soul severing—this was the countermeasure Miketsu chose in the face of Seimei’s soul being irreversibly eroded. Since the erosion was not yet total, Miketsu decided to forcibly cut the spirit, separating the part of Seimei’s soul that remained untainted from the part that had been completely consumed.
With Miketsu’s decisive strike, Seimei’s spirit was instantly split into two. Miketsu immediately grabbed the uncorrupted portion and flew upward, calling down an even more intense Demon-Purging Light to shine upon the corrupted half. However, black snakes extending from the abyss coiled around the remaining spirit and dragged it down into the pitch-black depths.
At that moment, Seimei’s sea of consciousness completely collapsed. Miketsu’s consciousness returned to her own body, and Seimei’s bifurcated soul, along with a faintly glowing mark, was expelled from his physical form. Seimei’s body immediately slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Two soul flames—one black, one white—and the shimmering mark floated above Seimei’s body. The moment the black soul flame was expelled, it began to drift away rapidly. Seeing this, Miketsu immediately directed her Purifying Light onto the escaping black flame. The pitch-black soul flame froze in place, twisting and deforming under the golden light while emitting ear-piercing shrieks.
Just as Miketsu was about to completely purify this corrupted fragment of the soul, the ground beneath the flame suddenly shifted. A "beast" shrouded in black energy burst from the earth and swallowed the black soul flame in a single gulp. This "beast" was the very same one Makoto and Nura Rihyon had encountered—the culprit behind the string of tragedies in Heian-kyo over the past few days!
The moment the "beast" was exposed to Miketsu’s Purifying Light, the thick black energy surrounding it was completely dispelled, revealing its true form. It was a grotesque, deformed monster consisting only of bone and flesh, lacking any skin.
Miketsu knew what it was the moment she saw it. The bones of the monster gave her a feeling of extreme familiarity. Over ten years ago, she had fought a grueling battle against such a thing. It was Orochi's Bone!
Is that the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi?! That was Miketsu’s first thought upon seeing the monster transformed from Orochi's Bone. As a part of the Great Snake’s body left in the mortal world, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had been operating in secret for a long time.
Seeing the sudden appearance of Orochi's Bone, Miketsu immediately drew her bow and condensed an Arrow of Light. The arrow struck the monster, triggering a brilliant explosion. Because Seimei was still unconscious nearby, Miketsu heavily restricted the power of the arrow. When the light faded, the monster had vanished, leaving only a fading shadow on the ground.
Miketsu let out a long sigh. She knew the monster had successfully escaped. She had learned over a decade ago that even with her current power as a deity, she could not completely destroy Orochi's Bone. Furthermore, as a part of the Great Snake, she could not use divination to locate it. Seimei’s dark soul fragment was untraceable for now.
"Forget it... at least a part of him was saved..."
Miketsu sighed softly. She descended slowly atop Tsuruha, landing beside Seimei. She looked at the two items floating above the unconscious Onmyoji.
One was the remaining half of Seimei’s uncorrupted spirit, and the other was a dragon-shaped mark emitting a strange purple-red light.
"Even the Azure Dragon Seal was stripped out... This is for the best. The source of the erosion must be properly isolated first," Miketsu said as she held the mark in her hand. For the time being, the Azure Dragon Seal could not be implanted back into a human body; it had to be kept safe.
After suppressing the contaminated Azure Dragon Seal with divine power and stowing it away, Miketsu scanned the surroundings again. Beside the fallen Seimei was Hakuzosu, who had reverted to his beast form. His body had shrunk significantly, and he was also unconscious, now only the size of a small puppy.
Why did he become so small? Did something go wrong during my purification process?
Miketsu shook her head and turned her gaze elsewhere. There stood a large tree, and nestled among its gnarled roots was a young human girl sleeping, a paper umbrella lying beside her. Looking at the girl, Miketsu couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Tsuruha, Seimei was in the middle of opening the seal on this tree just now, wasn't he?"
"Yes, Lady Uka. When we found the hanyo Onmyoji, he seemed to be preparing to carry this girl out of here..."
Tsuruha answered. Hearing the confirmation, Miketsu felt a wave of confusion. Who was this girl? What was so special about her? Why did the corrupted Seimei prioritize taking her with him while he was fleeing?
Questions sprouted in Miketsu’s mind. She realized that while Seimei had been secretly eroded, he had been feigning normalcy for some time. Only Orochi and Seimei himself knew what he had been doing in the shadows of Heian-kyo during that period.
Therefore... the specific truth of these matters could only be learned by asking Seimei.
With this thought, Miketsu turned her gaze to the white soul flame. She gave it a gentle push with her power, sending the flame back into Seimei’s body, and then waited for him to wake up.
"He’s lost half his soul. I hope there won't be any issues..."
...
"Hiss..."
As consciousness gradually reconnected with his body, Seimei, dressed in his kariginu, sat up from the ground while clutching his head. He scanned the dense forest around him with a dazed expression.
"Where... am I?"
"This is the outskirts of Heian-kyo, Mount Hei," a soft female voice answered his question. Seimei turned his gaze toward the source and saw a girl who looked like a Miko standing in the distant woods. Her figure was blurred by a soft light, making it impossible to see her clearly.
"Heian-kyo? Mount Hei? May I ask who you are..."
"Who I am is not important. What matters is you. Do you still remember why you came here?" Miketsu asked Seimei while keeping her form hidden. However, the look Seimei gave her was one of complete bewilderment.
"Me? Did I come here on my own? What did I come here for? Hiss... I, I can't remember..." Seimei said, clutching his head as if in great pain. On the other side, Miketsu was startled and asked directly.
"Do you know who you are?"
"Who am I? I... my name seems to be Abe no Seimei... but... who is Abe no Seimei? Hiss... besides my name, I don't seem to remember anything else..."
Miketsu was momentarily stunned. She suddenly felt that her recent soul surgery might have given Seimei amnesia.
Rate on N.U.
