The dense clouds that had choked the sky gradually dispersed, unveiling a night sky adorned with stars and a sliver of the moon. The solitary, lofty lunar orb hung in the firmament, casting its cold, silver glow upon the ravaged earth.
Trees lay toppled, boulders were shattered into fragments, forests were incinerated, and deep furrows had been plowed into the soil... For miles around, the ground had been reduced to a barren wasteland. Within the air, heavy remnants of demonic and spiritual power lingered, testifying to the ferocity of the battle that had recently unfolded.
Kamo no Tadayuki hovered in mid-air. Behind him, the image of the divine dragon and the brilliant spiritual aura surrounding his body were rapidly fading. He descended slowly to the ground, his hand trembling as he reached out to support himself against a charred tree, and then he began to cough violently.
"Cough, cough... Cough, cough, cough!!"
Kamo no Tadayuki was in a wretched state. His kariginu was shredded in numerous places, and his tall eboshi had long since disappeared. His hair, once black streaked with gray, had turned a withered, brittle white. The wrinkles on his face had doubled, and his once-ruddy complexion was now deathly pale. He looked as if he had aged twenty years in an instant, transforming from a middle-aged man into a frail elder on the brink of death.
Of course, this was merely the outward appearance; his internal condition was far worse. The raw, surging natural spiritual power from the Azure Dragon Seal had almost completely destroyed his spiritual network. From this day forward, it would be nearly impossible for him to draw upon spiritual power to perform Onmyojutsu. His path in Onmyodo had reached its end here.
To seize the natural order of heaven and earth inevitably demands a heavy price. A human body is incapable of harboring such violent, natural spiritual power. If an ordinary Onmyoji were to inherit the Azure Dragon Seal and activate the Four Symbols Seal, their body would simply explode the moment the array was formed. To even narrowly manage this power, one must possess an exceptionally high level of Onmyojutsu and a sufficiently robust spiritual network. But even so, the person holding the seal would find their spiritual veins ruined after a single activation.
The so-called Divine General has only one opportunity in a lifetime to activate the array. This single activation must achieve its purpose; there is no room for error and no chance for regret. For Kamo no Tadayuki, his goal for this activation had been fulfilled.
In the earth before Kamo no Tadayuki lay a massive pit, a hundred meters in diameter and seemingly bottomless. Countless residual arcs of electricity leaped along the pit's edges, while feathers drifted down through the air around him.
Just minutes ago, the already heavily wounded Kakuhanbo had been struck here by the final blow from Kamo no Tadayuki as the Azure Dragon Divine General. The colossal bolt of lightning that descended from the heavens had completely obliterated the Great Tengu's body, leaving behind nothing but this deep crater and the scattering feathers.
The Yokai Lord, the Great Clan Leader of Sugo Ungo, and the Great Tengu Kakuhanbo was now officially declared dead.
……
Beneath the stars and moon, the rapidly flying Aoi and her karasu-tengu subordinates came to a sudden halt. They beat their wings, hovering in mid-air as they turned their heads to gaze back toward the direction they had come from, remaining silent for a long time.
"What is it?" Miketsu asked, watching the silhouettes of the karasu-tengu. At the same time, a suspicion took root in her heart.
Hearing Miketsu’s question, Aoi remained silent for a moment. Finally, a small tengu spoke up, his voice trembling with a sob.
"The Great Clan Leader... He is no longer with us..."
The small tengu's words shocked everyone present. They all understood exactly what that meant.
Kakuhanbo, the Great Tengu who had been manipulated by the power of the blood sacrifice to attack Heian-kyo, had now fallen in battle against the Onmyoji. The Yokai Lord of Sugo Ungo was dead.
The world was undergoing a profound shift, and a dark shadow now loomed over the future of the Tengu.
"I am sorry. For us, this was a necessary and unavoidable choice."
It was Seimei who spoke from atop the white crane. His words were tinged with sighs and apology. The one who had destroyed Kakuhanbo was an Onmyoji of Heian-kyo, and in all likelihood, his own esteemed master, even if it had been a matter of absolute necessity.
From the moment Kakuhanbo had recklessly charged toward Heian-kyo alone, his fate had been sealed. A solitary Yokai Lord could not possibly withstand the combined might of Heian-kyo. Once Kakuhanbo was completely consumed by corruption, his demise became inevitable.
"I understand... Onmyoji... From the moment the Great Clan Leader lost his reason, I foresaw this outcome..." Aoi said, suppressing the tremor in her voice as she clenched her fists tightly.
"Every debt has its debtor. I know exactly whose head this account should be settled on." As she spoke, Aoi turned to look into the distance. At the edge of her vision, the silhouettes of mountain ranges began to appear.
Just now, they had passed through the outer barriers and officially entered the Great Secret Realm of the Tengu clan.
"Sugo Ungo is right before us. I am going to take Roku's head! I will let the crows tear his corpse apart as an offering to the Great Clan Leader's soul!"
……
The moon hung high and the starlight shone coldly, but Sugo Ungo was devoid of its usual tranquility tonight. The sounds of slaughter echoed through every corner of the mountain peaks, as wind-based Yokai arts continuously harvested the lives of their own kind.
Rebellion—the despicable, shameful flames of rebellion were now burning throughout Sugo Ungo.
Ever since Kakuhanbo had been forcibly driven to launch his suicidal assault on Heian-kyo, Roku had initiated his long-premeditated plan of rebellion. He had previously used bribery, persuasion, and corruption to secretly convert a group of Tengu into his subordinates. Once Kakuhanbo departed, his insurrection began. At this very moment, the other middle- and high-ranking Tengu leaders were locked in a fierce struggle after being caught in a surprise attack.
"Hahaha! Kakuhanbo's era is over! Submission to me is your only choice. Sugo Ungo will have a far superior leader, and I shall lead the Tengu to prosperity!" Standing atop a high mountain peak, Roku shouted to the battlefield below, only to be answered by an arrow from a White Wolf Tengu.
"Die, traitor!"
Roku used a wind blade to easily sever the incoming arrow, then swung his hand again to unleash a gust that decapitated the White Wolf Tengu. He stood there, his face darkened, as he looked down at the kin he had killed with his own hands.
"Hmph... It seems the situation isn't quite as you described. You don't exactly have everyone flocking to your banner..." Standing behind Roku was a human warrior clad in ancient armor. He spoke slowly with a mocking tone, and behind him lay several Tengu corpses.
"My apologies, Lord Divine Messenger. I will have the situation under control shortly. I only need a little more time..."
"Heh... You should be aware that to completely take control of Sugo Ungo, a new Great Tengu must be born..." The human warrior addressed as the Divine Messenger said, casting his gaze toward a distant peak that pierced the sky like a heavenly pillar.
Unlike usual, the clouds atop the peak were churning violently. A fierce storm swept across the mountain, and countless bolts of lightning rolled through the clouds, which emitted a strange, eerie light from within their darkness.
"Kakuhanbo is dead, and Tengu-do has returned to Qiongyun Peak. You must now seize Tengu-do, become the Great Tengu, and become the true master of Sugo Ungo."
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