Chapter 16: Great Yokai in Mythology
Inside the Chief's office of the Magic Investigation Division, the atmosphere was as busy as a battlefield command room.
"The Magic Investigation Division needs to keep constant watch over the movement of spiritual veins throughout Tokyo," Chief Amami Daizen said while signing off on a stack of documents piled high across his desk. "Especially after the sealing begins. There cannot be any negligence."
His voice was steady, but the weight behind it was unmistakable.
The man speaking was the Chief of the Magic Investigation Division, and also the oldest among the Twelve Divine Generals, the man known as Divine Fan, Amami Daizen.
"Yes, Chief Amami."
His capable young assistant, Hirata Atsune, took the instruction at once. He was about to turn and leave when the office door opened, revealing a young man standing outside.
Hirata's expression relaxed immediately.
"Gin Tsumugi. Long time no see." He smiled as they met at the doorway. "You're here to see Chief Amami, aren't you?"
"Long time no see."
Gin returned the greeting with an easy smile.
As the two passed each other, Gin's gaze lingered on Hirata for the briefest moment, carrying a faint trace of depth that was difficult to read. By the time Hirata had disappeared from view, Gin's face was already calm again.
Behind the desk, Amami Daizen looked up and laughed.
"Well, if it isn't the boy from the Tsumugi family. What brings you to visit this old man today?" He leaned back in his chair, looking every bit like an elder facing a favored junior. "Did you run into a supernatural incident you can't handle?"
Gin closed the office door behind him and smiled.
"Can't I just come see you when I have time?"
Amami snorted.
"I don't believe that for a second. Saying you came to visit this lonely old man sounds more like something your father would say. He used that line so many times I got tired of hearing it."
That earned Gin a smile tinged with mild embarrassment.
"Even stopping by has its order of priority."
His connection to Amami Daizen was not accidental.
Years ago, his father, Tsumugi Takazawa, had been one of Amami's disciples. After his father died, this old man had quietly taken care of him more than once. The creation of the White Fox Office was the clearest example.
People now saw supernatural offices springing up everywhere and assumed the process was simple.
It had not been.
Back when the supernatural first began resurfacing, opening an office of that kind had been extremely difficult. With Gin's personal qualifications alone, it would have been impossible. The fact that the White Fox Office had managed to open at all meant Amami Daizen had almost certainly pushed open many doors from behind the scenes, calling in favors, making arrangements, and contributing both money and effort.
Time had proven his judgment right.
Today, the White Fox Office could genuinely be called successful. Its name had already spread through much of Tokyo.
Gin glanced at the mountain of paperwork stacked on the desk and raised a brow.
"Old man, did you get promoted? You're even handling Investigation Department matters now."
He had heard the conversation outside.
Ordinarily, the Chief of the Magic Investigation Division had no business directly interfering with Intelligence Department work. Overstepping in that way was the kind of thing that invited criticism, and Amami was far too experienced not to know it.
At that, Amami clicked his tongue and shot Gin a look before gesturing irritably at the pile of work in front of him.
"Promoted? More like being used for free labor." He gave a dry laugh. "I'm an old man who just wants to retire early, and instead they're working me like a dog."
Even the Director of the Onmyo Agency could barely keep up with the current workload.
That alone said enough.
Gin's expression grew more thoughtful.
"Something happened between the Onmyo Agency and the Onmyo Alliance recently?"
He was naturally reminded of the shelved status both organizations had recently given to so many supernatural incidents.
Amami was not surprised that he had heard something.
"It seems even you have picked up a few rumors." He sighed. "Well, paper can't wrap fire forever. Sooner or later, this kind of thing was bound to leak out."
Then his expression darkened.
"From the outside, the Onmyo Agency still looks normal. But internally..." He shook his head. "Calling it hollowed out would not be an exaggeration."
Gin took a more serious posture.
"I'm listening."
Amami rested both arms on the desk and spoke without lowering his voice.
"At present, nearly all of the main combat forces of both the Onmyo Agency and the Onmyo Alliance have been deployed to Honshu. Right now, each headquarters has only three National Level Onmyoji left behind in emergency combat reserve. As for total remaining combat strength, it's less than thirty percent of what it used to be."
Gin's eyes narrowed.
That was worse than he had imagined.
What remained of the Onmyo Agency and the Onmyo Alliance was little more than a shell. And that so called thirty percent almost certainly included office staff, researchers, and support personnel who were not suited for direct combat at all.
If a few Great Yokai launched a surprise assault on either headquarters right now, the result could be disastrous.
No wonder Amami was drowning in work.
He was effectively filling multiple roles by himself.
Amami gave him a long look.
"You are not to spread this around. If word gets out carelessly, it could cause chaos."
Gin nodded slightly, then asked the real question.
"Something happened on Honshu? Is it connected to the seal you were talking about just now?"
Amami's face turned grave.
"A Great Yokai from myth is on the verge of revival."
For the first time since Gin arrived, the old man's tone carried unmistakable weight.
"For now, all we can do is use the seal to delay it as much as possible, while trying to evacuate the residents of Honshu before it fully awakens." His eyes hardened. "Otherwise, a river of blood would be the least of our problems. The entire island could be turned into a demonic realm."
The office went still.
Gin said nothing at first.
Then, slowly, a name escaped his lips.
"Yamata no Orochi."
Amami Daizen gave a silent nod.
Gin fell quiet.
The moment Amami mentioned Honshu, he had already begun to suspect it.
After all, among the Great Yokai tied to that land, none were more infamous than Yamata no Orochi.
In the cultural consciousness of Japan, it stood above even legendary names like Shuten Doji, Tamamo no Mae, and the Great Tengu.
A true myth level Great Yokai.
Gin had not expected the situation to worsen this quickly.
Even Yamata no Orochi was beginning to stir.
At the same time, he understood why the Onmyo Agency and the Onmyo Alliance had chosen to shelve so many other incidents. Faced with something like this, everything else had to be set aside.
Whatever supernatural cases were flaring up across Japan, none of them took priority over Yamata no Orochi.
That was the true center of the storm.
And yet, judging from Amami's words, even the Onmyo Agency and Onmyo Alliance were not trying to destroy it. They were only trying to delay it.
Which meant one thing.
Its revival was probably inevitable.
A heavy sense of urgency settled over Gin's chest.
.....
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