Rumble!
Purple-toned lightning tore across the sky like living fractures, illuminating the dense clouds gathering over the horizon. The deep sound of thunder echoed through the mountains, reverberating like a prelude—not to a natural storm, but to the presence of something far beyond it.
At the top of an elevation, Akoto Kisaragi stood in silence.
A month had passed since the Imperial Assembly.
During that time, Tengen had kept him constantly occupied. One mission after another, all with the same objective: cleanse entire regions where future Pure Barriers would be erected.
This was no ordinary task.
Each area had to be completely purged of curses—from the weakest to those deeply rooted within the land itself. And it wasn't enough to eliminate visible manifestations—every trace of cursed energy that could give rise to new entities had to be eradicated.
An absolute cleansing.
In theory, such responsibility should have been shared among the sorcerers of the Great Clans.
In practice, that was impossible.
None of them possessed the level required to execute a task of that scale with full efficiency. And more importantly, at that moment, no one had the authority—or the courage—to contest the fact that Akoto was the only one capable of doing it alone.
Because of that, a rank had been assigned to him.
Special Grade Sorcerer.
Akoto exhaled slowly, feeling the cold air pass through his lungs as he analyzed the vast expanse before him.
The Yamashiro Province.
His first cleansing site.
"Wait…" he muttered, frowning slightly. "Didn't the Emperor want to turn this place into the capital… to distance himself from the influence of Buddhism and the Mas—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
"…from Mother?"
A brief silence followed, broken only by the distant rumble of thunder.
"Ah, whatever." He shrugged, relaxing his posture. "Mother won't care about that anyway."
It wasn't disinterest.
It was trust.
Without further delay, Akoto took a single step forward.
And then—
His Spiritual Pressure began to emerge.
At first, it was subtle.
A slight distortion in the air, like heat rising from the ground.
But within seconds, it expanded.
The pressure spread like an invisible tide, advancing in all directions. Trees trembled. The ground vibrated. Animals fled instinctively, unable to comprehend what was crushing them.
The entire Yamashiro Province was enveloped.
"What was the name of the new capital again…?"
Purple lightning surged upward into the sky, following the brutal rise in spiritual density. The environment grew heavy, as if the very air had gained mass.
Akoto closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"Right… it was Heian-kyō."
And then—
He released everything.
A colossal wave of violet pressure flooded the province.
It was not an explosion.
It was saturation.
From the ground upward.
From the subterranean depths to the mountains.
From the core of the earth to the sky.
Every inch of the Yamashiro Province was filled with that crushing force. Curses hidden in caves, rooted in ruins, or formed within pockets of energy were instantly compressed.
Their souls collapsed.
Their bodies—when they existed—disintegrated.
There was no resistance.
No struggle.
It was absolute extermination.
The land itself was saturated with Spiritual Pressure, ensuring that no residual cursed energy remained to give birth to new curses.
After a few seconds, everything ceased.
The sky still carried remnants of purple electricity, but the pressure had completely vanished.
Silence.
The Yamashiro Province was… clean.
Akoto slowly opened his eyes, observing the result without expression.
"Hmm…"
He brought a hand to his chin, reflecting.
"Binding vows really are useful."
The Vaporization Barrier he used on that scale would not have been possible without the conditions he himself imposed on his technique. Self-imposed limitations, in exchange for amplified efficiency.
A small price…
For a perfect result.
Akoto turned around, already preparing to leave.
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.
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Details of Akoto's Binding Vow — Vaporization Barrier
1st Condition — Large-Scale Use:If he uses the Vaporization Barrier on a massive scale, its targeting is restricted exclusively to cursed spirits. In exchange for that precision, the energy cost increases drastically—requiring four times the usual amount to expand its area of effect to such a vast range.
2nd Condition — Close-Range Use:In small-scale scenarios, instead of indiscriminately vaporizing anything within 5 cm of his body, the barrier's destructive power is amplified by an unknown multiple, while its energy consumption is reduced to nearly zero.
Akoto established this Binding Vow with a clear purpose:
To keep the Vaporization Barrier functioning automatically, without needing constant manual regulation during battle.
.
.
.
At the Temple of Tengen, the air felt heavier than usual, as if something invisible was pressing down on every inch of the environment.
It wasn't just a sensation…
It was real.
Cursed energy that had crossed mountains, forests, and impossible distances reached that sacred place, seeping through the temple's structure like an inevitable tide.
Tengen remained still for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as she felt that overwhelming presence.
There was no doubt.
That signature… that density… that monstrous control.
It was Akoto.
Around her, the disciples felt their breathing falter for brief seconds, as if their bodies instinctively reacted to something far beyond their understanding. Some didn't even realize it consciously—
But their souls… trembled.
"That energy… it can reach all the way here?!" Ashiya's voice came out filled with disbelief, but beneath it lay something far more raw.
His eyes trembled slightly as he stared into the void, as if he could see the origin of that crushing pressure. His teeth clenched involuntarily.
'Damn you… DIE, YOU BASTARD!'
Hatred grew within him like a slow poison, fed by frustration, helplessness… and the abyss that existed between him and Akoto.
Ijicho, beside him, couldn't hide his discomfort. His body reacted to that energy almost instinctively, as if standing before an absolute predator. He frowned, looking away for a moment before turning back to Tengen, searching for some way to rationalize it.
"Master, are you absolutely sure it was wise to send Akoto on this mission?"
The question came out, but it carried more than simple doubt.
There was unease…
And, deep down, fear of what that boy might become.
For a brief moment, silence took over the space.
Tengen did not answer immediately.
Slowly, she turned her head, just enough to look at Ijicho over her shoulder.
And then—
The world seemed to stop.
Tengen's red eyes were not merely cold.
They were deep, ancient…
And carried something far more dangerous than authority.
It was like staring into a conscious abyss—something that had existed long before them and would continue to exist long after.
Ijicho froze.
His body locked before his mind could react. His soul was struck directly by that gaze, as if every part of his existence had been exposed, judged…
And deemed insignificant.
For a brief moment, he had the unmistakable feeling that he had crossed a line he should never have even approached.
"Silence, Ijicho. When your opinion holds more weight than mine, I will ask for it as an option."
Tengen's voice was calm, controlled… but carried an overwhelming weight, like an inevitable sentence. There was no shouting, no explicit anger—and that made it even more terrifying.
Ijicho lowered his head immediately, unable to hold that gaze for even another second.
Without giving him any further attention, Tengen shifted her focus back to Ashiya, as if nothing had happened.
"Start again, Ashiya Doman."
The normalcy in her voice clashed violently with what had just occurred.
But deep down…
Everyone there understood.
There were things that simply should not be questioned.
.
.
.
Akoto kept his gaze low, half-lidded, as he observed the figure in front of him as if deciding whether it was even worth his attention. There was something deeply irritating about the situation… not because of the threat itself, but because of the sheer lack of awareness that man displayed—existing at that moment, in that place… in front of him.
His expression twisted slightly, a clear mix of disgust and disbelief.
"What are you waiting for? Hand over your money!"
The voice came out aggressive, but hollow. Weightless. Without presence. Like a weak echo trying to assert itself in a space where it didn't belong.
Akoto remained silent for a few seconds.
The wind blew softly, shifting the hem of his kimono as his eyes slowly lifted, finally meeting the man's face. There was no fear there… nor genuine irritation.
Only disgust.
A raw, unfiltered disgust… like someone who had just stepped on something unwanted.
Maybe he was insane.
Or maybe… just someone so insignificant that he couldn't comprehend the abyss he was facing.
Akoto tilted his head slightly, studying him with a distant look, as if observing something curious… but disposable.
"You…" His voice came out low, almost uninterested, carrying a disdain that didn't need volume to be felt. "…you really have no idea at all, do you?"