Succession

After careful consideration, Miketsu accepted the conditions proposed by Byakuren on behalf of the Shingon school. In her view, the other party had shown great sincerity; the terms of the cooperation were fair, and she stood to lose nothing. There was no reason to refuse a partnership that would bolster her own power. In the face of numerous hidden threats, she needed as much control and influence as she could gather.

However, Miketsu did not intend to commit to a full-scale partnership immediately. She planned to conduct pilot programs for the integration of beliefs in specific regions and temples first. Only after confirming that there were no issues would she allow the Shingon school to proceed with a nationwide promotion. Byakuren accepted this additional condition without hesitation.

With this, Miketsu had secured another expanding channel for faith. Combined with the recently launched recruitment of wild gods and the shrine franchise model, the Inari faith was now expanding along two parallel tracks: Shinto and Buddhism. An explosive growth of Inari worship was foreseeable within the next few years, and Miketsu would no longer have to worry about the scarcity of faith.

Although Shinto was the official religion of the country and the Shinto deities truly existed in the Celestial Realm, the vast majority of the land was actually covered by various primitive animistic beliefs. A multitude of wild gods acted as the so-called 'eight million kami,' each carving out territories of faith village by village. Since many of these wild gods were bloodthirsty Yokai, barbaric customs like human pillars and human sacrifices were quite common. In remote mountain villages far from the civilized center of Heian-kyo, human offerings were sacrificed annually as a matter of routine. Since learning about these depraved habits from Oitsuki, Miketsu had wanted to address this nationwide issue. After much thought, she concluded that the best solution was to spread proper faith to those regions, eradicating or subduing the wild gods who ruled as local tyrants.

Regardless, the spread of faith was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two. It was a long-term process, and Miketsu was prepared for the long haul.

"To successfully reach an agreement with Lady Uka so quickly brings immense joy to my heart. Now, I should return to convey your divine will..." Once the details were settled, Byakuren stood up and spoke to Miketsu with her hands pressed together in prayer.

"There is no need to be in such a hurry. There will be a festival soon; perhaps you could stay and participate," Miketsu said with a smile.

"A festival? Is it a festival for you?"

"Yes. The Hatsu-uma Grand Festival of the Inari Shrine. My festival..."

...

In Heian-kyo, the Astronomical Pavilion of the Onmyoryo was currently under high alert. Onmyoji released their shikigami, and samurai gripped their sword hilts, forming a perimeter around the towering Five-Story Pagoda. They drove away any creature from the Three Realms that dared to approach.

At this moment, the Five-Story Pagoda was covered in various talismans. On the top floor—the place where the Onmyo Taiyu, Kamo no Tadayuki, usually worked—an important ritual was underway.

Kamo no Tadayuki, white-haired and gaunt, stood solemnly. He pointed a finger forward; hovering at his fingertip was a dragon-shaped seal emitting a faint cyan glow.

In the direction Tadayuki pointed, the white-haired hanyo youth and Onmyoji knelt formally. As Tadayuki channeled his spiritual power, the dragon-shaped seal slowly drifted toward the youth, eventually merging bit by bit into his forehead. After a brief flash of light, it faded away.

"Fortunately... it was completed successfully..."

Once it was over, Kamo no Tadayuki let out a long sigh of relief, steadying his swaying body. His wrinkled face seemed to have aged several years in an instant. Seeing Tadayuki in this state, Seimei, who usually maintained a calm demeanor, was visibly moved. He bowed deeply.

"Master..."

"Rise... Seimei. I have nothing left to teach you. I can no longer call myself your master."

"No matter what happens, you are my mentor. Your kindness is something I, Seimei, will never forget in my life..." As he spoke, Seimei performed a solemn kowtow to Kamo no Tadayuki before slowly standing up. Looking at his student, Kamo no Tadayuki sighed and gave his final instructions.

"The Azure Dragon Seal contains many profound arts of Onmyojutsu. Be sure to study them diligently. The path of Onmyodo ahead must be walked by you alone. The power within the Azure Dragon Altar will take at least ten years to refill before it can be used again. You must reach the rank of Senior Secretary before then, so that you may truly be worthy of the name Azure Dragon Divine General!"

"I shall keep your instructions in my heart..." Seimei spoke respectfully. However, before he could say anything more, Tadayuki's tone became even more serious.

"Finally, I must remind you: no matter the time or place, keep your heart righteous and your intent fixed. Be firm in your will and your stance. Do not be misled by the past... Do not, I repeat, do not let my prophecy about you become reality!"

"Yes..."

...

Outside Heian-kyo, on the western battlefield where the Great Snake had once rampaged, countless figures wandered amidst the ruins.

The cave that had originally housed the White Tiger Altar had collapsed into a massive sinkhole. Within the rubble-strewn pit, numerous Onmyoji of the Minamoto Clan were gathered.

Some of them were clustered in the very center of the pit, where a dilapidated stone slope had been cleared of debris. At the top of the slope was a circular indentation, upon which numerous bronze fragments were currently placed.

The Onmyoji belonging to the Minamoto Clan were using their spiritual perception to search for bronze fragments among the scattered rocks in the pit. They brought them to the central stone slope, where others worked to piece them together in the indentation, struggling to restore the Bronze Disc that had been severely damaged by the Great Snake's attack.

Yura, wearing her mask, was among the ranks of Onmyoji searching for fragments. After being recruited by Minamoto no Yorimitsu, she had officially become one of the Onmyoji under the Minamoto Clan. Naturally, she was involved in this operation.

"Phew... found another one. Finding these things is a real pain..."

In a quiet corner of the sinkhole, Yura let out a long breath. After finally extracting a bronze fragment from a crevice in the rocks, she noticed a point of light flickering with a faint white glow in the dim, narrow space behind it.

"Hmm? What's that?"

Seeing this strange light, Yura leaned her head toward the crevice, trying to see what it was. However, just as she widened her eyes to observe, the light suddenly flared and shot straight toward her head. It struck her forehead before she could react, causing her to stumble back two steps in fright, clutching her stinging brow.

On Yura's forehead, an abstract tiger-shaped mark appeared in a burst of light before quickly fading away.