Imprinting

Compared to the past, Heian-kyo was anything but peaceful tonight. Days of intense patrolling and investigation had left the common folk in a state of constant panic. The incessant, strange noises echoing through the streets tonight further terrified those huddled inside their homes, making them too afraid to even whisper.

On the streets, countless people were doing their best to extinguish the fires consuming buildings. Fortunately, thanks to early detection, the blazes at several locations were effectively brought under control.

Just outside Heian-kyo, near the Kamo River, the possessed Fujiwara no Saneyori and Fujiwara no Mokou were locked in combat. Talismans, spells, and flames clashed back and forth; for a time, it was difficult to tell who held the advantage... or rather, it was impossible to determine a victor at all.

Generally speaking, the advantage had remained with Fujiwara no Saneyori. Mokou was being suppressed almost the entire time. As the Onmyo Taiyu, Saneyori was capable of wielding many powerful spells. Although the mastery of these techniques had noticeably dropped a level due to Prince Nagaya's possession and manipulation, they were still more than enough to overwhelm the current Mokou, who knew next to nothing about formal sorcery.

On the other hand, although Mokou was almost entirely on the defensive, she never once showed signs of defeat. Her incredible immortality and restorative abilities allowed her to withstand nearly any attack. Spells that dealt direct damage would hit her body, only for the wounds to heal instantly. Since Mokou was human, the demon-binding spells were ineffective against her, and she could purge the effects of curses and diseases by using her flames to continuously renew her physical form.

In truth, as an Onmyo Taiyu, Fujiwara no Saneyori knew many potent sealing techniques, which could have effectively dealt with Mokou. However, driven by his nature as a vengeful spirit, Prince Nagaya only thought of killing her, never even considering something like a sealing spell. Consequently, by relying on her immense aggro and infinite tankiness, Mokou firmly entangled Prince Nagaya, dragging the fight out indefinitely. Compared to Mokou, who could gain nearly infinite energy by burning her own flesh, the energy reserves of both Prince Nagaya and Saneyori were limited. In a battle of attrition, they stood no chance against her.

As a vengeful spirit who knew only revenge, Prince Nagaya was unaware of this, but the divine messenger understood perfectly. Allowing this battle to continue would bring them no benefit whatsoever. He had to end the fight immediately, and for that, he already had a plan.

"Do it."

"Yes, Lord Messenger."

From thousands of miles away, the divine messenger issued his command to Minamoto no Yorimasa. After responding, Yorimasa immediately exhausted his spiritual focus to take full control of Prince Nagaya, forcing the spirit to cast Fujiwara no Saneyori's Onmyojutsu according to his own strategy.

"Gaki Earth Binding!"

Fujiwara no Saneyori, controlled by Prince Nagaya, formed a hand seal and silently recited a mantra. Suddenly, the ground beneath Mokou's feet cracked open inch by inch. Dozens of withered, skeletal corpses—half-illusory and half-real—burst forth, grabbing and dragging Mokou down to the spot. Seeing this, Mokou quickly ignited the surface of her body, preparing to incinerate these specters summoned by the spell, but her movements were slowed, momentarily pinning her in place.

Seizing this opportunity, Yorimasa used his mental energy to suppress Prince Nagaya's violent tendencies, specifically "guiding" the spirit's method of revenge.

"Prince Nagaya... control Fujiwara no Saneyori to strip the Vermilion Bird Seal from himself and imprint it onto your enemy. Then, possess her and activate the seal... let the Vermilion Bird Seal destroy her from within!"

Yorimasa instilled his command into Prince Nagaya, framing this complex order as a hostile act specifically designed to annihilate Mokou. In truth, he wasn't lying; once activated, a Four Symbols Seal would bring devastating consequences to its user.

Their goal was simply to activate the Vermilion Bird Seal; the method and the person used to do it did not matter!

After a brief pause, Prince Nagaya accepted this relatively complex method of revenge. Taking advantage of Mokou being trapped, he controlled Saneyori to begin forming seals and chanting. Before long, a crimson aura steamed off Saneyori's body, and the mark of a red bird with trailing tail feathers emerged upon his forehead.

"Vermilion Bird Seal... Release..."

Fujiwara no Saneyori, manipulated by Prince Nagaya, pressed his index and middle fingers together and placed them against the mark on his brow. He then slowly pulled them away. Gradually, the crimson mark detached from Saneyori's forehead, eventually floating at his fingertip as a tiny, flickering ball of fire that resembled a bird spreading its wings, emitting a faint, steady glow.

"Dammit... these disgusting, annoying things..." Having burned away most of the spirits, Mokou was about to break free from her restraints. At that moment, Saneyori struck again.

"Imprint..."

Controlled by Prince Nagaya, Saneyori extended his hand, pointing the fingertip carrying the ball of fire at Mokou. Instantly, a bright red light shot out, striking Mokou directly in the forehead. She let out a cry of pain and was sent flying backward, landing flat on her back.

"Hiss! It hurts... you bastard, what did you do!" Mokou clutched her forehead, enduring the piercing pain emanating from it as she slowly sat up. Opposite her, the vengeful spirit of Prince Nagaya had already begun the next phase of his plan.

Eerie green soul-fire seeped out of Saneyori's body, reconsolidating in mid-air into the form of a skeletal figure. Then, Prince Nagaya's spirit, now detached from Saneyori, charged straight at Mokou. Before she could react, he possessed her body. Saneyori, having lost the Vermilion Bird Seal and the spirit's possession, collapsed unconscious.

"What... what is this..."

Mokou, who was standing up while clutching her forehead, was suddenly possessed by Prince Nagaya. Her eyes widened in disbelief as intense rage and hatred exploded within her mind, her very psyche being torn apart.

An eerie green light flickered in Mokou's left eye. At that moment, she felt her consciousness fading rapidly; she was losing control over her own body.

"Fu... ji... wa... ra..."

Under Prince Nagaya's control, Mokou's voice became hoarse. Her hands trembled as she brought them to her chest to form a hand seal, and fragments of a mantra began to spill from her lips. The crimson aura that had previously surrounded Saneyori now manifested around Mokou. On her forehead, the mark of the red bird reappeared.

Mokou tried to resist Prince Nagaya's will, but the effect was weak. As she continued to chant the mantra, she began to link with the Vermilion Bird Altar beneath Ogura Pond.

"Vermilion Bird Seal... Activate..."

Just then, a whistling sound tore through the air. A spear trailing a stream of light plummeted from the sky, piercing Mokou's chest with unerring accuracy and pinning her to the ground.

"Oh my, finally possessed... I've been waiting for this for a long time..."

Accompanied by a gentle female voice, Miketsu, dressed in a snow-white Kariginu, slowly descended from the night sky. She smiled as she looked at the struggling Mokou, who was pinned to the ground by her spear and possessed by Prince Nagaya. She had been waiting in the sky for this very moment for a long time!