Gaining Control

Far beyond Heian-kyo, deep within a dark forest at a great distance, a burning skull formed of eerie green ghost-fire was violently unleashing its demonic power. It continuously cursed the Fujiwara while siphoning energy from the demonic sword to sustain a powerful hex upon the clan members within the distant capital.

Witnessing Prince Nagaya's current state of uncontrollable rage, the black-clad onmyoji forming an array around it wore expressions of deep gravity. This frenzy was clearly not what they had intended to see.

"It's rampaging! Restrain it, quickly!"

"Understood!"

Minamoto no Yorimasa shouted with a serious tone as he formed a hand seal. His subordinates responded immediately, working in concert with Yorimasa to increase their output of spiritual power. They sought to bind Prince Nagaya's fury, but their efforts yielded little result.

Seeing this, the Divine Messenger, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward silently. With a wave of his hand, the demonic sword that had been plunged into the ground beneath Prince Nagaya flew back to him instantly. The surge of purple-red energy ceased abruptly. Deprived of the sword's power, Prince Nagaya suddenly withered, allowing Yorimasa and his men to successfully suppress him. The power of the curse he radiated immediately dropped by a significant margin.

"Hmph... it seems I underestimated the hatred of a vengeful spirit. After all, it is a twisted entity born solely of resentment; it can easily slip out of control if one isn't careful." The Divine Messenger spoke with a cold snort, observing the significantly calmed spirit before turning his gaze toward Minamoto no Yorimasa.

"How much longer until it is fully converted into a shikigami?"

"In response to the Divine Messenger... if no further rampages like the one just now occur, we should be able to turn Prince Nagaya into a shikigami under our complete control by late tonight." Yorimasa replied while maintaining the ritual.

"Do it quickly... A vengeful spirit that knows only revenge, hatred, and destruction is of no use to us. Our goal is not the total annihilation of the Fujiwara clan. On the contrary... the Fujiwara must remain alive until tonight," the Divine Messenger said in a low voice. Hearing this, Yorimasa's expression tightened, and he frowned.

"During that last outburst, Prince Nagaya released a curse far beyond our expectations. I worry the Fujiwara might not be able to withstand it, Divine Messenger."

"A fair number of them will certainly die, but that doesn't matter. The core members won't perish so easily. As long as Fujiwara no Saneyori is unharmed, everything will be fine." The Divine Messenger replied to Yorimasa. Their objective was not the entire Fujiwara clan.

"Continue the shikigami conversion. In the meantime, let it keep the curse active to suppress and weaken the Fujiwara. Remember, there must be no more rampages."

"As you command..."

In the Upper Capital District of Heian-kyo, the sky above the Fujiwara residence remained somber, though the previously aggressive, thick purple demonic energy had faded considerably. The pressure of the curse, after its sudden surge, had returned to its previous level.

In the underground treasury beneath the residence, the powerful curse that could have wiped out most of those present was suppressed at the critical moment by the sound of rhythmic Sanskrit chanting. Golden mantras from the Sacred Scroll of Manifest Wisdom streaked through the air like falling stars, piercing and dispersing the rolling waves of dark demonic mist.

Miketsu controlled the strings of golden mantras to clear the thick resentment seeping through the heavy ceiling. Because she had reacted so swiftly, she managed to eliminate the sudden crisis before mass casualties could occur.

Soon, the explosive surge of the curse subsided, returning to a normal—even slightly weakened—state. Observing this, Miketsu stopped her direct control of the mantras, allowing them and the Sacred Scroll of Manifest Wisdom to hover autonomously, coordinating with the other barriers to resist the lingering curse.

"It stopped so suddenly?" Miketsu frowned slightly as she looked up at the empty space where the purple energy had retreated. She sensed that while her mantras had successfully suppressed the energy, they were still in a state of confrontation; the curse hadn't been fully eradicated.

The feeling she got from that last exchange was that the caster had voluntarily dialed back the power, choosing to disengage from the struggle.

What was going on? Had the opponent retreated because they couldn't overcome her? Did the vengeful spirit of Prince Nagaya still possess a high degree of consciousness? Or... had someone interrupted it?

Just as Miketsu was wondering, Fujiwara no Saneyori finally recovered from the shock of the sudden surge. He turned to Miketsu, his face pale as he spoke.

"I never imagined... you possessed such a powerful Esoteric Mantra Scripture... Heh, it seems my judgment was correct after all. Even if you didn't join the Fujiwara, your presence would eventually aid us... Looking at today, 'aid' is an understatement..." Saneyori spoke with a faint smile. He was immensely relieved that he had proactively courted Miketsu; without her, the Fujiwara would have suffered unimaginable losses today.

"I'm merely returning a favor, nothing more," Miketsu replied calmly. The status and privileges the Fujiwara had granted her as an onmyoji were very useful; providing this assistance was only fair.

"For now, that entity has only temporarily halted its assault. There's no telling when it might strike back with even greater force. If you remain passive like this, the consequences will be dire." Miketsu continued, laying bare the grim reality the Fujiwara faced.

Prince Nagaya used hatred as a medium to curse the entire Fujiwara clan from a distance. Without knowing his location, the Fujiwara were effectively sitting ducks, suffering blow after blow in a completely one-sided struggle.

"I understand. Hiding here is not a long-term solution. To reverse the situation, we must find Prince Nagaya. I have already instructed the Onmyoryo to use all their resources to track him down. We can only rely on them now..." Saneyori said with a look of helplessness. Miketsu nodded as she listened.

From the current perspective, finding Prince Nagaya was the most crucial step in resolving the crisis. But did the onmyoji of the Onmyoryo truly have the ability to find him? The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for the Fujiwara.

The safest method would be for Miketsu to conduct the search herself, using a map and divination to pinpoint the spirit's location and then confronting him immediately. However, this required her to return to Mount Inari... Thinking of this, Miketsu spoke solemnly to Saneyori.

"I may have a way to find Prince Nagaya, but I need to return home briefly. Once I locate him, I will head there directly. In the meantime, you must do your best to resist..."