IW: Chapter 252 - Onmyoji Arts? Daoism is your ancestor! The formation is ready, advance!
"You're still as obsessed with numbers as ever."
From Seimei's words, Bai Ye instantly realized what his opponent's true trump card was—the endless swarm of demons dragged back from Hell, the massive Heian-kyō formation, and the raw cultivation Seimei had brought back from the abyss.
"They might just be numbers, but you can't devour them all," Seimei countered calmly. "No matter how you look at it, this horde is stronger than before."
He was right. Compared to the previous army of demons Bai Ye had faced, this new wave was on a completely different level.
"Relying on a crowd just shows a lack of confidence in your own strength," Bai Ye replied, his voice dripping with absolute certainty. "Like I said before, your ultimate weakness is me!"
So boastful...
Listening from the sidelines, Naraku couldn't help but complain inwardly. His weakness is him? Looking at how casually Bai Ye said it, it was obvious he really had dominated Seimei in their last encounter.
Naraku felt a sudden pang of envy. If he possessed that kind of overwhelming power, it would probably feel amazing to utter such arrogant words. But he kept his mouth shut, doing his absolute best to erase his presence.
This battle was completely out of his league. If Bai Ye won, Naraku would simply flee—the body he was using here was just a puppet anyway. If Bai Ye lost, he could decide his next move based on how things played out.
"This formation feels much stronger than the one from before," Tsukuyomi quietly warned Bai Ye, her eyes tracking the surging energy. "It's putting a lot of pressure on me."
She had fought Seimei alongside Bai Ye once before, but back then, the Onmyoji hadn't felt nearly this threatening. Perhaps, as Seimei had hinted, his setup simply hadn't been complete yet.
"Actually, I have a question," Seimei suddenly spoke up, his gaze locking onto them. "Logically speaking, Miss Tsukuyomi should still be human. How does a mere human possess the ability to live for so long? Did you master some secret to longevity, Inuyasha Bai Ye?"
This was a riddle Seimei had been desperate to solve. The moment he saw Bai Ye and Tsukuyomi together again, shock had rippled through him.
So many centuries had passed, yet Tsukuyomi looked exactly the same as the day they first met. It baffled the great Onmyoji—and burned him with a deep, lingering envy. Even as the greatest master of the mystic arts of the Heian Period, a feat like true immortality was something he had never been able to achieve.
.
The reason Seimei designed his return from Hell, in addition to gaining more powerful strength and subordinates, was to obtain eternal life.
Only then could he contend with those guys in Takama-ga-hara.
Otherwise, he would have died of old age before he could complete it. If he was going to die anyway, it was better to die early and return again.
But if he could truly be immortal, he actually wished to be immortal.
"You ask too many questions."
"To have the ability to live forever without turning into a demon, you really are unfathomable, Inuyasha Bai Ye!"
Seimei also had a way to achieve immortality, but it absolutely couldn't retain his human identity. He was actually immortal now.
Of course, there were other ways, but because his strength would increase this way, and he had no choice, having been killed by Bai Ye, otherwise Seimei really might not have chosen this method.
"Forget it, you really are something. It's truly difficult to get any words out of you."
Seimei opened his mouth, then swallowed the words he wanted to ask.
He knew very well that if he wanted to know something from Bai Ye, Bai Ye probably wouldn't say it.
"No need to waste words with this guy, let's just kill him!"
A hint of greed flashed in Shuten-doji's eyes. The moment he saw Bai Ye, he decided he would devour him.
He had been watching Seimei constantly talk to Bai Ye about cooperation.
If they cooperated, what would he eat later?
He certainly didn't want to see Bai Ye and Seimei cooperate.
Now that it seemed the two had already fallen out, Shuten-doji became a little impatient.
"Alright, then let's act."
Seimei was not an indecisive person. Since Bai Ye no longer had any intention of talking, he would not continue to argue with Bai Ye.
"Okay, leave this demon's flesh and blood to me!"
Shuten-doji roared excitedly, tightening his grip on his Dojigiri Yasutsuna. He wanted to cleave the demon in front of him in half with one strike.
"Heh heh, whoever gets it, it's theirs!"
Tengu gave a cold laugh.
Just because Shuten-doji said to leave it to him, did that mean it had to be left to him?
Of course, whoever snatched it, it belonged to them!
"Exactly!"
"Yeah, how could we just give it to you!"
Although Shuten-doji was strong, the strength of the demons was not weak.
This Shuten-doji guy actually wanted to hog it all?
"And us!"
Inside the Hell Gate, countless monsters began to pour out.
The entire Heian-kyō had now become a ghost city.
"Sinful souls will be purified. If you're going to die, do you choose to be burned to death or drowned?"
"What?"
Shuten-doji subconsciously asked, feeling a strange sensation in his heart. This guy must have gone crazy, right?
He actually asked if he wanted to be burned to death or drowned?
He was Shuten-doji!
He wouldn't be burned to death, nor would he be drowned.
But the next second, black flames appeared out of nowhere and began to burn on many monsters.
Amaterasu!
It was truly somewhat ironic.
He was using the names of these gods, perhaps they would become opponents later on.
"Why won't it go out?!"
"If I don't burn you all to death, this flame won't go out."
Bai Ye said faintly.
Then he raised his left hand, and a huge swirling wave of water gradually formed in his hand.
Immediately after, the water wave flew into the air following Bai Ye's hand.
The torrential black water swallowed everything around it, and for those swallowed by the black water, the Amaterasu on them extinguished.
But they felt another kind of pain.
The crushing gravity and the sensation of their souls being pulled out.
Ōwatatsumi had always been a move Bai Ye rarely used.
The main reason was that this move didn't distinguish between friend and foe. If there were few people, it was fine; he could use Kamui to transfer everyone around him into Kamui Space.
But when there were many people, Bai Ye certainly couldn't transfer them all into Kamui Space.
So sometimes Bai Ye didn't really like using this move.
But this move was now too effective against the demons.
Amaterasu might not necessarily burn them all to death.
Judging by their helpless expressions before, they should be able to get it off later.
After all, Amaterasu never burned anyone to death in Naruto, let alone here.
The black water came with a gravity effect, and once someone was trapped in Ōwatatsumi, their soul would be eternally trapped within this black water.
This was the ability Bai Ye brought out to deal with these ghosts.
The souls of these evil spirits were inherently difficult to deal with, but they happened to encounter someone who countered them.
The evil spirits in Ōwatatsumi struggled.
"It's truly magnificent."
Naraku looked at the black water that submerged the entire Heian-kyō. If he hadn't hidden at the very back and flown out beforehand, he probably would have been affected too.
Only Seimei, protected by the formation, and a few ghosts who either ran far away or hid within Seimei's formation when they saw the situation was bad, escaped unharmed.
That black water, he saw it with his own eyes. Just a single drop, and his body felt as if gravity had attached to it, plummeting rapidly downwards.
"You kill ghosts too quickly, don't you?"
Tsukuyomi mumbled, her sword unconsciously lowering.
She had originally prepared herself for a fight to the death.
But she didn't expect Bai Ye to solve these ghosts with a single move.
"No choice, these ghosts were all countered by my abilities. A bit of a shame, Shuten-doji, you almost killed me just now, oh, so scary~"
Bai Ye was fine at first, but the last phrase, "so scary," immediately made Shuten-doji's face flush crimson. He felt his blood constantly rushing upwards, almost bursting through his head for a moment.
The level of mockery was directly maxed out.
If Bai Ye hadn't said anything, it would have been fine, but once he did, Shuten-doji felt like a clown before.
Scary?
Indeed, it was scary, but it was Bai Ye who was scary. If he hadn't been quick-witted just now, he probably would have ended up like those guys, right?
"Looks like you're not so great either!"
Tengu curled his lip and mocked.
The relationship between the demons themselves wasn't very good.
Shuten-doji hadn't given him any face before.
He wouldn't give any either.
"Aren't you the same?!"
Shuten-doji gripped his sword tightly. He had an urge to slash Tengu.
This bastard...
He actually dared to mock him?!
Did he think he was better than him?
"Stop arguing!"
Seimei frowned, unable to maintain the same calm state of mind as before. He had originally thought that by summoning so many evil spirits, he would be able to defeat Bai Ye.
Now, it seemed one of the three abilities he relied on was gone.
He had come to deal with Bai Ye relying on three things this time: first, the evil spirits he brought back from hell; second, his own power, the power he gained by trading with the gods to become stronger; and third, this formation.
Combined, these three, he believed, would surely kill Bai Ye.
But if one of them was broken by Bai Ye, he no longer had such great confidence.
If he couldn't completely trap Bai Ye in Heian-kyō, even if he pursued Bai Ye outside Heian-kyō, he might not be his opponent.
"Sorry, your hell army seems to be gone."
Bai Ye retracted all the black water, including the souls, which also vanished with the black water.
The ruins of Heian-kyō and the traces of the sea's destruction had now dispersed the ghostly aura here.
Heian-kyō, which was originally filled with ghostly aura, had now dissipated by more than half, and the dark clouds in the sky had also cleared considerably.
"I truly underestimated you."
After Seimei's expression recovered, he looked at Bai Ye with a deep gaze.
"No, it's that you never truly acknowledged the gap between us. From the very beginning, you were not my opponent, yet you always believed you were just a little bit off, just a little bit, always just a little bit. Even now, in our final battle, you are still that little bit off!"
Bai Ye's words deeply stung Seimei.
Indeed.
Every time, it was just a little bit, always just a little bit short.
Why?!
From birth, Seimei was accompanied by powerful spiritual energy. As he grew up, he was called the number one Onmyoji in Heian-kyō, an absolute genius.
He had occasionally felt a bit complacent, but he still believed that the only ones in this world who could truly contend with him were those guys from Takama-ga-hara.
Seimei had even been thinking whether those guys were only stronger because they were born too early, and not because their talent was superior to his own.
But when he met Bai Ye, Seimei discovered that he was not the only genius in this world; in fact, there was someone whose talent was even more exaggerated than his own.
He had already estimated Bai Ye to be half as powerful as before, just to prepare himself mentally, but it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
"Seimei, let's end our grievances early. I don't want to have someone constantly plotting against me behind my back."
Bai Ye said directly. He no longer wanted to play any more childish games with Seimei.
He should have dealt with Seimei back when the shikon jewel was involved.
At that time, he was still thinking that the shikon jewel couldn't form, and if it weren't for those guys from Takama-ga-hara interfering, the current Seimei wouldn't exist.
However, even if the other party wanted to act now, it would be impossible to save Seimei again.
That time, Bai Ye was still not very clear about those guys on Takama-ga-hara.
"Our grievances?!"
A trace of recollection flashed in Seimei's eyes. If he hadn't chosen Bai Ye back then, would the outcome have been different?
No!
Bai Ye was the most suitable demon for the shikon jewel!
Thinking of this, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Seimei's eyes. Since it had already been done, there was no room for regret!
He raised his hand, manipulating the formation.
Within the formation, the pressure on Bai Ye and the others suddenly increased. Under this pressure, Kikyo struggled to support herself, while Tsukuyomi and Kaguya were slightly better off.
One was inherently skilled in physical combat, so she could barely hold on, while the other, coming from Takama-ga-hara, had the blessing of the hagoromo, so her power wasn't too weak.
"This formation has a similar effect to your black water."
After Seimei finished speaking, the formation began to spin wildly.
At the same time, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.
Within this formation, Seimei could control wind, fire, lightning, and electricity to attack enemies.
However, the lightning struck nothing, which surprised Seimei.
He knew about Bai Ye's spatial ability.
It was just that Seimei hadn't expected Bai Ye could also bring everyone else into it.
"You all just stay in Kamui Space."
Bai Ye had just released Kamui. Since Seimei's formation could target everyone, there was no need to keep them outside!
"Thank you."
A trace of gratitude flashed across Kikyo's face, and the pressure on her suddenly dissipated.
Within that formation, it seemed she was the one most affected.
If she hadn't entered Kamui Space, she wouldn't have been able to dodge that lightning bolt just now.
"No need to say thank you."
Bai Ye just felt that Kikyo staying here might be a bit of a hindrance.
This Miss Miko was quite polite.
"Kikyo."
Naraku watched from afar, and at this moment, an indescribable feeling arose in his heart.
He recalled what Seimei had said before: did he truly love Kikyo?!
Why, when he saw Kikyo being protected by another man, couldn't he help but feel a hint of jealousy?!
It seemed he still hadn't completely escaped Onigumo's influence.
"Seimei, what could threaten me no longer exists. These things of yours are useless against me!"
"Is that so?"
Seimei mumbled, and as soon as his voice fell, the Bai Ye in front of him vanished from Seimei's sight.
This formation simply couldn't protect them.
Feeling Bai Ye had already arrived behind him, Seimei didn't say a word. The moment Bai Ye's attack landed, he flashed away from his original spot.
"I can also teleport in here."
Within this formation, Seimei could teleport freely as long as the formation existed, and he was confident that Bai Ye couldn't break it, after all, he had painstakingly managed it for so many years.
If this formation were to be so easily broken by Bai Ye, that would obviously be impossible.
"Okay."
Is he sick?!
Why would he tell him his abilities?
Bai Ye mumbled, but he was too lazy to remind Seimei.
If someone told him their abilities, he was too lazy to guess.
"It's also spatial movement, it's really troublesome."
The spatial ripples in the air smoothed out, leaving a heavy, suffocating pressure in their wake. It was a technique incredibly similar to the legendary Flying Thunder God, yet far more fluid. The Flying Thunder God required physical kunai or pre-placed jutsu marks to function, but Seimei's formation was different. It directly blanketed the entire expanse of Heian-kyō, turning the massive space into his personal playground.
Taking down an opponent with this level of spatial freedom was not going to be easy.
"How does it feel?!" Seimei sneered, his voice echoing from multiple directions at once as the spatial energy thrummed around him. "Facing an ability so similar to your own... it's a bit suffocating, isn't it?!"
His words dripped with confidence. To Seimei, his previous defeat was nothing more than a fluke caused by a lack of preparation. But now, the tables had turned. Since he could now teleport instantly within this domain, he believed Bai Ye would be utterly helpless against him.
"It's a little troublesome," Bai Ye admitted calmly, his expression remaining entirely unbothered. "But if this is what you're relying on to beat me, then I'm afraid your journey ends today."
Bai Ye was genuinely surprised, though not in the way Seimei hoped. If this spatial barrier was truly the Onmyoji's ultimate trump card, then Seimei had vastly underestimated the gap between them.
"Call it what you want. Within this formation, I am practically invincible," Seimei declared, his eyes flashing with absolute certainty.
He wasn't foolish enough to reveal his abilities without a backup plan. He knew Bai Ye possessed spatial methods of his own, which was exactly why he had sealed the surrounding space beforehand. The entire arena was locked down. If Bai Ye tried to flee, the barrier would instantly intercept him. Seimei was certain that within the boundaries of this grid, his opponent was completely trapped.
"Let us fight together!" Tsukuyomi stepped forward, her aura flaring as she took her place beside Bai Ye.
She could sense the bizarre, shifting nature of Seimei's spatial manipulation. No matter how troublesome instant teleportation was, it wasn't flawless. If she and Bai Ye launched a coordinated, wide-area onslaught, they would eventually force an opening and catch him.
Seimei glanced over his shoulder, his voice dropping to a cold, commanding tone. "Shuten-doji, get ready for battle."
He didn't care if Tsukuyomi joined the fray; a multi-front war was already part of his calculations. However, he had no intention of letting her interfere with his direct duel against Bai Ye.
"No need, I can handle this alone," Bai Ye said, gently raising a hand to stop Tsukuyomi.
He turned his gaze back to Seimei, his eyes turning ice-cold as a devastating surge of energy erupted from his body. The air pressure dropped instantly, cracking the ground beneath their feet.
"If this is the best your trump card can do, then you can go to hell."
Bai Ye's hands blurred into a succession of complex hand seals, his voice echoing like thunder across the battlefield:
"Rin! Pyo! To! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!"
Boom!
The atmosphere shattered. Eight identical clones burst into existence, instantly scattering to occupy the key tactical positions of the arena. Since Seimei wanted to play all his cards, Bai Ye wasn't going to hold back a single shred of his power.
Onmyodo?
Taoist magic is your damn ancestor!