The Incinerating Seal

Under the moonlit night, to the west of Heian-kyo, the dense, dark forest echoed with the rhythmic clatter of countless spider legs. Hordes of spider servants, ranging from half a meter to over a meter in size, were scurrying at high speed. They surged out of the forest, racing toward the distant human settlements. Ahead of them, the Onmyoji of the Onmyoryo and the yokai of Owl had converged on the western outskirts of the capital, standing ready to face the arachnid army.

By now, the yokai within Heian-kyo who had been driven mad by the sinister energy had been mostly purged. Under the organization of Owl and Kamo no Tadayuki, humans and yokai had gathered outside the western walls to intercept the rolling tide of the spider host.

"Ha! I didn't expect this banquet to have a second course!"

Nura Rihyon yanked his blade from the head of a spider, right between its eyes. He watched as it collapsed, its limbs twitching in agony. He wiped the demonic blood from his face; though a smile remained on his lips, his gaze was unusually solemn.

"Hyaa!" Beside him, the Tanuki used his sturdy sake gourd to violently bash back a spider. After stumbling a few steps, the creature steadied itself with several legs and lunged at the Tanuki again. The blow had only left a large dent and a web of cracks in its carapace.

"Tch, these things are incredibly tough. I can't seem to kill them!" the Tanuki grumbled, hoisting his gourd again to meet the pouncing spider. He knew his strength was second only to the likes of Owl among yokai, yet even after a heavy strike, this spider was neither dead nor crippled, and could still rejoin the fray.

"Don't bother with their shells; they're too hard. Aim directly for the unprotected eyes, or cut through the gaps in the armor!" Sliding Head swung his blade as he spoke, precisely slicing a spider servant in half through a joint in its carapace. Against such enemies, brute force was clearly inefficient; finesse was required.

"That’s easier said than done! Besides, I don't use a sword!" Amidst his frustrated shouting, the Tanuki leaped up and pinned a charging spider beneath his feet. He delivered several savage blows until the carapace on the spider’s head was completely pulverized, reducing it to a mangled mess before the creature finally stopped moving.

After finishing his opponent, Nura Rihyon scanned the battlefield. Onmyoji and yokai were clustered across the open ground west of Heian-kyo, fending off the spider servants that continued to pour from the dense woods.

These spider servants possessed combat power superior to average yokai, particularly in their remarkable physical defense. Even powerful yokai like Nura or Tamamura had to put in significant effort to dispatch them, let alone the rank-and-file yokai.

Fortunately, Nura and his allies were not fighting alone. The Onmyoji of the Onmyoryo had formed a defensive line behind them, continuously casting spells to disrupt the spider servants and providing powerful support.

While these spiders had immense physical defense, their resistance to sorcery was poor. Various curses were placed upon them, making their movements sluggish and weak, preventing them from exerting their full offensive potential. Furthermore, the Onmyoji utilized barriers—not to block the advance entirely, but to partition the battlefield. If they relied solely on barrier walls, they would be shattered quickly under the weight of the assault. Instead, they used the barriers to guide and scatter the host, breaking them down into smaller groups. The spider servants' limited intelligence made them easy to bait; they would charge recklessly and find themselves isolated by the barriers, only to be picked off by Nura and the others.

In this manner, despite the perceived danger, the forces of the Onmyoryo and Owl successfully held the line against Tsuchigumo's servants with minimal casualties.

Another small cluster of spider servants burst through a gap intentionally left between the barriers, lunging toward Nura and his group. The Tanuki took a huge swig of strong sake and spat out a massive plume of fire, completely engulfing the attackers. The spiders instantly transformed into living torches, screeching as they scattered in a panic. Their seemingly invincible carapaces appeared to be highly flammable.

"These things are afraid of fire!" Nura remarked, a look of realization dawning on him. The Tanuki smirked and wiped his mouth.

"Ha, that felt good. It's a pity I can only breathe fire by borrowing the properties of my sake; I don't actually have the ability to manipulate flames myself. Otherwise, these creeps would really be in for it." The Tanuki looked at the vast number of spiders beyond the barrier with a hint of regret; the range of his sake-fueled fire wasn't particularly large.

Just then, many of the spiders that had entered the barrier suddenly opened their maws, firing volleys of thick, white, viscous matter toward the human and yokai lines. These masses expanded in mid-air into massive webs that draped over the defenders. Many yokai and Onmyoji, unable to dodge in time, were pinned by the sticky nets, including the Tanuki and Nura Rihyon.

"Damn..."

The sticky webs severely restricted their movement, preventing many Onmyoji and yokai from casting spells or fighting freely. Just as the spider servants prepared to launch a massive assault to capitalize on the opening, a sharp cry echoed from the sky.

"Phoenix Wings Soaring!"

A massive bird of fire spread its blazing wings across the horizon and plummeted from the heavens. It crashed directly into the center of the spider swarm. With a violent explosion, fierce flames swept across a vast area, swallowing and incinerating the spider servants within. In an instant, the crisis facing Nura's side was not only averted but the spider host suffered heavy losses.

"What incredible flames... Is that..."

"This is a surge of spiritual power. Is there actually someone among the Onmyo Clans who can release such a powerful fire spell?"

As Nura and the Tanuki cleared the webbing from their bodies, they looked toward the blazing forest. In the massive crater created by the explosion, Mokou—dressed in her elegant attire and looking quite dashing—was slowly rising into the air, her flame wings beating behind her. Upon her forehead, the avian crest glowed with a faint, crimson light.

"It's Young Lord Fujiwara Aka!" seeing this, the members of the Fujiwara clan among the Onmyoji broke into cheers. The rest of the human camp joined in, and morale across the entire defensive line soared.

Floating in mid-air, Mokou paid little heed to the cheers below. She gently touched the mark on her forehead, her expression thoughtful.

"The boys back home were right. I don't necessarily need to 'activate' this mark to use it. It already contains a vast array of spell structures within. This way, as long as I burn my own physical body to provide it with spiritual power, I can unleash a barrage of fire spells. Not bad at all..."

After a quiet mutter, Mokou looked up and turned her gaze toward the charred remains of the spiders.

"With this power, these small fries won't be much of a problem. Now, it's time to handle the real threat." As she spoke, Mokou turned her head. In the distance, amidst the ruins of the forest, the gargantuan Tsuchigumo was thrashing wildly. Amidst its frenzied attacks, a black-robed figure wielding the Demonic Fang Blade darted through the fray. Seven-colored demonic energy bullets continuously detonated against Tsuchigumo’s body, while a girl surrounded by broken masks gathered her demonic energy from afar.