Divine General

Across the vast land, a powerful storm raged, sending sand and stones flying, obscuring the sun and sky. Trees were uprooted, and the fierce winds howled with a terrifying shriek.

The Great Tengu Kakuhanbo's Tengu Wind swept through the area. Under the violent storm, the region was left in ruins. Beneath the gloomy sky, vast forests were destroyed, and fierce currents of air still swirled through the space.

Kamo no Tadayuki, who had come from Heian-kyo, successfully intercepted the swiftly flying Kakuhanbo, who carried an aura of destruction. Kamo no Tadayuki used Kotodama, enhanced tenfold, to significantly reduce Kakuhanbo's speed and the accompanying Tengu Wind. He managed to halt Kakuhanbo with great difficulty, but it came at the cost of immense spiritual power.

Merely stopping Kakuhanbo left Kamo no Tadayuki pale-faced and trembling. Immediately after, he attempted to communicate with Kakuhanbo, but was met with yet another round of storms. Kamo no Tadayuki, with no other choice, could only utter Kotodama to barely parry the attack.

Just as Seimei's intelligence had indicated, Kakuhanbo had lost his self-awareness. All he sought now was the destruction of Heian-kyo. Unlike Mokou's previous situation, Kakuhanbo, with ten years of accumulated Blood Sacrifice power within him, was highly corrupted, making his recovery almost impossible.

Facing Kakuhanbo's destructive storm, Kamo no Tadayuki summoned Zenki and Goki, manifesting the White-Robed Kannon, and engaged with all his might, but was at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

Curses, purifications, barriers, seals, searing flames... various jutsu-shiki, enhanced, struck Kakuhanbo's body, but their effects were very limited. At most, they could only delay his movements and reduce his attacks, failing to inflict any substantial damage on Kakuhanbo himself. When faced with the Yokai Lord's immense demonic power and resilient physique, human jutsus, no matter how powerful, could not defeat a Yokai Lord, a true Great Yokai.

This was a disparity in energy levels.

In the sky, Kakuhanbo waved his Tengu Fan, and a massive tornado descended directly from the heavens, hurtling at high speed towards Kamo no Tadayuki below. Seeing this, Kamo no Tadayuki immediately pressed his palms together, using his scarce spiritual power to form a defense.

“Kotodama — Defend!”

A colossal, translucent barrier appeared before Kamo no Tadayuki. The sweeping tornado crashed into the barrier, and with sounds of shattering, cracks spread across its surface. In mere seconds, the entire barrier shattered, and the dark tornado, only slightly weakened, continued its assault on Kamo no Tadayuki.

The dark tornado struck Kamo no Tadayuki directly. With his barrier breached, Kamo no Tadayuki had no choice but to materialize the phantom of the White-Robed Kannon surrounding him to resist. The final result was the White-Robed Kannon shattering and dissipating, and Kamo no Tadayuki, after spitting out a mouthful of blood, was blown off Zenki's back by the storm's residual force. Just as he was about to fall to the ground, a crimson figure leaped up from below, accurately catching Kamo no Tadayuki in mid-air before safely landing back on the ground. It was a massive oni, five or six meters tall, with a fierce face, fangs, and two horns. This was Goki, another ancestral Shikigami of the Kamo clan.

Kamo no Tadayuki, gasping for breath, stood up in Goki's palm, gazing up at Kakuhanbo, enveloped in the storm in the sky. The gravity in his eyes deepened.

“Still… not enough, huh?”

Kamo no Tadayuki was acutely aware of the current situation: the disparity between himself and Kakuhanbo was simply too great. Facing the Yokai Lord, he clearly couldn't defeat him, nor could he stall him for long. Continuing like this, defeat and death were only a matter of time.

Originally, Kamo no Tadayuki's plan was to first come and stop Kakuhanbo's Tengu Wind, then use every means possible to hold him here, awaiting Fujiwara no Saneyori and Minamoto no Mitsunaka's arrival. The three Senior Secretaries attacking Kakuhanbo together might have been able to repel him.

However, the reality was that Kamo no Tadayuki had severely underestimated the Yokai Lord's power. Merely halting the Tengu Wind had consumed most of his spiritual power, and his subsequent confrontation with Kakuhanbo had been a one-sided suppression and beating.

Kamo no Tadayuki now realized a grim truth: he could neither hold Kakuhanbo until the other Senior Secretaries arrived for support, nor could he escape from the incredibly fast-flying Kakuhanbo. Furthermore, based on his recent probing of Kakuhanbo's strength, even if all three of them combined their efforts, victory would likely be difficult. The outcome would probably be a stalemate followed by his side succumbing to exhaustion and defeat.

“There’s no other way. This is all I can do now…”

At this moment, Kamo no Tadayuki seemed to have made a decision. He stepped from Goki's hand onto the ground, formed a hand seal with one hand, holding it before his chest, and spiritual power surged from him once more.

“Zenki, Goki, protect me!”

Obeying Kamo no Tadayuki's command, Zenki and Goki shielded him. Just then, Kakuhanbo in the sky also waved his fan, unleashing countless wind blades like a shower of rain.

Zenki and Goki stood in front of Kamo no Tadayuki, shielding him with their bodies. They were rapidly cut into innumerable small pieces, while the protected Kamo no Tadayuki chanted incantations at high speed. On his forehead, between his brows, a cyan dragon-shaped mark was now emerging.

Kamo no Tadayuki's surroundings were illuminated by a blue spiritual glow, and wisps of electric arcs sizzled and leaped.

“Azure Dragon Seal… activate!”

Above Heian-kyo, the twilight sky suddenly became overcast with dark clouds. On the eastern side of the city, by the banks of the Kamo River, people on the shore were astonished to find that the normally calm Kamo River had, for some unknown reason, become turbulent and raging. The wild waters formed relentless waves that pounded the banks, nearly dragging people in.

Beneath the surging river surface, at the bottom of the Kamo River's bed, the ancient Azure Dragon Altar now glowed brightly. The bronze disc at the center of the altar, engraved with an abstract dragon motif, shone blindingly, and countless electric arcs churned up large areas of bubbles.

Accompanied by a prolonged dragon's roar, a thick blue column of light, composed purely of spiritual power, erupted from the Azure Dragon Altar, piercing the river surface and soaring directly into the sky. In an instant, all living beings throughout Heian-kyo and its surrounding areas turned their gaze towards the towering light pillar that radiated immense spiritual power.

Within the Minamoto Residence, Minamoto no Yorimitsu gazed at the extraordinary celestial phenomenon before him, let out a long sigh, and slowly spoke.

“Kamo no Tadayuki… is finished.”

The twilight sky was enveloped by thick, dark clouds. Clawing streaks of lightning, accompanied by dull thunder, continuously flashed within the clouds. A blue column of spiritual power descended directly from among the storm clouds, accurately landing on Kamo no Tadayuki. Endless, vast spiritual power permeated his body, coursing incessantly through every vein and nerve, causing his eyes to emit a brilliant blue light.

A cyan divine dragon, composed of highly concentrated spiritual power, manifested behind Kamo no Tadayuki, letting out a distant roar towards Kakuhanbo above. In the sky, thunder instantly boomed, and countless dazzling electric lights illuminated the dim heavens as if it were broad daylight.

“Spirit Manifestation… Wind and Thunder Azure Dragon…”

Under the twilight sky, the yellow bird, White Crane, and flocks of crows continued to fly swiftly.

“The Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array? Is that the Onmyoryo's trump card?” Nura Rihyon asked curiously, hearing Miketsu's murmuring words.

“Yes, you could say that,” Seimei nodded in agreement, responding to Nura Rihyon's words.

“To be able to deter a Yokai Lord, this array must be incredibly powerful, right? Like requiring many people to form it together, or something. If the Great Tengu just flies past like this, will the Onmyoryo have enough time to activate it?” Nura Rihyon said with some concern.

“No, the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array doesn't require many people. The number of people it needs is only four.”

“Four people?”

Hearing Seimei's words, everyone present was slightly startled.

“Yes, only four people are needed, and they don't necessarily all have to be present. Even with just one person, part of its power can be activated.”

“Even with just one person… what exactly is this Four Symbols Array, and is it reliable?” Tanuki asked, always one to speak his mind. Facing numerous doubts, Seimei responded calmly.

“The disparity between humans and Great Yokai primarily lies in the amount of power they can wield. Unless one becomes an immortal or a Buddha, the spiritual power a human can accumulate over a lifespan of a few decades is, at best, a mere fraction. This is incomparable to yokai, who casually possess centuries of lifespan.

“The Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array is a colossal magical array located beneath Heian-kyo. It directly connects to the earth's ley lines, capable of drawing spiritual power from the earth itself. Then, through four altars, it links to four individuals granted the Four Symbols Seal. Holders of a Four Symbols Seal can activate their corresponding altar, guiding the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to infuse themselves, thereby gaining extraordinary power surpassing both humans and yokai for a short time.”

As Seimei spoke, he turned his head to look behind them. In the distant sky, beneath the dim heavens, flashes of electric light seemed to sparkle.

“This is an extraordinary power achieved by humans forcefully seizing the creation of heaven and earth. The person activating the array, wielding this power, will be able to briefly reach the divine realm. Thus, the owners of the Four Symbols Seals are bestowed with the title of ‘Divine General’.”

“And my esteemed teacher, Kamo no Tadayuki, is the current Azure Dragon Divine General.”