Heian-kyo's north, in the Qian position of Shizuhara-machi, within a dense forest on a hillside, two masked figures in light, sturdy attire stood on the branches of a tall tree, gazing at the forest ahead.
"Confirmed, the alert spell formations here are set with almost no blind spots, and they are very dense. Rushing forward will definitely trigger them," one masked person said, their tone grave.
"Hmm, then this must be the place. It seems the intelligence from the Archives Bureau was correct." Looking at the heavily guarded forest, the other masked person said.
"Let's send the message back first. This forest is not something we can breach."
"Heh, not yet. Lord Yorimitsu already anticipated this situation when we came, and he specifically gave me a way to deal with it." As he spoke, the masked person took out an elaborately decorated small box from his pocket.
Slowly opening the box, inside was a strange yokai resembling an insect.
This yokai in the box was only a finger long, resembling both insect and beast. It had four slender, segmented legs, a green human-like face full of fangs for a head, and membranous wings like an insect on its back.
"This is..."
"This is a larva of the Seimogura. In this mortal world, it can hear whatever it wants to hear, see whatever it wants to see. No one can discover it, no one can stop it." The masked person holding the box smiled mysteriously and then slowly said.
"Seimogura? Isn't that the eyes and ears of the gods? How can it become a shikigami?"
"Heh, it seems you don't know Lord Yorimitsu's methods very well..." The masked person holding the box chuckled softly. Then, after muttering a few words and forming a hand seal, the strange demon insect in the box immediately awakened, spread its membranous wings, and flew into the air, heading straight for the forest filled with restrictions.
...
Outside the forest's restrictions, the Minamoto Clan's scout had just taken flight, while inside the restrictions, a scene of long-awaited reunion was unfolding.
"Totosai, you're really alive!!"
With a tearful voice, the flea yokai Myoga directly pounced onto Totosai, but Totosai slapped him down in mid-air.
"Oh, Myoga, long time no see. How have you been lately?" Totosai said, looking at Myoga, who had fallen flat. Then his gaze lifted, looking forward, where a handsome, white-robed, white-haired yokai stood.
"General, it's truly wonderful that you are safe." Totosai bowed deeply to Toga, speaking with sincerity. It seemed he had been very worried about the Dog General today.
"I knew it, you didn't fall into Torin's hands. As expected of Totosai." Seeing his vassal whom he hadn't seen in years, Toga was also very happy.
"Alas... this was also my oversight. I didn't expect Oyakata to intercept my messenger. By the time I learned that Torin had set a trap to ambush you, it was already too late. I couldn't inform you, General. But thankfully, in the end, not only did you escape Torin's ambush, but we can even meet here now." Totosai sighed, looking at Toga. He had already prepared for the worst.
"For us to reunite, we must ultimately thank this Lord Owl. If it weren't for him, I don't know what my situation would be right now." Toga said, looking to his side, where Miketsu, clad in a black robe, stood.
Miketsu, who had just brought Toga here, now stood silently to the side, observing everything before her, without offering a single comment. At this moment, her heart had not yet fully settled.
Originally, she had intended to rescue Yura, but she unexpectedly encountered Totosai, the vassal Toga had traveled so far to find. He was with Fujiwara no Kanehira, and Yura hadn't been kidnapped by them; instead, she was actively helping them. All these circumstances were entirely unforeseen by Miketsu before she set out.
So many unexpected events all at once made Miketsu somewhat unaccustomed to the situation. Even after making the long journey to pick up Toga, she still felt this way.
"You... are Toga? The General of the Dog Clan?" At this moment, a clear female voice came. Toga turned to look and saw a black-haired girl curiously observing him.
"I am Toga. May I ask who you are, young lady?"
"She is Master Doman's disciple. Due to some misunderstanding, she stumbled into this place. After we learned each other's identities, she has stayed here to help us," Totosai explained to Toga first.
"Haha, so she's Master Doman's disciple. Good, it's wonderful that Master Doman's legacy can be passed on!" After hearing Totosai's words, Toga burst into laughter and said, his mood suddenly improving.
"Doman?" Miketsu, standing nearby, spoke briefly in a deep voice. She was eager for information on this, as Yura had caused her unnecessary worry.
"That is Master Ashiya Doman. He was a powerful human ascetic from Harima. I mentioned to you before that in Harima, both humans and yokai are fighting against Oyakata, and Master Doman was one of the foremost among humans. Unfortunately, he was tragically killed in the war two years ago," Toga explained to Miketsu, the regret in his eyes unmistakable.
"Although we've heard that Master Doman had an excellent disciple, we've never met her. Heh, who would have thought we'd meet her in a place like this?"
"I inherited many things from my master, and even after two years, I haven't fully assimilated them. So, following my master's dying instructions, I came to Heian-kyo to improve my vigilance more quickly with the help of the Onmyoryo." After hearing Toga's words, Yura's eyes darkened, and she spoke slowly with some embarrassment.
"Alas... I originally planned to diligently improve myself within the Onmyoryo, and once strong enough, return to Harima to continue the fight against Oyakata. But unforeseen circumstances arose, and I haven't even entered the Onmyoryo yet..."
"Master Doman's disciple couldn't even enter the Onmyoryo? Is the Onmyoryo so strict in selecting talent?" Hearing Yura's words, Toga thought of the onmyoji girl who called herself Asakura Hao. Could it be that the Onmyoryo only accepted exceptionally gifted prodigies?
"Well... there are many reasons... it's not something that can be explained quickly. Anyway, weren't you here to forge a sword? Those two have been waiting for you for a long time. They say they just need your fangs as the main material." Yura said, scratching her head with a bit of embarrassment, then she pointed directly at Totosai and Fujiwara no Kanehira, seemingly changing the subject.
"My fangs? Are my fangs the main material for forging a demon blade?" Toga looked at Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai, who stood together, following Yura's gesture.
Listening to Toga's confusion, Fujiwara no Kanehira, who had been silent until now, stroked his beard and slowly began to explain.
"Indeed... the fangs of the dog yokai clan possess extreme malleability and fusibility, allowing them to integrate better with the properties of other materials. And your fangs, as the lord of the dog yokai, are the strongest of all dog yokai, making them the best material for this forging."
"Furthermore, I must point out that your statement about us forging a demon blade is not entirely accurate."
"Not accurate enough? Are you not forging a demon blade?" Toga was somewhat perplexed by Fujiwara no Kanehira's words.
"Yes, and no. What we are about to forge is not a demon blade in the usual sense. It will transcend the very limits of a demon blade."
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