Harutora from the border between the realms of consciousness and unconsciousness. 
Then, before he noticed it. 
Harutora was standing on the road holding Kon in his arms. 
He couldn't remember what he had done. But he had moved about five meters away and was in a tilted posture while confronting the Higekiri-holding Kagami. 
"......I see." 
Kagami spoke. Blood dripped from Higekiri's blade. 
"You're a genuine idiot." 
His ears barely caught those words, and they almost didn't enter his brain. The current Harutora's brain was filled with 'pain'. This was the first time he had experienced such an omnipresent pain. In any case, pain. The hard-to-endure pain didn't recede a bit. 
A rushing roar resounded. For a moment, he didn't realize that it was his own blood flow. Every time his blood pounded, intense pain shot through him. The pain raged and exploded. It continued without stopping. 
Kon turned her body in his arms. 
"......Harutora-sama......!?" 
Harutora stared at the shikigami in his arms because her voice contained a huge shock. He felt like something was different from usual. It wasn't the intense lag on his shikigami. Rather, the figure reflected in his eyes was itself clearly irregular. 
He realized because of that reason. 
His left eye couldn't see. 
Then, Harutora finally noticed that the left half of his face was wet and that it was the source of the intense pain destroying his thinking. 
His left eye had been cut. 
Higekiri's blade that Kagami had swung had strongly cut Harutora's face from the top down, right above his left eye. 
"......You bastard......" 
Kon experienced lag as she turned towards Kagami in Harutora's arms. 
"You bastard!" 
Kon howled, infuriated. A bellow with no heed for her own wounds, that easily led to her lag being erased. 
But needless to say, Kagami didn't care. 
"......???." 
Kundali's seed syllable mantra blasted back Harutora and his servant. He no longer had the protection of the Raven's Wing. He was hit head-on and sent flying. The ground and the sky rotated intensely, and when he thought that, a hard impact greeted his entire body. Only after some time did he realize that he had fallen onto the asphalt road. 
All his nerves were paralyzed, and pain was the only thing dominating his body. He could no longer even move a finger. 
.......Ugh....... 
He might die. Harutora truly felt this amidst his hazy consciousness. 
The reason it didn't feel real was because his mental ability had declined. The scene before him was reflected in his blurry eye as he stayed in his realism-lacking state. 
"......What a boring conclusion." 
Kagami spoke seemingly regretfully as he lifted Higekiri. Kon staggered up in front of him while lag appeared all over her body. 
That small back. She spread her arms to try to protect Harutora. 
"I--" 
Kon spoke. 
She gathered her willpower, gathering the meaning of her existence, and proclaimed resolutely. 
"I won't allow a brat like you to steal away the master I waited so long for!" 
Thump. Her heart beat. 
Harutora opened his remaining right eye. With his bloodstained left eye-- 
The beautiful moon hung in the sky. 
He looked up at the moon, sitting on the porch of the residence. 
He held a cup of alcohol. The aromatic alcohol diffused in the air. 
"Yakou-sama." 
A call came from the residence, in darkness that the moonlight hadn't fallen to. 
"Have you still not changed your mind?" 
He smiled bitterly and sipped from his cup in response to that question. 'Yeah', he replied. Then, he continued with 'Sorry'. 
The sounds of insects that came from the courtyard indifferently and softly alleviated the silence between them. 
She quietly stared at her master in the moonlight. 
Then, she sat properly and slowly bowed her head. 
"I'll always wait on. Until the end of time. Because I - am your-- 
"Hishamaru?" 
Harutora mumbled. 
In that moment, the five Tsuchimikado seals that continued to bind her began to unravel, complying with their old covenant. 

The evening twilight. 
The infant's sobs that came from deep inside the residence finally stopped. Not long afterwards, a man appeared in the Bellflower Room that faced the courtyard. 
His age was about thirty. He wore Japanese clothes and gold-rimmed glasses. His slender appearance made him seem somewhat intellectual - a slightly exquisite impression. Moreover, wrinkles rooted in worry and confusion were deeply engraved into him. 
He had the strength to peer into the future and the power to read those possibilities. It was a difficult-to-obtain power for most people. But the power wasn't a blessing to him. It was a power that forcefully bound his heart with anxiety and restlessness. An unlucky power that just increased his troubles. 
But now he could only rely on that power of his. The future was extremely difficult, and he was powerless to deal with it. 
He sat unconsciously and motionlessly in the Bellflower Room. He looked into the courtyard through the wide sliding doors. The courtyard's hue was currently changing as it was dyed by the setting sun. He watched that change, entranced. Only at this moment did the worry and confusion on his face seem to slightly weaken. 
But he could only be composed and stable for the blink of an eye. 
Before he noticed, there was someone in the courtyard. 
On the other side of the porch. Her shoulders were bathed in the sun as she bowed her head on one knee. Even though he had been constantly staring into the corridor, he hadn't been able to notice that person approaching. 
Stealth. Moreover, it was the stealth of dematerialization. A technique that only a shikigami could have. But there were several strong barriers in the residence, blocking unauthorized spiritual entities from approaching. She could pass through it because she had been a dweller of this residence in the past. 
His shock receded very quickly and a bitter smile came to his lips. 
"You're quite early. ......No, you've been waiting for this whole time." 
Waiting for her master - She didn't reply to his half-spoken words. She didn't particularly need to reply, since he had spoken to her. It was natural. 
"Who are you?" 
"......I am Hishamaru." 
"I see." 
A voice that felt clear and more than a little bit upright. 
A rather cautious debut for a legendary shikigami. One could notice the mysterious, powerful spiritual energy contained in her body even as she silently bowed her head like this. 
"What do you want?" 
"To be by my lord." 
Those reticent words contained an iron will that absolutely wouldn't back down. She only lowered her head like this because he was the current head of the Tsuchimikado. Although it was a position worthy of etiquette to her, he definitely wasn't an object of absolute obedience. 
He wasn't family, nor was she blood-related. Her loyalty and dedication was only for one soul. 
He narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, quietly staring at her as she knelt in the courtyard. The slowly setting sun tinted the shikigami's still-lowered face in blazing colors. 
He couldn't read the stars of shikigami. 
But - the future would be extremely difficult, and he was powerless to deal with it. 
"......There are conditions." 
She finally looked up. Her fair, beautiful appearance was revealed. Beautiful and elegant blue eyes stared straight at him. 
Those 'conditions' were now fulfilled. 
There were five seals in total binding her. The first one was a seal covering the others, a seal that covered seals themselves. It was a seal whose goals were to hide the other four seals from others and to keep her unaware of the fact that she was being sealed. 
The first seal had just been released, and the memory of the covenant with Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi in that evening setting sun reawakened. Her self-awareness that managed 'who' she was. Then, according to the terms of the covenant, her will and sense of mission that had been sealed alongside were released consecutively. 
In that moment, she first awoke as a 'little Hishamaru'. 
The first thing Hishamaru confirmed was the condition of her master - Harutora. 
His left eye was wounded. He was bruised all over. His spiritual damage was also huge. They weren't life-threatening, but he was in a dangerous condition. After all, there was still an 'enemy' before her. 
Every second counted, Hishamaru judged. 
Hishamaru connected the remaining seals, ignoring their original ordering. She would deal with releasing them all at once. 
But, at that point the 'enemy' before her noticed the abnormality. 
His eyes sharpened as he said: 
"...What? Hey!" 
His instincts weren't bad. Hishamaru focused her entire mind on the releasing process. She forcefully raised its speed. 
The second and third seals were immediately released and the things compressed spread out. 
The second seal sealed her 'personality'. The third seal sealed her 'form'. The second and third seals were linked together, and they originally weren't things that could be instantly released. But fortunately, the third seal had 'loosened'. After the seal Yasuzumi had cast on Harutora had been half-destroyed at Harutora's hands, she had received the huge magical energy released from her master and problems had arisen in the magic. Moreover, Higekiri's slash from earlier had weakened the seal's strength again. Hishamaru took down the third seal in as few steps as possible, hence also shortening the time it took her to succeed in releasing the second seal. 
As Hishamaru's consciousness expanded, her tough personality as the able shikigami assisting Yakou awoke. The pure blue eyes were filled with the mature, grounded and intellectual strength and blooming ability that Yasuzumi had specifically left intact. At the same time, the lag over her body changed its former appearance as she flickered while beginning to 'grow'. 
Her ears and tail remained, her arms and legs extended, and her body type changed, her appearance slowly maturing. It was as if she had grown ten years in the blink of an eye. She slowly regained her original form as Hishamaru, a form matching her personality inside. 
Then, what appeared was an otherworldly beauty. 
The untainted sharpness of a mighty female warrior, bewitching beauty, and a flirtatious, dangerous composure that contrasted with her actual nature. Her seemingly seductive charm served as a foil to her beautiful appearance. 
But the change in her appearance caught her 'enemy's' eye. 
"...Noumaku sanmanda bazaradan kan!" 
Kagami rapidly changed Acala's curse, placing it on Higekiri - then, there was a flash. The slicing silver blade released a wave of heat as it swung towards Hishamaru. 
Though the barrier she instantly put up neutralized the might of the heatwave, it was unable to block it. The instant she judged that it wouldn't do, Hishamaru focused all her remaining strength on Harutora behind her rather than on herself. She put up a barrier to protect her master. Right afterwards, the heatwave that broke through the first barrier sent Hishamaru flying, and her still-growing body was covered with lag as it hurtled through the sky. 
The seal-releasing magic became disordered. Hishamaru ground her teeth, but her consciousness was directed towards Harutora rather than herself. The heatwave broke through the second barrier she put up. The magical energy was insufficient. Harutora's body was sent flying helplessly and he tumbled across the road like a doll. No strength to resist or strength to escape remained in her master's body. He was on the verge of losing consciousness. 
Hishamaru made her decision. 
There were two seals remaining. The fourth seal sealed her 'spiritual power', which was an important factor to Hishamaru. 
In the past, she had once given up her human flesh and reincarnated as a spiritual entity. 
To the current her, her spiritual power was the strength directly linked to maintaining her existence. She originally would have needed to spend an entire night - or at least a few hours - to undo this seal in order to maintain her spiritual stability. 
But now, she needed spiritual power no matter what in order to save her master from the current crisis. Hence, Hishamaru didn't release the seal, she began to forcefully destroy it instead. 
She applied magic to release the fifth seal and let it be pushed back on its own. In contrast, the magic stole control away from the fourth seal, and so then she blasted a corner of the seal with her own power. 
She converted her regained spiritual power into magical energy and slowly pried the seal open further. Her spiritual energy rapidly swelled up, but her stability-lacking spiritual energy started shaking Hishamaru's existence from the very roots. Intense lag covered her body, as if electricity were blooming from inside her. 
But even so, it wasn't fast enough. 
"What the hell are you!?" 
Kagami hacked his blade of magical energy at Hishamaru as she rapidly regained her strength. Though her strength slowly recovered, she was turning it all towards the destruction of the seal. She tried to avoid overconsumption, seeing through the swordplay and dodging the slashes by a hairsbreadth. As she attracted the attention of the 'enemy', she progressively destroyed the fourth seal with all her power. 
But as expected, Kagami was keen. "Shaver!" After seeing that Hishamaru's goal was to buy time, he threw Higekiri from his hand into the air. 
The servant shikigami Shaver grabbed the hilt of the thrown Higekiri after materializing. A tall, slender, fragile man. Though he was a powerful shikigami who had once put Harutora and the others in a pinch, it seemed to be true that his aura still hadn't recovered completely. His expression was empty and his movements lacked vigor. 
But Kagami glared at Hishamaru while coldly commanding. 
"Take care of Harutora!" 
Hishamaru immediately interrupted the destruction of her seal, dematerializing and rapidly hurrying towards Harutora's side, but-- 
"Don't look down on me!" 
Kagami's kuji-kiri knocked Hishamaru aside. Hishamaru fell onto the road while rematerializing. No good. There was no opening. Her strength still wasn't enough to break through head-on. 
Kagami's wound should have been quite painful. But Kagami didn't let it show as he focused on Hishamaru. He tried to size up her true worth. Then, behind his back, his shikigami held Higekiri and began to slowly approach Harutora. 
She wouldn't be able to make it if this went on. She resolved herself again. 
She didn't destroy the seal, she just made the part that the seal bound - her spiritual entity self - disintegrate and forced it out through the ruptured gap. Needless to say, it couldn't possibly be reconstructed if she did this, and she would jeopardize her own substance. But even so, her 'overall self' would increase. She could regain her past strength for a while. 
Even after her long wait behind the seal, she protected her master from beside him. Her power didn't have meaning if she couldn't protect him, and the reason for her existence would also vanish. She prioritized her master's safety over everything. That was a fact of life for a defensive shikigami. 
But unfortunately, she wasn't completely able to release the fifth seal. 
The fifth, final seal sealed Hishamaru's past 'memories'. The various memories of the years she had spent with her master. To Hishamaru, each and every one of them was an irreplaceable treasure. Even losing some of them would be more agonizing than destroying part of herself. 
Even so, she couldn't possibly prioritize her past memories over her current master. Harsh resolution emerged on Hishamaru's fair, beautiful appearance, and then she disintegrated her inner self. She pushed it through the gap of the seal on the verge of being destroyed and seized her power in the blink of an eye. 
It couldn't even be called lag anymore. Immeasurable lightning burst forth all over Hishamaru's body. A gigantic spiritual power howled as it spun into a whirlwind. Kagami stared at Hishamaru, stunned. 
 
Hishamaru declared as if striking a blow. 
"Out of the way, brat!" 
She was unable to immediately control the power she had forcefully wrested back. Hishamaru fired her raging spiritual power at Kagami in the form of foxfire. 
A blazing blue flame assaulted Kagami like an avalanche. Kagami put up a barrier. The foxfire engulfed the barrier entirely. 
Then, Hishamaru used the pouring spiritual power, refining magical energy out of that flow. She reached out her left hand and tightened her right hand. The posture for pulling a bow. The foxfire she shot out condensed. Kagami's expression changed, but he was already too slow. 
"Hifumiyoimune, kotomochirorane, shikuruyuitowa, sohatamakumeka!" 
The chant of divine words shot out an arrow of magical energy [28] . But rather than an arrow, that giant magical energy was better described as an artillery round. 
After Kagami's eyes widened greatly, the magical energy violently collided with his barrier, eliminating and piercing through the slight resistance. The barrier exploded backwards because of the huge pressure. The asphalt road was gouged out and fragments flew into the air. 
What a hit. But Hishamaru didn't have the leisure to bask in her victory. In a corner of her vision, the slowly-advancing Shaver stood next to Harutora. The Higekiri in his hands - the blade that had pierced through her and stolen her master's left eye - housed an ominous light again. But there wouldn't be a third time. Hishamaru sprinted, her tail fluttering with the wind. The current Shaver wasn't powerful. Everything would be fine as long as she pulled him away from her master. 
She could make it. 
However. 
"It's not over yet!" 
Flame magic stopped her path from next to her. She was taken by surprise and slipped. It was Kagami. How was that possible? After she thought that, something awoke in her recently-emptied memories. 
Far Step. Again - but she didn't think that he would be able to instantly use such a high-difficulty magic at that kind of time. That man really was one of the best of just a handful of modern Onmyouji. Hishamaru regretfully gritted her teeth, readying the next magic, but-- 
At the same time, Shaver raised Higekiri above his head. 
Her heart suddenly tightened. 
She released foxfire while rushing towards Shaver. But needless to say, Kagami wouldn't permit that. She took step after step but was too far. Terror gradually coursed through her whole body. "No!" Hishamaru sprinted, abandoning defense. But even if she could ignore the wounds inflicted by Kagami's magic, she couldn't take back the speed that she had lost. 
She could make it. 
No - she couldn't make it. 
Shaver swung down Higekiri. The moment Hishamaru let out a scream-- 
"With this, that's two favors." 
Boom. Something heavy landed on the other side of Harutora. 
A man. A man bulging with burly muscles, taller than two meters - no, he seemed even larger now. The man extended his right hand at the same time as he landed, easily catching and stopping Higekiri's swung blade. 
His short golden hair flashed like a crown and an intense light shot from the narrowed eyes among his chiseled features. He wore a suit and no tie. His normally trendy-seeming clothing only now seemed valiant like a battle outfit. There was no substance to the empty left sleeve, and it was blown by the man's demonic aura, flapping elegantly. 
"Kakugyouki!?" 
"Yo, Hishamaru. It seems like you're in quite a pinch. Have you become dull?" 
The man - Kakugyouki - grinned rudely, then pushed Higekiri's blade back upwards with his right hand. Shaver confronted him over Harutora. His empty expression up till now faded, and he revealed hostility and bellowed like a wild beast. His fighting intent poured forth because he was in front of this oni. 
Kakugyouki harrumphed. 
"Pathetic. Come back later." 
Then, lifting the blade that he grasped, he hurled Higekiri flying together with Shaver. 
The thrown Shaver dropped near Kagami, swiftly dematerializing. Clatter. Only Higekiri fell to the asphalt road. Kakugyouki looked at Kagami. "What do you want?" He asked provocatively, raising an eyebrow. 
"......!?" 
Kagami clenched his teeth. 
Sheltering Harutora below him, Kakugyouki overwhelmed the surroundings with his demonic aura. Hishamaru also glared at the Kagami who had pushed her master into a crisis with a gaze containing clear killing intent. 
That arrogant Onmyouji might have thoroughly fought with her if his opponent had only been Hishamaru. 
But when Kakugyouki came by to confront him as an opponent - he wasn't stupid and arrogant enough to believe that much. 
"You're an eyesore." 
She ignited foxfire. Kagami immediately raised Hiegkiri, dodging the giant fireball. Then, he performed complex footwork and vanished. Far Step. He had withdrawn. 
She could pursue, but it might disrupt the aura flow. But right now, Harutora was the priority. 
She ran up to Harutora, putting healing charms on him with all her power. "Cloth!" She shouted without even turning around. 
Kakugyouki shrugged his shoulders resignedly, tearing off his empty left sleeve. He didn't even get a word of thanks for saving her from a crisis. Rather, if he asked for thanks, she would start sternly lecturing him about 'what have you been doing all this time'. Kakugyouki smiled bitterly at Hishamaru who laid a cloth on Harutora's left eye while lag covered her own body. 
He knew that she was dedicated to her master. Though it wasn't worth listening to, he still said: 
"Honestly. You're so devoted." 
"......Ugh." Then, Harutora groaned and twisted his body as Hishamaru poured magic into him. Hishamaru alertly supported Harutora's upper body. 
Hishamaru supported Harutora into a sitting position on the road and groaned again. Then, he slightly opened his remaining right eye, quietly turning his gaze to the shikigami and oni before him. 
Tears overflowed from Hishamaru's blue eyes. Those tears were like dazzling gems on her beautiful appearance that was breathtaking from up close. 
"......Hishamaru." 
Harutora said. After Hishamaru's cheeks reddened in gratitude, she moved back slightly, kneeled, and bowed. 
"Hey!" Then sure enough, she barked angrily, knowing that the presence next to her hadn't moved. 
After Kakugyouki stared at Harutora, he shrugged deliberately as if meaning to say 'just for a bit'. But then he grinned and moved back next to Hishamaru, going down on one knee and taking the same posture. 
A desolate road that traffic had been cut off from. 
In front of Harutora who sat on the asphalt road, Yakou's past attendants bowed deeply as if reuniting with their past master. 
The legendary shikigami, Hishamaru and Kakugyouki. 
Also, the legendary Onmyouji, Tsuchimikado Yakou. 
Flap. With the sound of flapping wings, a yatagarasu landed on Harutora's shoulder. Hishamaru shot a sharp, dangerous look at the infidel who hadn't shown up until now. 
But. 
"Leave it, Hishamaru. It was always like this." 
Hishamaru trembled because of those words. 
"How......." 
She confirmed with a trembling voice. 
"How should we address you?" 
Needless to say, Hishamaru also had Kon's memories. No matter what her master picked, her devotion wouldn't be tainted at all - even so, she was still nervous. 
Harutora replied indifferently to this. 
"Whatever you want." 
Then, Harutora put strength into his limbs and prepared to rise. Hishamaru panicked first and tried to help him, but Kakugyouki lifted Harutora's body as naturally as breathing and made him stand. Of course, he also noticed Hishamaru's resentful glare, but Kakugyouki didn't pay it any heed. Because there would be no end to it. 
"......So?" 
Standing up as well, Kakugyouki lowered his head to look at Harutora while asking. 
"What next?" 
Harutora quickly glanced at Kakugyouki, then moved his gaze to Hishamaru. 
In a dispassionate voice, he said: 
"We'll carry out the ceremony for the Taizan Fukun Ritual and call Tsuchimikado Natsume back to this world."