Late at night, on the east side of Fangshan Castle.
At this moment, Miketsu and Itsumaden stood together, surrounded by a circle of samurai. Each of them had a solemn expression, their hands gripping their sword hilts, but not drawing their blades.
They were all well aware of how powerful the onmyoji before them was. These samurai had just experienced a battle with a horde of yokai, and all of them had felt the astonishing power of Miketsu's earth-shattering blow up close.
To be able to annihilate dozens, even hundreds, of yokai with a single strike—what immense power that was. And now, they might have to face someone with such power as an enemy; the feeling was indescribably uncomfortable.
"What are you standing around for? Quickly apprehend the scoundrel! Take back Itsumaden!" Seeing the scene before him, Taira no Kageyori shouted loudly. His samurai advanced two steps at Taira no Kageyori's command, but then stopped again after Miketsu stomped her spear on the ground.
Looking at the samurai surrounding her, Miketsu, holding her long spear, smiled slightly and said leisurely,
"Gentlemen, we fought side by side just now. I do not wish to be your enemy."
Hearing Miketsu's words, the samurai were startled. They looked at each other, their faces showing a myriad of expressions, clearly in a difficult position, yet not a single one retreated.
Seeing this, the samurai captain sighed inwardly, then stepped forward and said,
"Lord Hao, you saved our lives, and we do not wish to be your enemy. However, loyalty is paramount, and we must fight for the Taira clan. Therefore, please, Lord, hand over Itsumaden and do not put us in a difficult position."
The samurai captain finished speaking, but before Miketsu could reply, Taira no Kageyori immediately interjected,
"Why are you dawdling with her? Just take her down! I don't care what she did before; if she touches Itsumaden, she's an enemy of the Taira clan!"
Hearing Taira no Kageyori's words, the samurai captain was startled. He quickly leaned close to Taira no Kageyori's ear and whispered a few words. After hearing the captain's whisper, Taira no Kageyori's expression suddenly changed.
"That strike just now... was yours?" Taira no Kageyori said incredulously, his tone uncertain. He hadn't expected that the perpetrator of that astonishing explosion was this young female onmyoji whom he had initially underestimated.
How could such a massive amount of spiritual power be possessed by a mere Junior Assistant!?
"Of course, it was me. If you're unsure, you can ask each of them." Miketsu said, as her Jumonji Yari radiated intense spiritual power. Feeling this power, Taira no Kageyori involuntarily took two steps back, but his eyes, fixed on Miketsu and Itsumaden, never wavered.
To be honest, Miketsu truly didn't want to clash with these samurai. They weren't irrational yokai, nor were they utterly wicked villains. She couldn't bring herself to mercilessly kill them. On this point, both her current self and her former self as Inari Okami were in agreement.
Especially regarding killing, Inari Okami was strongly opposed to it; this was ingrained in her divine virtue.
At this moment, Miketsu hoped to directly intimidate this group of samurai, to resolve this potential conflict without bloodshed, and make them retreat on their own.
However, judging by the current situation, achieving this seemed difficult. As samurai, they appeared to uphold loyalty and righteousness from beginning to end, refusing to retreat even when facing a terrifyingly powerful enemy for the sake of the Taira clan. This put Miketsu in a very difficult position.
And it wasn't just Miketsu who was in a difficult position; all the samurai facing her were as well. Yet, under Taira no Kageyori's forceful command, they had no choice but to advance.
Looking at Miketsu, Taira no Kageyori, who had already removed his mask, twitched his lips and then said,
"I admit I underestimated your strength, but that doesn't give you the right to covet Itsumaden. On the matter of Itsumaden, the Taira clan will not back down."
Taira no Kageyori wasn't particularly afraid of clashing with Miketsu. Although her previous strike was astonishing, its corresponding consumption of power must have been enormous. He believed that Miketsu now had little spiritual power left, and an onmyoji with depleted spiritual power posed no threat to him.
"If you truly covet Itsumaden, then I must advise you here: Itsumaden is a yokai captured by the Taira clan, she is the property of the Taira clan. How we deal with her is entirely our prerogative.
"As for you, Lord, you are an onmyoji of the Onmyoryo. Your purpose in being dispatched here by the Onmyoryo is to strengthen our defenses. If you snatch Itsumaden from our hands, that would be an act of betrayal. The Onmyoryo, and even the human realm, might no longer tolerate you in the future. Is it worth it for a mere yokai...?"
Taira no Kageyori continued speaking, and what he said was indeed one of Miketsu's concerns.
She was currently operating under the human identity of Asakura Hao. If she were to directly take Itsumaden away here, she would fall into a very difficult situation. Itsumaden was, after all, a yokai, and from a human perspective, anything done to her was considered reasonable and legal. If Miketsu were to forcibly rescue Itsumaden now, it would amount to betrayal: betrayal of the Taira clan as her employer, betrayal of the Onmyoryo, and even, to exaggerate, betrayal of the human realm. If all these charges were piled upon her, it would be troublesome.
If she were truly branded a fallen onmyoji and listed as a traitor by the Onmyoryo, then her identity as Asakura Hao might be rendered useless.
Of course, the solution to this situation was simple: kill everyone to silence them. As long as Miketsu killed everyone here, no one would ever know what she had done. However, she could never do such a thing... What she needed now was a way to subdue everyone without harming their lives, and Asakura Hao did not possess such a method.
Itsumaden stood beside Miketsu, watching Miketsu's solemn expression and the approaching samurai. A strange glint shone in her eyes. After looking around, she finally fixed her gaze on Miketsu's eyes.
After observing Miketsu for a moment, Itsumaden sighed softly and then said,
"Enough..."
Itsumaden's delicate voice momentarily drew the attention of everyone present.
"It's enough, this is far enough... You don't have to get yourself entangled for my sake. Let me go back with them." Itsumaden looked at Miketsu and said slowly.
"Your eyes hold no greed... You are the first human I've met with such eyes. Thank you, I appreciate your compassion..."
Having been hunted by humans and yokai for a hundred years, Itsumaden could easily discern a person's inner thoughts and their attitude towards her through their demeanor, just as she had with Morimura Saemon before. This was a survival skill Itsumaden had honed.
In Miketsu's eyes, Itsumaden saw no greed, but rather a profound and enduring pity, an emotion born from Inari Okami's divine virtue, a great love for all living beings.
This emotion made Itsumaden feel a long-lost warmth.
Seeing Itsumaden voluntarily move away, Miketsu was startled. She then grabbed Itsumaden's hand and whispered into her ear,
"Please wait a moment. You will be saved, it won't be long.
"This is my promise..."
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