Paper shikigami, this was one of the few Onmyojutsu Miketsu currently knew. Though simple, it was surprisingly effective. Miketsu could use them not only with exploding talismans as remote-controlled bombs but also fold the paper cranes very small, using them as miniature reconnaissance drones.
Countless paper cranes, the size of flying insects, took flight from Miketsu's hands, scattering and wandering through every corner of Fangshan Castle, transmitting everything they saw and heard into Miketsu's mind.
Samurai patrolling with serious expressions, soldiers slacking off and chatting, strange individuals gathered together, full of complaints and curses... All of this, at this moment, was seen by Miketsu and heard by her.
The paper cranes flew by spiritual power, so they made no sound whatsoever. Coupled with their naturally tiny size, their stealth was extremely high.
Generally, controlling such unconscious puppet shikigami severely tested an Onmyoji's mental strength. The strength of one's mental power directly determined the degree of control over such shikigami, including parameters like the number controlled, distance, and complexity of actions.
As a deity, Miketsu wasn't sure of the exact extent of her mental power, but it was definitely far stronger than that of ordinary humans. This allowed her to easily control a large number of paper shikigami for long-distance reconnaissance, something human Onmyoji found very difficult to achieve.
Miketsu controlled the paper shikigami, scouting Fangshan Castle. Finally, she found a hidden passage in the dungeon beneath the main residence. The entrance to the passage was guarded by seven or eight Taira samurai, a number that seemed unusually large.
Guarding one spot with so many people? That's not normal.
Seeing this, Miketsu recalled what Mountain Frog had told her earlier: these samurai seemed to be guarding a treasure, one that had been moved out of the dungeon before she arrived.
According to Mountain Frog, the Taira clan's purpose in coming to Heian-kyo this time was to provide yokai to the Onmyoji clans in exchange for supplies. If that were the case, they should have arrived in Heian-kyo earlier to finish their business. Why were they holed up in this fortified Fangshan Castle?
The reason for this question must lie with this so-called treasure. Perhaps the Taira clan didn't want the Onmyoji clans to know of its existence.
"Heh... what exactly are they hiding? So mysterious..." Miketsu murmured softly after realizing this. Now, she wanted to see what these Taira samurai were so secretly guarding.
Miketsu initially planned to directly control a paper shikigami to quietly pass through the samurai's guard to the back of the passage, but she found that unrealistic. The passage was narrow, yet there were many samurai guarding it, each with a specific direction they were watching. It would be difficult to pass through unnoticed, as paper cranes, though tiny, were not invisible.
Just as Miketsu was pondering how to bypass the samurai's guard, she discovered something strange through the paper shikigami's vision: a large, long-horned beetle perched on a beam, with a massive single eye on its head.
A yokai? An insect yokai? And one that had almost perfectly concealed its demonic power?
Why was there a yokai here, of all places? Just passing by? No! Concealing its demonic power and lurking motionless in such a spot, how could it be just passing by?
For a moment, various questions flashed through Miketsu's mind, and then, in an instant, she arrived at the answer.
This insect yokai was a shikigami or a familiar spirit, here for reconnaissance, just like her!
"Oh, what a coincidence, to meet someone of the same path."
As soon as she saw this insect yokai, Miketsu immediately had an idea. Although she didn't know who owned this insect or why it was spying on the Taira clan, that wouldn't stop her from using it.
While thinking, Miketsu first controlled one paper crane to stay hidden and on standby. Another paper crane quietly flew above the beetle, and at a certain height, suddenly self-destructed.
"Get down there!"
The miniature paper crane's explosion wasn't very powerful, but the airflow it generated was enough to blow the insect yokai off the beam. Along with the sound of the explosion, it instantly attracted all the samurai. Everyone saw the demonic beetle falling from the beam.
"What is that!"
"It's a yokai, an insect demon! Someone's spying!"
"Quick, catch it!"
...
The beetle yokai, stunned and bewildered, flapped its wings to fly. A group of samurai had already surrounded it, trying to catch it. The demonic beetle struggled to fly away, wanting to escape, but it hadn't flown far when a samurai drew his sword.
"Rappa Zan."
Accompanying the sharp sound of the sword being drawn, the blade, imbued with spiritual power, released a wave of blade slashes. One of these Rappa Zan precisely struck the beetle yokai, severing its wings with a powerful impact, and the beetle yokai plummeted to the ground.
The samurai, satisfied, picked up the wingless insect yokai. However, what they didn't know was that while their attention was completely drawn to this beetle yokai, a tiny paper crane had gently floated into the passage they were guarding.
...
Inside Fangshan Castle, in a hidden corner, Morimura Saemon opened his eyes with a gloomy expression. After looking around, doubt appeared in his gaze.
"Is someone else also coveting the Taira clan's secrets?
"Hmph... I can't worry about that now. The suspicious location has been found; now I need to send the message out..."
...
It was a square, dark, and cramped space. The only light in the entire space came from the top, a glow cast by a window secured with iron bars.
In the dim space, a frail figure lay weakly on her side on the cold ground.
Beneath her short black hair, her crimson eyes were dim and lifeless, her beautiful face devoid of vitality. Tattered clothes covered a body riddled with scars, and bird-like talons grew on the human girl's frame, with wings attached to her arms, their bright yellow feathers covered in dust. Sturdy shackles bound her in various places.
Though she still breathed, the girl made no movement, simply lying there. Her unfocused gaze was fixed on the barred window above, where light streamed in. This state had lasted for an unknown duration.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes moved, her pupils contracting. In her crimson eyes, the reflection of a freely flying shadow appeared.
Beyond that top window, within the girl's pitifully narrow field of vision, a tiny folded paper crane flew. Watching the small object freely soaring, the girl fell deep into thought.
Dragging her weak body, the girl sat up in the cramped space, merely to get a better look at the soaring paper crane outside. Her once lifeless eyes now sparkled with light.
Towards the outside of the top window, the girl slowly extended her hand, as if trying to grasp something. The paper crane flying outside seemed to notice her action, slowly descended, passed through the bars into the space, and then gently landed on the girl's outstretched hand.
"A bird... made of paper?" The girl murmured softly, curiously examining the object in her hand.
"It really is... a hallucination, isn't it?"
As the girl's words fell, a moment later, a light and gentle voice emanated from the paper crane.
"No, what you see and touch, all of it is real."
"Real? Are there really birds made of paper in this world?"
"This world is so vast, the sky so wide; it's not strange for there to be all sorts of birds."
Hearing the paper crane's words, the girl paused slightly, then let out a soft laugh.
"Yes... you're right. Under such a vast sky, all kinds of birds are to be expected..." The girl whispered, as if sighing, then fell silent. She merely continued to gaze at the paper crane in her hand, not speaking another word.
After a moment, the voice from the paper crane proactively spoke again.
"Who... are you? What is your name?"
Hearing the paper crane's question, the girl paused for a moment before continuing.
"I have no name... My mother was gone before she could give me one. They... have always called me by my species name..."
"In this world, I have never seen others of my kind... I've been thinking, this species name, it's pretty much my name, isn't it..."
GazIng at the tiny paper crane in her hand, the girl paused slightly, then slowly spoke, "They all call me... Itsumaden..."
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