The Great Tree

At the foot of Mount Gaoshi, within the dark and profound depths of the dense forest, the robust Inari fox, Godake, held a string of haunted gadgets in one hand. He had plucked these malevolent spirits directly from the soil. The entities looked at the smiling fox face before them in terror, struggling with all their might to break free, yet they were utterly powerless against his immense strength. Facing these bizarrely shaped ghosts, Godake did not hesitate for a moment. He opened his mouth and exhaled a violent blast of foxfire, incinerating the spirits into ash in an instant.

Dusting off his hands, Godake looked toward the dark forest ahead, then glanced at the nearly off-the-charts readings on the sensor in his hand. He couldn't help but sigh.

"What a powerful curse... as expected of a large-scale spiritual disaster that has consumed nearly a thousand people since ancient times. If it could successfully integrate into a single entity, it would surely give birth to a calamity comparable to the Great Yokai of old..." As Godake spoke, he pulled out his communicator and switched it on. "Anyway, I'll report the coordinates first. This should be the last point."

The lush and dense Aoki Sea of Trees was vast and wide, with inconvenient transportation. Even in the peripheral areas, vehicles rarely passed through. Today, however, numerous traffic police had appeared on the few roads bordering the forest. They had cordoned off all paths leading toward the Sea of Trees from a great distance. Any vehicles that happened to drive by were turned back in confusion.

Over a dozen kilometers away from Godake, at the edge of the Aoki Sea of Trees, there was a small hill. The summit was not covered in trees but was instead an open space overgrown with weeds.

Upon this elevated clearing, several large tents had been pitched. Many people in police uniforms moved back and forth. Inside one of the tents, several tables were set up, laden with various strange instruments. Seated at one of these tables was Miko, dressed in her miko outfit, with a laptop open in front of her.

"Ah, Godake just sent over the final coordinate points!" Looking at the display on her screen, Miko spoke with a joyful expression. Beside her, another voice responded.

"I still don't get it. What do you want these ghost coordinates for? Is this actually useful?" Wearing a modified, lightweight white kariginu, Yura Keikain looked at Miko's computer screen with a look of doubt. Hearing the confused remark, Miko turned her head to answer.

"The evil entities hidden within the Aoki Sea of Trees are constantly radiating a curse outward, luring affected souls to commit suicide. Therefore, we only need to collect the curse levels at various locations and establish coordinates for centralized analysis. By comparing the differences in values between coordinates, we can very easily locate the source of the curse's radiation—which is exactly where that evil thing has manifested."

Miko held up a finger to explain to the young Onmyoji. Yura, who had just entered her first year of middle school, scratched her head, only half-understanding.

"...So, we can finally pin down that guy's specific location now, right?"

"Yeah... based on the computer's calculations, this thing's curse range is truly staggering..." Looking at the data being processed on the screen, Miko remarked with some awe.

"The absolute lethal range for an ordinary human is actually an eight-kilometer radius. Even with curse resistance, one can only get as close as about four kilometers. Just how many spirits did it have to devour to reach this level of power?"

"And once you're marked, you can be cursed to death no matter how far you run. Ten years ago, the Onmyo Agency sent an eight-man team; only three survived to flee back, but all of them were cursed. Even the barrier rooms at the Onmyo Agency headquarters couldn't... This... no wonder it's listed as an S-rank sealed area. Its curse is simply too powerful..." After hearing Miko's words, Yura picked up a report from the Onmyo Agency lying on the table. According to the Onmyo Agency's definition, this place was an absolute forbidden zone for the living. No one could withstand such a powerful curse with its massive range and infinite pursuit; the curse's intensity far exceeded the limits of general protection.

Those affected by the forest's curse would be forced to commit suicide. Even if their hands and feet were tied, the cursed person could even directly suffocate themselves to death. Once you approached the forest, there was no escape.

"Yeah... but because it's so strong, it must be eliminated. According to Lady Inaba, simply designating it a forbidden zone is just delaying the problem, not solving it. It was cordoned off ten years ago, yet rumors of a 'Suicide Forest' have still spread through the city. This proves that thing's power is slowly growing, and its influence is already leaking out of the forbidden zone."

As Miko spoke, she focused on tapping away at her keyboard.

"But... can we really handle such a powerful evil entity? Its curse range is so wide that we can't even get close, let alone destroy it," Yura said with a hint of worry.

Resolving the hidden danger of the Aoki Sea of Trees was an important exam mission Miketsu had given to Miko. Since the Aoki Sea of Trees was a sealed area managed by the Onmyo Agency, the Inari faction needed to coordinate with them to handle it. For the sake of saving face, the Onmyo Agency insisted on participating to a certain degree; otherwise, if the Inari faction solved a long-standing historical problem of the Onmyo Agency alone, the Diet would view the Onmyo Agency as incompetent.

Thus, Miko's extermination exam became a joint operation between Inari and the Onmyo Agency. However, to ensure Miko wasn't interfered with, Miketsu arranged for Yura—who had recently arrived in Tokyo—to accidentally-on-purpose become the representative for the Onmyo Agency's personnel. After all, she was technically a registered Onmyoji under their jurisdiction.

Hearing Yura's concern, Miko showed a small smile. She continued typing as she spoke.

"Don't worry, I came prepared this time. We have a shikigami specifically designed to deal with this situation."

"Specifically... a shikigami?"

Yura looked suspicious at Miko's words. Miko began rummaging through a box beside her.

"Wait a moment... I'm looking for the shikigami's controller."

"Controller?"

"Ah! Found it!"

Miko continued searching, and after a moment, she pulled an object out of the box. Seeing the object, Yura froze on the spot, then spoke in shock.

"Is that... a game console controller!?"

Within the Aoki Sea of Trees, in its dark and profound depths, lay a forbidden zone where life was extinguished. At the center of this zone was the source of that formidable curse.

At the origin of the curse, a blackness was surrounded by the forest. Because the canopy was so towering and massive, it blocked out almost all sunlight, to the point that there were no tall trees around this giant tree—only small shrubs. The giant tree's roots delved into the earth, extending deep underground.

Beneath this towering tree was a dark world shrouded by shadows. Within these shadows, a cold, deathly chill spread everywhere, and a thin mist clung to the ground. Within this mist lay a field of bleached skeletons scattered among the withered branches and fallen leaves.

Countless white remains were spread around the giant tree. From the slender branches of the tree's canopy hung old ropes tied into nooses, one after another. These ropes, used for hanging oneself, covered almost every suitable branch of the giant tree. Some of the newer ropes still held highly decomposed corpses. These bodies, hanging by the old ropes, swayed gently in the breeze, looking like wind chimes draped over the branches.

This tree of death stood in the depths of the Sea of Trees, the focal point of the curse. Its tangled roots occasionally twitched and writhed unnoticed, as if they could stand up like snakes at any moment.

"Want... more..." A raspy, low murmur echoed through the shadows of the tree. The giant tree's branches swayed slightly like tentacles.