Chapter 125: Mobilization
The next day, Shibuya Ward.
The atmosphere inside the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department was unusually heavy.
From the moment work began, a strange pressure seemed to hang over the entire Shibuya Building. Even the ordinary clerical staff, who had no Spirit Insight Power and could not sense spiritual energy, could feel that something was wrong.
The Onmyoji were quieter than usual.
The administrative staff walked faster and spoke less.
Reports passed between departments with a rare urgency.
On the top floor, inside the Director's office, the core members of the Myriad Laws Supernatural Department had already gathered.
The three Deputy Directors were present.
Kohara Daisuke.
Ibe Tomoya.
Iwanaga Kotoko.
Tsuchimiya Kagura and Dairenji Suzuka, who had recently joined and been appointed deputy chiefs of the Supernatural Countermeasures Section, were also there.
Every face in the room was solemn.
Gin Tsumugi sat behind his desk, fingers resting lightly over a file.
"You should all know the general situation by now."
His gaze swept across the room.
"The Fushimi Inari-taisha node of Kyoto's Spiral Seal, which has been guarded by the Keikain Clan, has been destroyed."
No one spoke.
Gin continued, "Not only has a Great Yokai been released, but because the Spiral Seal is now incomplete, the spiritual balance of Kyoto has become extremely unstable. There have already been isolated incidents of Yokai attacking humans during the day."
That sentence made the air in the office sink further.
Daytime attacks.
For Yokai that preferred darkness and Yin energy, appearing openly during the day meant the situation had already crossed a dangerous line.
"The Onmyōdō world has issued a Level One alert. Organizations such as the Omnyo Agency are already preparing to support the Keikain Clan."
"A Level One alert..."
Iwanaga Kotoko frowned.
"Is Kyoto's situation really that serious?"
The last time the Onmyōdō world had issued a Level One alert was during the Mount Fuji Incident, when Yamata no Orochi's revival had been imminent.
And even then, the alert had been handled in secret to avoid throwing the public into panic.
Seeing her confusion, Gin explained calmly, "On the surface, Kyoto may not seem as dangerous as the Mount Fuji Incident. But the consequences of the Spiral Seal's destruction are no less severe than Yamata no Orochi."
He opened the file and pushed it forward.
"The Spiral Seal is not as simple as most Onmyoji believe. Sealing Great Yokai and suppressing Kyoto's supernatural incidents are only its surface functions."
His voice became slightly lower.
"Its true purpose is to divide and suppress Kyoto's source of Yin energy."
"Source of Yin energy?"
Even Dairenji Suzuka looked stunned.
It was clearly the first time anyone present had heard those words.
"In simple terms," Gin said, "it is one of the places in Japan where Yin energy gathers most densely. The reason Kyoto was called the Thousand-Year Demon Capital in ancient times is precisely because of that source."
He paused briefly, allowing them to digest the information.
"If it is not controlled and suppressed, Kyoto will gradually transform into an abyss that continuously gives birth to Yokai. The disaster that follows would be impossible to calculate."
Only then did Iwanaga Kotoko, Dairenji Suzuka, Tsuchimiya Kagura, and the others understand how deep the secret behind Kyoto and the Spiral Seal truly ran.
Perhaps the reason Kyoto had once become the capital of Japan was not merely political or cultural.
It had likely been chosen so the strength of the entire country and the world of Onmyōdō could be gathered there to suppress that source of Yin energy.
Four hundred years ago, the Thirteenth Generation Keikain Hidemoto had established the Spiral Seal and stabilized that problem.
Now, that long-maintained balance had begun to collapse.
"Director," Kotoko asked, "will we also be supporting Kyoto, like the Omnyo Agency, the Onmyo Alliance, and the Onmyō Academy?"
The Keikain Clan's request shikigami had not only been sent to the three major organizations.
They had also flown toward Onmyoji families such as the Tsuchimikado Clan, the Kurahashi family, and the Isayama family.
Naturally, the currently flourishing Myriad Laws Supernatural Department had received one as well.
"We're going."
Gin's answer was decisive.
"We have to."
His eyes shifted slightly.
"Don't forget, Sora is still in Kyoto."
"Ah..."
Kotoko blinked, then scratched her head awkwardly.
"I almost forgot about that little girl."
Too many things had happened over the past few days. The department's expansion, the aftermath of Minato Ward, the rumors surrounding Gin, Suzuka's arrival, Kagura's transfer, and now the Tomie investigation. Kotoko had been so busy that she had not had time to check on Kasugano Sora's visit to her relatives in Kyoto.
"There are many troublesome Great Yokai gathered there now," Gin said. "Putting the others aside, if Tsuchigumo, who is sealed inside the Spiral Seal, breaks free, there are very few Onmyoji in the current Onmyōdō world capable of contending with it."
"Tsuchigumo..."
Suzuka's expression changed slightly.
Kagura and Kotoko also exchanged glances.
In legend, Tsuchigumo was a Great Yokai second only to existences such as Daitengu, Shuten-dōji, and Tamamo-no-Mae. It was even known as a "Yokai that must never be encountered."
Its strength could be imagined from that alone.
"And that is not all," Gin said. "There is also the mastermind behind this incident."
A faint complexity passed through his eyes.
"Hagoromo Gitsune."
The moment that name was spoken, the room became quieter.
Tsuchimiya Kagura recalled the records she had read in the Tsuchimiya family.
"Since ancient times, a Great Yokai has resided in the capital, dominating humans on their own stage. A reincarnating Yokai who repeatedly seizes human bodies and is reborn through them."
She looked up.
"That is Hagoromo Gitsune."
"Yes."
Gin nodded.
"The greatest reason I must personally go to Kyoto is because of Hagoromo Gitsune."
The others could not help showing confusion.
They understood that Hagoromo Gitsune was dangerous.
They understood that she was connected to the destruction of the Spiral Seal.
But Gin's tone suggested something more personal.
"Director," Kotoko asked carefully, "are you... familiar with Hagoromo Gitsune?"
Given Gin's true identity, it would not be strange if he knew Hagoromo Gitsune.
But what sort of relationship would require him to go personally?
Gin glanced at her, then sighed softly.
"Hagoromo Gitsune is a white fox."
"A white fox?"
Kotoko looked even more confused.
"What about it?"
The others were the same.
If anything, the words only made the situation stranger. After all, Gin's title in modern Onmyōdō was also White Fox.
Dairenji Suzuka, who had been lowering her head in thought, suddenly stiffened.
"A white fox..."
She raised her head sharply, shock flashing through her eyes.
"Wait. Have all of you forgotten?"
Her voice grew serious.
"In ancient texts such as the Kokon Chomonjū, the Eiga Monogatari, and the Shōyūki, it is recorded that Abe no Seimei's mother was the incarnation of a white fox."
Suzuka looked at Gin.
"Abe no Seimei was also called the Child of the White Fox."
The room fell silent.
Everyone's gaze turned toward Gin.
Of course.
In legend, Abe no Seimei's mother was a white fox.
His father, Abe no Yasuna, once encountered an injured white fox in the mountains and carefully nursed it back to health. Later, the white fox transformed into a woman to repay his kindness, and from that union was born the myth of Onmyōdō, the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei.
If Hagoromo Gitsune was that white fox, then she was the mother of Gin's past life.
"Some things are close to what you're thinking," Gin said. "There are discrepancies regarding my father, Abe no Yasuna, but aside from that... you are not wrong."
The moment he admitted it, everyone understood.
They understood why Gin had to go to Kyoto.
They understood why his expression was so complicated.
He was an Onmyoji.
But Hagoromo Gitsune, his mother from a past life, was now the culprit behind Kyoto's supernatural crisis.
No matter who faced such a situation, it would never be simple.
Gin looked out the window in the direction of Kyoto and let out a quiet breath.
But what truly worried him was not the matter of choice.
This incident was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Hagoromo Gitsune's long-cherished wish was to resurrect "him."
But what she carried was only a fake, something condensed from the residue "he" had left behind.
As for whose handiwork that was, Gin already had a guess.
"Ryōyū. Shōko."
His eyes darkened slightly.
Not to mention, other matters and other schemes were likely mixed into this incident as well.
.....
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