Chapter 130: Consecutive Abnormalities
The battle at Shōkoku-ji continued to rage.
It spread like wildfire across the temple grounds. Aside from the main hall, the subsidiary shrines, rooms, bridges, gardens, and stone arrangements had all been reduced to ruins by the clash between Onmyoji and Yokai.
Amid the smoke and blood, a chant rang out.
"Namo samanta vajrānāṃ, chanda mahāroṣaṇa, sphoṭaya hūṃ traṭ hāṃ māṃ... I take refuge in all Tathagatas. All gates, all places. Rebuke and shatter all obstacles. Great wrath, violent and absolute. Destroy all hindrances. Swiftly, as the law commands."
White flames erupted.
"Fudō Myōō Fire Boundary Mantra!"
The entire corner of Shōkoku-ji lit up.
Pure white flames of Acala's wrath roared across the battlefield, carrying a heat fierce enough to melt heaven and earth. Holy power surged within the blaze, exorcising evil and driving back demons.
Dozens of nearby Yokai were reduced to ash in an instant.
At the same time, the flames slammed into the enormous Giant Skeleton and sent it staggering backward through the ruins.
In a single breath, the southwest corner of the battlefield was cleared.
The one who had released the Fudō Myōō Fire Boundary Mantra was none other than one of the Omnyo Agency's Twelve Divine Generals.
[Enma], Miyaji Hanao.
"Compared to that person, my Fudō Myōō Fire Boundary Mantra is still somewhat crude."
Dressed in monk robes, Miyaji Hanao shook his head slightly. His gaze, however, remained fixed on the massive skeleton climbing out of the shattered rubble.
The Great Yokai Giant Skeleton was still alive.
White flames continued burning across its bones, scorching its demonic power, yet it did not fall.
"Ah... it hurts. It hurts... Lady Hagoromo Gitsune..."
Demonic power surged from the Giant Skeleton's body, forcibly extinguishing the remaining flames of the Fudō Myōō Fire Boundary Mantra.
Then it lunged toward Miyaji Hanao once more.
Among the five Great Yokai who had manifested Spirits on the battlefield, Miyaji Hanao was facing the Giant Skeleton.
Kūgū Tenma was fighting Kidōji.
Tsuchimikado Arima was fighting Shokera.
The remaining two Great Yokai were being restrained by [Shinkentsū] Kogure Zenjirō, [Heavenly Eye] Miyoshi Tōgo, and [Divine Fan] Amami Daizen of the Twelve Divine Generals, along with [Genbu] Unrin-in Kengō, [Kōchin] Iozumi Narumi, and [Suzaku] Ikaruga Shimon of the Twelve Heavenly Generals.
As for the other Onmyoji, they were locked in a chaotic melee against Hagoromo Gitsune's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
Onmyō Arts flashed from time to time, purifying and destroying Yokai.
Elsewhere, cruel claws pierced through Onmyoji chests, dragging out organs in sprays of blood. Some Yokai even lowered their heads and greedily devoured their prey on the spot.
Bloodshed and brutality brewed everywhere.
The scent of blood was so thick that even several miles away from Shōkoku-ji, it could still be clearly smelled.
And on another side of the battlefield, Hagoromo Gitsune stood at the highest point of Shōkoku-ji like a goddess born from darkness.
Behind her, nine pristine white fox tails moved like a demonic dance.
While contending against Kurahashi Genji, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi, and Keikain Hidemoto, she also harvested the lives of the Onmyoji below.
Puchi, puchi, puchi.
Dozens of flowers of blood bloomed across the battlefield, each one paid for with a human life. The already blood-soaked ground gained several more strokes of red.
"Annoying Onmyoji."
Hagoromo Gitsune's elegant brows knitted slightly.
At a glance, she seemed to be calmly reaping the lives of lesser Onmyoji while resisting the three men before her.
But she knew the truth.
All of her main Great Yokai-level forces had been completely entangled by the Onmyoji.
Crushing this combined force in a short period of time had become difficult.
And that was exactly the result the Onmyoji wanted.
"Lady Hagoromo Gitsune," Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi said, drawing a talisman, "being distracted at a time like this is unwise."
He began chanting.
"Namo Śākyamuni Buddha. Namo Marīcī Bodhisattva. I take refuge in the Three Treasures and in Marīcī Bodhisattva. May you protect me, so that none may see me, none may know me, none may seize or harm me, none may deceive or punish me. Let me not fear my enemies, but gain advantage over them."
"Marīcī Mantra."
A holy sound that dispelled evil echoed through the sky.
Several weaker Yokai were purified by the chant on the spot, reduced to drifting ash before they could even scream.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Hagoromo Gitsune's eyes.
Clearly, the Marīcī Mantra also made her uncomfortable.
But it was not over.
Keikain Hidemoto, his white hair fluttering in the wind, drew five talismans and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation!"
Layered over the Marīcī Mantra, the Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation did not reach the same terrifying level as the combination Gin Tsumugi had once performed.
Even so, the vast power it emitted to purge evil and destroy demons was not to be underestimated.
"Unworthy descendants."
Hagoromo Gitsune's eyes turned cold.
"Tsuchimikado... I originally had no intention of killing you."
A trace of killing intent locked onto Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi.
From among her pristine white fox tails, she drew a black spear.
"Fourth-Tail Spear."
She clearly intended to hurl the spear, shatter the Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation in one blow, and seize the chance to kill the weakest of the three, Keikain Hidemoto.
If she succeeded, the stalemate would break.
But at that moment, Kurahashi Genji moved.
"Command."
He tore the talisman in his hand into fragments.
The torn pieces drifted toward Hagoromo Gitsune on the wind.
In the next instant, they became a medium.
Beneath Hagoromo Gitsune's feet, countless talismans that had been hidden under the tiles suddenly burst forth. They linked together into several talisman chains, wrapping around her limbs and neck, pinning her in place.
Even the tip of the Fourth-Tail Spear was covered by a talisman, concealing its cold gleam.
"Star Reading?"
Hagoromo Gitsune glanced at the talismans binding her wrists and understood immediately.
"You used Star Reading to confuse my subtle perception of the surroundings and secretly arranged these talismans."
She moved lightly.
Her nine pristine fox tails swept out and shattered the binding talismans directly.
But that brief interruption had already cost her the initiative.
"Go!"
Under Keikain Hidemoto's control, the Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation descended toward Hagoromo Gitsune at extreme speed.
Although Hagoromo Gitsune had lost the chance to strike first and shatter the Onmyō Art, she was not about to stand there and wait for death.
Facing the incoming incantation, she wrapped her nine white fox tails around herself.
Boom!
The Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation struck her tails.
The power contained within it, meant to destroy all evil, erupted at once.
Hagoromo Gitsune was blasted from the highest point of Shōkoku-ji down to the ground, smashing into the temple ruins and sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.
For the first time since the battle began, the chaotic battlefield paused.
"Big Sister!"
A cute little girl clutching a skull in her arms cried out in worry when she saw Hagoromo Gitsune struck down.
"Lady Hagoromo Gitsune..."
The Giant Skeleton tried to rush to her aid, but Miyaji Hanao desperately held it back, refusing to let it move even half a step.
Compared to the anxiety on the Yokai side, the Onmyoji were instantly invigorated.
Their previously low morale surged.
For a moment, many of them truly felt that victory was within reach. After a brief daze, they pulled talismans from their robes and once again attacked the Yokai before them.
But unlike the excited ordinary Onmyoji, Keikain Hidemoto, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi, and Kurahashi Genji remained grave.
The vigilance in their eyes did not lessen.
If anything, it grew sharper.
The next scene proved their caution correct.
Whoosh!
A violent wind erupted from the center of the dust cloud, blowing away all the debris.
The next second, Hagoromo Gitsune appeared before them once again.
Completely unharmed.
Her dark eyes gleamed with a cold light.
"Her strength is simply not on the same level as an ordinary Great Yokai."
Kurahashi Genji's expression was filled with dread.
He had never naively believed that a single National Level Onmyō Art like the Ghost-Averting and Evil-Dispelling Incantation could heavily injure Hagoromo Gitsune.
But for her to withstand it without injury was still terrifying.
"If she were that easy to deal with, she would not be the world's only Reincarnation Yokai, Hagoromo Gitsune."
Keikain Hidemoto showed no surprise.
For the Keikain Clan, Hagoromo Gitsune was their greatest nemesis. From beginning to end, he had never dared underestimate her.
"Onmyoji."
Hagoromo Gitsune's aura began to climb.
"Let us end this tonight."
The pressure spreading from her body was far stronger than that of the other Great Yokai present. Countless Onmyoji felt their knees weaken, nearly collapsing under the weight of that aura as terror surged through their hearts.
Then, without warning, the Yin energy tornado in the southwest began to dissipate.
The black pillar reaching into the sky thinned rapidly.
Within moments, it vanished without a trace.
The gray sky over Kyoto brightened slightly.
"No. We have been tricked!"
Ōjizō, who was residing within an Onmyoji, cried out.
"The seal node at Kinkaku-ji was broken through by the Onmyoji and repaired again!"
His expression twisted with malice.
"Lady Hagoromo Gitsune, the nodes of the Spiral Seal are all connected. If Kinkaku-ji is not destroyed again, then even if we defeat the Onmyoji here, we cannot destroy Shōkoku-ji's seal node."
Ōjizō's voice was full of resentment.
"Damn them. We were only one step away from completely destroying the Spiral Seal. As long as we destroyed this penultimate node, even if they tried repairing the other nodes afterward, it would have been useless."
"I see."
Hagoromo Gitsune's cold gaze swept across the three men before her.
"So this was your plan."
"It seems Otomo Jin and Yūra succeeded."
Keikain Hidemoto quietly released a breath.
Their plan had at least achieved its first objective.
"Lady Hagoromo Gitsune..."
Ōjizō came to Hagoromo Gitsune's side, his expression ugly.
"Withdraw."
Hagoromo Gitsune gave the order without hesitation.
"Even if we take down these Onmyoji now, it will be meaningless."
Under her command, the five Great Yokai on the battlefield immediately broke away from their opponents and prepared to retreat.
But just then, another abnormality occurred.
An unfamiliar Spirit descended.
Its location was precisely Kinkaku-ji in the southwest.
"How is that possible?"
Amami Daizen looked toward Kinkaku-ji in disbelief.
"Hagoromo Gitsune's main forces are already gathered here. How could she still have another Great Yokai-level combatant?"
In the next moment, the Yin energy tornado that had just dissipated rose again.
The meaning was clear.
The Spiral Seal node that had only just been repaired had been destroyed once more.
"Yūra!"
Keikain Hidemoto's expression filled with worry.
His granddaughter, the only member of this generation capable of summoning the shikigami Hagun, and the next head of the Keikain Clan, Keikain Yūra, was currently at Kinkaku-ji.
Even Hagoromo Gitsune seemed somewhat surprised.
She did not know who had intervened.
But that did not matter right now.
The most important thing was to destroy the seal node at Shōkoku-ji.
Everything else could wait.
"Attack with full force."
With a wave of Hagoromo Gitsune's hand, all the Yokai, including the five Great Yokai, charged toward the Onmyoji once more.
Splatter.
Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
In order to gain the power necessary to contend with Hagoromo Gitsune, he, Keikain Hidemoto, and Kurahashi Genji had all used secret techniques.
Now, the time limit had clearly arrived.
"We retreat."
At this point, Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi, Kurahashi Genji, and Keikain Hidemoto had no choice but to give the order, filled with helplessness and resentment.
The Spiral Seal node at Shōkoku-ji could no longer be saved.
Who could have expected that Hagoromo Gitsune's side would suddenly gain a completely unknown Great Yokai-level combatant?
Now, the situation had reversed.
The Onmyoji were the ones who had no choice but to preserve their strength and retreat.
Countermeasures would have to wait.
—
[Translator's Note / Important Announcement
Guys, I have some unfortunate news about Chapter 131, and I want to explain everything properly here at the end of Chapter 130 so no one gets confused later.
Chapter 131 is missing.
For the past few days, I've been searching everywhere just to find this one chapter. I checked mirror sites, backup sites, unofficial sites, and every possible source I could think of. Most of them were either already taken down, broken, missing the chapter, or no longer had the book available.
After a lot of searching, I finally found Chapter 131 on the official Chinese website.
At first, I thought finding the chapter would be the hardest part. But then I realized the chapter was locked, so I had to figure out how to pay for it. Honestly, I was willing to pay. Since you guys support this book, I also wanted to do my part and get the missing chapter properly.
After more research, I found out that the official site only accepts payment through Alipay or WeChat Pay.
That's where the real problem started.
I tried checking how to use those apps, how to top up, and how to connect my card. I searched for different ways to make the payment work. But in the end, my bank card is not supported. From what I found, their system mostly works with Chinese bank cards, and my own card simply cannot be used there.
So even though I found Chapter 131, even though I found the official source, and even though I already know how to pay for it, I still cannot unlock the chapter because the payment system does not support my bank/card.
Honestly, this is really frustrating. I spent so much time searching and researching just to get this one chapter, only to get blocked at the final step because of the payment method. I was already so close, but there was nothing else I could do from my side.
So the final conclusion is: I'm really sorry, but I cannot get Chapter 131.
However, please don't worry too much. Only Chapter 131 is missing. The chapters after that are available, so the updates will continue normally from the next chapter onward. The story is not stopping, and I am not dropping this book.
I just don't want to hide the situation or pretend that Chapter 131 is available when I already tried everything I could. I found the chapter, but I cannot access it because of the payment restriction.
I'm sorry to everyone who was waiting for Chapter 131. I know this is disappointing, and believe me, I'm disappointed too. I just wanted to be honest with you all and let you know that I really did try my best to find and unlock it.
Thank you for understanding, thank you for your patience, and thank you for continuing to support this book.]
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