Not far from the main entrance of the Onmyou Academy building, which was a pair of automatic doors, was a low staircase continuing into a wide, tiled plaza.

A high-cla.s.s black sedan that appeared turned in to the plaza, silently stopping in front of the stairs.

Not long after,

The backseat door of the car opened and an old man slowly walked out, standing in the plaza.

A kimono-wearing old man.

His body was small and he held a staff. He wore a black mantle over his black clothes. Only his sungla.s.ses were red as blood. His plumage-like hair ran towards the back of his head.

He was probably quite old - he seemed more like a dead person or a mummy. His wrinkled face didn"t have anything like an expression, and one would even suspect whether he was alive or not.

The old man leisurely raised his head to look at the Onmyou Academy building.

The building towering in the dim sky had been erected not too long ago. The outer surface was inlaid with black granite, and there were red embellishments placed everywhere to fill the exterior with an overall sense of enclosure. The modern style simultaneously showed a solemn impression like a temple"s.

If one used spirit-seeing to "look", he would probably be able to notice that the building was completely covered by a magical defensive barrier. Though the barrier was invisible, it was extremely strong. Moreover, a suddenly-added new magic could be "seen" on the ancient magic. It wasn"t hard to surmise that someone had especially added it antic.i.p.ating an enemy.

"......Well then."

The voice that came from the old man"s dry, cracked lips was unexpectedly youthful.

Instantly, the automatic doors at the entrance opened from the inside.

It wasn"t a person who walked out of the academy building, but rather a calico cat.

The cat"s tail was perfect straight. It walked out of the academy with dignity, arriving in front of the stairs and staring at the old man.

The old man"s strange figure was reflected in the cat"s large eyes.

"...It"s been a long time, Priest Doman."

The cat spoke. It was Princ.i.p.al Kurahashi"s voice. This calico cat was a shikigami the princ.i.p.al used.

The old man who had been referred to as Priest Doman - Ashiya Doman - gracefully greeted the cat.

"The previous head of the Kurahashi family. Have we met before, if you say "it"s been a long time"?"

"Yes, when I was a child."

"I see. I remember now. You were the Kurahashi family miko by Yakou"s side, right?"

Doman nodded joyfully, but one could only realize his joyful feelings through the tone he spoke in. His expression didn"t change a bit.

"The little girl at that time became the current "Kurahashi Stargazer", I see. Hoho. You truly cannot antic.i.p.ate people"s changes."

"But," Doman continued to speak.

"It must be said that it was because of Yakou, you know. I have grown old and believe I am able to identify talented people, but it"s hard to read that person."

"......That is why you want to witness the fates of different people."

"Indeed. In line with the experience of a princ.i.p.al."

Doman said this and then laughed "ke, ke".

Even when he smiled, his face barely moved. His youthful, emotion-filled voice was a stark comparison with his corpse-like outer appearance.

"...Priest."

The Princ.i.p.al called out again.

"If you agree with my opinion, please leave here. The academy is a school to nurture Onmyouji. So the students in the school are all people whose futures are worth the wait. I wish to avoid unnecessary chaos."

The princ.i.p.al argued respectfully.

In comparison, Doman smiled lightly again.

"That"s why it"s interesting. My words may be a bit arrogant, but those who want to become Onmyouji could "meet" existences like this old man face-to-face. Isn"t it a valuable opportunity?"

"You speak reason, but in the end they are fledgling chicks - they cannot accept the great wings of a master."

"How regretful. Then I will leave after finishing my business, how is that?"

"......What business?"

"Do not feign ignorance. You"ve also heard, right? Yakou"s "Raven"s Wing". I want to borrow it."

Doman calmly brought up his request.

The cat"s tail waved cautiously.

"......I have indeed heard rumors of Priest wishing to borrow the "Raven"s Wing". But I still do not know Priest"s reasons. What business are you borrowing the "Raven"s Wing" for?"

"Ah, to be honest, it"s my shikigami"s need, not mine."

Doman spoke the truth without reservations. The cat"s whiskers twitched in confusion after hearing. Doman said strangely, "We over here have various reasons", smiling.

Then, the cat and Doman silently stared at each other.

The corpse-like, all-black, stiff-bodied old man and the calico cat that confronted him. In some sense, it looked like a cat attentively gazing at an invisible dead spirit.

But, this black-colored dead spirit wasn"t from the underworld. He stood in the real world.

"Priest, allow me to tell you. The "Raven"s Wing" is not in the Onmyou Academy right now."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"It is the truth."

"Alright. I had originally planning on conducting an investigation myself."

"Priest. Let me repeat again, there are only underage chicks inside. Your attempt is too unreasonable - no, it"s too rude. Please leave immediately."

The princ.i.p.al spoke with an ice-cold tone.

That remark was enough to be considered heroic in front of a legendary Onmyouji. The cat kept its attention on Doman, its unyielding att.i.tude giving off an awe-inspiring air inconsistent with a kitten.

But, Doman wasn"t moved at all.

Ke, ke, ke. He laughed quietly.

"......Well, "Kurahashi Stargazer". You were just a little girl when you were with Yakou. Even though you became famous as an astrologist afterwards, we never met again. You"ve grown, huh?"

An unexpected question made the cat"s ears sway lightly.

"That is true. ......What of it?"

"No, it"s nothing. Your manner of speech is very strange. I could understand if you were someone without battle experience."

"What does that mean?"

This time it was the princ.i.p.al who asked back. Doman joyfully shrugged his shoulders.

"At the least, the brats you"re sheltering under you definitely wouldn"t say the same things. In the world we live in, "courtesy" indicates "skill"."

"Skill?"

"Exactly. In the ancient past strength was produced from the a.s.sociation between man and G.o.d, but now it is from the a.s.sociation between man and man. "Courtesy" is the skills, customs, and patterns emerged to make use of this strength. Of course, the rules of etiquette that you speak of have the same roots. Unfortunately, in my world, "courtesy" is applied in its original form. Tragically, "courtesy" unaccompanied by "skill" is simply prattle. Or rather - rudeness."[1]

Doman raised his staff with one hand.

The cat"s entire body tensed up. Doman laughed with a cackle.

"This old man has no plans of being "courteous"."

Right as the words left his mouth, Doman swung the staff held before him behind his head.

The front of the staff tapped the sedan stopped behind him - the cover of the trunk on the back of the car.

The car instantly trembled and the cover of the trunk opened as if someone underneath had lifted it up. A black-colored torrent inside spewed out and burst out.

"Ah!"

The cat unconsciously retreated backwards.

The cat"s vision followed the flowing black torrent. It extended upwards like a rocket, the front of it already reaching a height where it could touch the academy building, then it scattered messily, beginning to spread into the surroundings. After the cat observed the truth behind the torrent, the fur bristled over its entire body.

"Shikigami? This is all a shikigami?"

Like a pillar formed by a giant group of insects, it continuously crept up from the ground. A frightful quant.i.ty and a frightful magical energy.

On the other hand, Doman extended his staff again amidst the princ.i.p.al"s shouts, announcing in a light tone.

"You won"t let me touch the fledglings? ......In the end, if they"re chicks whose wings would be broken by an attack of this level, it"s this old man"s responsibility as a senpai to break them."

"...He"s come!"

After receiving Princ.i.p.al Kurahashi"s message, the former Exorcist teacher Fujiwara"s face twitched.

"......It really would have been better to cancel cla.s.ses."

Of course, last night they had considered the idea of cancelling the Onmyou Academy cla.s.ses for today. But, rashly taking an unnatural action might draw "D"s attention instead, so in the end they hadn"t done so. Considering the situation at the time, the probability that he appeared at the Onmyou Academy hadn"t been high.

In the end, that judgment had been mistaken, but the Onmyou Academy obviously had no plans of quietly acquiescing.

Fujiwara received the message and immediately rushed to the staff room on the second floor of the building.

To the surrounding teachers:

"The information in the morning was true! Everyone, begin evacuating the students! The main entrance is unusable, have all the students escape to shelter through the back entrance!"

The Onmyou Academy had already made a plan of action beforehand for when "D" appeared in the academy. The safety of the students was the top priority, and hence even the teachers who didn"t have cla.s.s today had been summoned.

Among them, the practical skills teachers had suspended the coursework originally scheduled for today, inspecting magical charms, tools, and equipment and preparing for the upcoming magic battle.

"Immediately contact the Onmyou Agency and the Exorcist Bureau. The Onmyou Agency building seems to also have been attacked. They"re probably a decoy. The Meguro branch squad should be able to come over immediately......!"

There were Exorcist Bureau branches in Shinjuku and Meguro in addition to the headquarters. Fujiwara used his past network of contacts to mediate. Though most of the team members were deployed in the Onmyou Agency building in Akihabara, the lowest-ranked members were still left in the branches.

They probably wouldn"t be able to make it if they came from Akihabara. But the Shinjuku and Meguro branches should be able to make it, and then it was just a question of time. Exactly how long would the Onmyou Academy be able to hold out for?

But,

"Fujiwara! Outside!"

A teacher near the window shouted. Fujiwara rushed out to the window and then stared blankly. A strange black monster was thrashing outside the window.

"That man"s shikigami......!"

At the same time, the sound of a message rang out from his phone from the practical skills teacher who had been deployed at the back entrance beforehand to ensure safety.

"There are too many! They"ve already gone around to the back entrance! Breaking through to evacuate from there will be difficult!"

His colleague"s report made Fujiwara clench his teeth.

But, the enemy"s shikigami hadn"t entered the interior of the academy. No, it couldn"t enter, because of the academy"s barrier.

When Princ.i.p.al Kurahashi had been formulating countermeasures, she had imagined "D" as a National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji - even treating him like an Independent Exorcist. Actually, "D"s strength was unknown, but in any case, braking the barrier head-on would probably take quite a long time.

"......Okay. Change to the plan for a siege. Bring the students underground immediately! Have them take shelter in the magic practice field!"

The academy"s barrier was extremely strong, but the barrier placed on the underground magic practice field was even more outstanding. It served as a safety area for when the inside of the academy suffered magical attacks, and its size was sufficient to fit all of the students.

"Hurry! The enemy"s attack is coming!"

The teachers received Fujiwara"s orders and sprinted out of the staff room one by one.

Suddenly,

"......Hold on. Have you received communication from Ohtomo-kun?"

He asked a clerk who was sitting blankly in a chair, who immediately answered Fujiwara"s question after suddenly being talked to.

"No. O-Ohtomo-sensei hasn"t come to the staff room yet today--"

"......I see."

Yesterday, Fujiwara and Ohtomo had learned via the princ.i.p.al the information that "D" might attack today. Afterwards, Fujiwara had immediately summoned the teachers to formulate a plan for today with the practical skills teachers as the core. But Ohtomo had suddenly vanished and couldn"t be contacted. The princ.i.p.al seemed to know the situation to some degree, but to Fujiwara, his whereabouts were still unclear.

Fujiwara had heard that Ohtomo had originally been a Mystical Investigator, and he had seen his impressive power first-hand. In the current situation, he was an invaluable fighting power......

"......All we can do now is focus on dealing with what"s in front of us."

Fujiwara"s face twitched and he left the staff room following the other teachers.

Harutora"s hair stood on end over his whole body.

...It was! ......N-No, but...... How could this be!

A high-cla.s.s sedan was calmly stopped in front of the academy building. He had seen it before. He couldn"t possibly forget. His neck was extremely stiff as he looked downwards. He couldn"t move his gaze.

A moment later, an old man wearing a black kimono dismounted from the backseat of the black sedan. He had already undoubtedly confirmed it.

"......Ashiya Doman......"

After noticing Harutora"s demeanor, Natsume who sat next to him went: "Eh?"

"Harutora?"

As she spoke, she unconsciously leaned her body forward. She followed Harutora"s gaze outside the window - and was dumbstruck.

"Natsume-kun?"

"Eh? What"s wrong?"

Right after, Tenma also noticed the expressions of the two and Kyouko suddenly stopped moving her chopsticks. Touji, who sat across from Harutora - also next to the window - also hastily looked in the direction the two of them stared in.

Immediately after, his body went stiff.

"...That man! He"s from that time!"

"Hah? What"s up with you guys all of a sudden. Did someone famous arrive?"

Suzuka asked blankly but didn"t get Touji"s attention.

Harutora and Natsume were the same. They still stared out the window:

"The man from the Nue incident, the old man who sat in a black sedan and called himself Ashiya Doman."

Suzuka, Kyouko, and Tenma froze instantly.

Then, they stood up from their chairs like springs and rushed to the window by Harutora and the others to look.

Suzuka"s expression changed:

"Hey, wait! Isn"t that the person you mentioned before? "D"!"

"It"s him."

"No mistake?"

"......I can"t see clearly from here, so I can"t say......"

As he narrowed his eyes and looked downwards, Touji cautiously murmured vague words.

But,

...No.

Harutora was extremely sure that it was the old man from that time.

Tenma"s face became distressed.

"B-But, why? Why would that person come to the Onmyou Academy? Could he be the princ.i.p.al"s acquaintance?"

"Idiot, how is that possible. Grandma also asked about Natsume"s encounter with "D", right? If he were an acquaintance......"

Wait, Kurahashi-san. Isn"t that the princ.i.p.al"s shikigami?"

Natsume"s words interrupted Kyouko as she got mad at Tenma. Kyouko hastily looked towards the window again.

The kimono-wearing old man had stopped the sedan in front of the entrance, without any intent of walking up the stairs. Upon careful observation, there was a small figure on the stairs.

A cat.

The princ.i.p.al indeed had a calico cat shikigami.

"Grandma?"

Kyouko exclaimed in surprise. In the next moment, the old man used the staff in his hand - probably his walking stick - to knock the sedan behind him.

The trunk in the back of the vehicle suddenly opened.

Something like a black shadow spewed forth from the trunk. The torrent leaped into the air, seeming to climb up the wall of the academy building. Harutora and the other were taken aback, shouting and turning away from the window.

"Harutora-sama!"

Along with the high-pitched voice, Kon materialized between Harutora and the window.

Then, right before them - the black color rapidly flowed past them, less than one meter from the window. Kyouko, screamed upon seeing the incoming torrent, and Harutora couldn"t help but have such impulses.

"M-Monster--?"

"It"s a shikigami!"

Natsume shouted to interrupt Harutora"s words. The torrent crashed against itself, aggregating and compacting, forming a group of monsters.

Individual differences could still be seen amidst the high-speed movement, but overall it was just an all-black exterior. It wasn"t completely black, as it had a shallow depth, looking like an ink painting.

Only what seemed to be the location of its eyes showed a blood-red color.

Screams sounded from the tables behind them. The students in the cafeteria had probably noticed the abnormality outside. The screams overlapped, chairs were knocked over, utensils fell to the ground, and some people took out charms in their panic--

"Stop! We can"t attack it!"

Natsume immediately stopped them out loud. The students who had taken out charms immediately stopped moving.

"The academy barrier is already active. If we attack from the inside right now, it"ll just harm the barrier!"

Natsume"s a.n.a.lysis made all of the students present regain their calm. The students quickly focused their attention outside the window - on the movement of the shikigami.

In this period of time, the crowded shikigami outside the window changed its actions. After climbing straight upwards, it freed itself from its compressed state, and various parts began moving on their own. They couldn"t see everything from the cafeteria windows, but in any case, it seemed like it planned on surrounding the entire academy building.

But,

"......It seems like those monsters really can"t enter."

At the same time as Touji took a counterattacking stance, he still calmly observed the shikigami. Natsume nodded her head in approval.

"The academy barrier is quite high-level and it was even strengthened recently. It can"t possibly be destroyed easily."

"......But, if this has to do with "D", it won"t be so easy for us, right?"

Suzuka warned them, her gaze still lingering outside the window. A fearless smile had emerged on her face, but her expression was very stiff.

"After all, the opponent is an Onmyouji that the Mystical Investigators couldn"t catch no matter what they did. What"s more, as you said, he even played with Kogure and Kagami in the palm of his hand, right? His abilities definitely aren"t limited to using this kind of shikigami. I don"t know how strong this barrier is, but the opponent definitely has other cards up his sleeve."

Though her qualifications had been suspended indefinitely, Suzuka was still a current National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji. The words she said incited a sense of crisis in the area.

Most importantly, Doman had unexpectedly intruded blatantly in broad daylight. If nothing else, this showed his self-confidence.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What exactly is going on?"

"Who knows!"

"The Onmyou Agency was attacked too, right?"

"Could it be related to this incident?"

As expected of Onmyou Academy students, the witnesses of such an abnormal situation still hadn"t fallen into chaos. But, these questions clearly didn"t have an answer, hence it could be seen that they were all trying to avert their gaze as much as possible and remain calm. Among the first-year students, quite a few people were already on their knees crying, and some people had begun scrambling to escape the cafeteria.

"H-Harutora-sama. Your orders, please!"

"Wait for now. Don"t act rashly, Kon."

After issuing his order to his shikigami, Harutora grit his teeth. He didn"t know what to do either.

For now, he reached out to grasp the shakujou standing nearby. His anxiety would swell rapidly if he didn"t have a weapon in his hands.

...b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What was his goal exactly? Could it be......

Harutora glanced next to him at Natsume with his peripheral vision. Natsume"s face was pale as she watched the activity outside the window.

"Th, The teachers should have noticed, right?"

It was none other than Tenma who spoke. He desperately controlled his emotions and spoke steadily.

Right as the words left Tenma"s mouth, several teachers rushed into the cafeteria. Relieved expressions slightly flashed over the faces of the tense students.

"Can everyone hear? Unknown Onmyouji are currently attacking the Onmyou Academy!"

"We are beginning to evacuate immediately! All students, quickly move to the magic practice field. It"s alright, there is a barrier protecting the Onmyou Academy! Everyone remain calm, do not panic, and act in an orderly fashion!"

The teachers acted while keeping calm with unusual expressions. Their change in att.i.tude starting from this morning and the strengthening of the academy barrier was all because Doman"s attack on the Onmyou Academy had been predicted.

Harutora swallowed.

"Moving to the magic practice field - we can"t escape outside?"

"Outside is already surrounded by the shikigami, we can"t escape."

After Touji spoke, Kyouko murmured an "I see".

"I guess they want to take refuge in the practice field barrier. Indeed, if it were that place--"

The academy building"s barrier was enough to ensure that the students had time to evacuate. If they won the time to escape to the magic practice field, they could prepare a plan.

"B, But, doesn"t this mean we"ll be trapped inside?"

"Gla.s.ses-kun, you"re too panicked. They"ll definitely contact the Onmyou Agency and Exorcist Bureau immediately. The strategy now is to sit it out and wait for a.s.sistance."

"Well, it seems like they"ve suffered other attacks. What a busy time."

The teachers guided the students and simultaneously ran to other cla.s.srooms. The students who had already witnessed the shikigami followed orders without a word. In particular, the third-year students shouted to encourage the younger students while thoroughly implementing the teachers" orders.

"L, Let"s go quickly!"

"......Yeah. If we can"t escape, that"s indeed the safest place."

Tenma and Kyouko urged the other four.

Touji didn"t argue. He seemed to want to continue watching the situation, but the current situation was overly dangerous. If he disrupted their collective actions, it might lead to irreversible defeat. Even Suzuka reluctantly looked away from the window, following obediently behind Kyouko.

But,

"......Wait. I can"t go."

Natsume said. Under Harutora"s stunned gaze, Natsume closed her eyes and bit her lip with a pale face.

"Hey, Natsume?"

"......I can"t. If I take refuge in the same place as everyone, that place will probably become the target."

After saying this, Natsume looked at Harutora with an expression full of faith.

"Think about it. It"s not just the Onmyou Academy that"s being attacked right now, the Onmyou Agency is too. There can"t possibly be no relationship when the Onmyou Academy and Onmyou Agency get attacked at the same time. Rather than it being "the same culprit", it seems more reasonable that it"s "multiple culprits"."

"Wh, What are you trying to say?"

"You don"t understand? Ashiya Doman - the Onmyouji known as "D" - is known to have connections with the Twin-Horned Syndicate, right? So this attack might well be the because of the Twin-Horned Syndicate - the work of Yakou fanatics. In that case......"

"I"m the target," Natsume said with a hoa.r.s.e voice.

What Natsume said was indeed reasonable. If Natsume"s speculation was true, her taking refuge in the same place as other students would probably implicate others. Not long before, Harutora had just comforted her to not worry herself, but it was hard to immediately deny Natsume"s current worries.

"Wait, Natsume-kun. Didn"t Touji say just now? If you were the enemies" target, my grandma would have warned you directly."

"No, Kurahashi-san. I"m happy that you"re comforting me like that, but the princ.i.p.al might not have been able to see through Ashiya Doman"s true intentions. As long as the probability isn"t zero, I shouldn"t a.s.sume the best. I can"t put everyone in danger."

Natsume clearly a.s.serted this to Kyouko, who still wanted to persuade her.

Natsume"s current absolutely unyielding will could be seen just from her expression. Kyouko couldn"t continue saying anything.

Touji smiled and Suzuka hmphed.

Harutora had already made his decision in the first place.

"......Understood. We"ll respect Natsume"s opinion. But - Natsume, I won"t let you say anything like escaping alone."

Harutora announced in an unyielding tone. Natsume looked at Harutora, then looked at Touji, Kyouko and Tenma, her gaze finally falling on Suzuka.

Touji didn"t say anything - as he had been up through now.

Kyouko nodded, her expression conveying "that"s obvious at this point".

Tenma"s face was ashen, but he still didn"t plan on avoiding Natsume"s gaze.

Suzuka glanced at Natsume out of the corner of her eye:

"......Whatever."

And spoke indifferently.

On the surface, Suzuka"s expression was ice-cold and her tone was callous. But, the four people other than Natsume and Suzuka unconsciously smiled, looking at each other and thinking "even at this time, she still......".

"Yes, yes. Even if you took refuge with everyone, you wouldn"t have anyone to talk to."

"What!? What are you joking about, you idiot! It"s the opposite! If I took refuge with trash at a time like this, their sobbing would make me really depressed!"

"If the fact that your magical energy was sealed got exposed, your image as a Divine General would run into trouble."

"Shut up, headband! I can get rid of this kind of s.h.i.tty shikigami without getting serious!"

Suzuka roared angrily, her face suddenly reddening. Her feigned manner was thus ruined.

But,

"......Thank you."

The red-faced Suzuka suddenly became speechless and fl.u.s.tered upon hearing Natsume"s serious thanks. "W-Well, it"s not......" In the end, she didn"t spit the abuse she was so good at, her words also becoming vague. Then,

"...Hmph."

She looked in a different direction.

In Harutora"s eyes, she was definitely being difficult. Even so, Harutora still unconsciously patted her head, thanking her for her aid in an urgent situation. The situation Touji had depicted had finally become reality.

...Yes. It"s not just Natsume and I. We have these comrades now, so there"s no need to be scared.

Harutora glanced at Touji and Touji raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

There were no students to be seen in the cafeteria. Only Harutora"s group of six was left here.

Touji looked at everyone"s face:

"Alright. First, let"s leave this place. Then, let"s communicate with the teachers that we intend to take different actions. Though we can"t contact the princ.i.p.al...... Kyouko, fly a communication simple shikigami to the magic practice field--"

"Harutora-sama!"

Kon cried out.

The six of them suddenly shivered. In the next moment, a faint shadow was cast around them along with a huge sound.

Harutora turned around, staring blankly. A shikigami was outside the window next to them.

Its body was no longer than a meter, and one couldn"t help but a.s.sociate its hair-covered limbs with those of a ghoul living in h.e.l.l. Moreover, crow-like wings grew from its back and it had a snakelike tail. But, the most eye-catching part was its head. It was huge to an unnatural level, with a very ugly face like an anthropomorphic turtle.

Its deformed posture resembled a theatrical monster, with a malicious humor showing in its ferocity.

Probably because the shikigami was touching the barrier, its body was covered in intense "lag". Interference spread through its body, but it still had no intention of leaving, hitting the gla.s.s with its face instead. Its crimson eyes rolled to stare at Harutora and the others who were inside the academy.

Kon"s tail bristled and she drew her beloved blade Kachiwari. Harutora also unconsciously raised the shakujou at the shikigami.

The shikigami opened its mouth.

Then:

"Oh. So this is where you were. This is the first time we"ve met like this after the Nue incident."

It spoke human language.

This vibrant, almost mocking voice was familiar. It was the voice from the old man that night - the voice of Ashiya Doman that had come from the sedan.

"It"s you......!"

"Hohoho. Sorry for making such a big disturbance this time. I said I was eagerly waiting, but in the end it was this old man who came to bother you, breaking our original promise. Forgive me."

"You really are the old man from that time! Why did you come here?"

Harutora roared angrily back at the shikigami. But, his knees trembled intensely right after he finished speaking.

In comparison, Doman"s shikigami emitted a cheerful laugh.

"Just a small matter. I already cleared it up with the princ.i.p.al just now. I"ll leave immediately after my business. Don"t mind other people"s business, children. This incident is also a bit unusual for me."

The shikigami"s tone was extremely relaxed, forming a clear opposite to Harutora, whose entire body trembled in his stance. The shikigami suddenly twisted its neck, its vision swiveling towards midair. "......Ah."

It was an extremely human movement, which made it all the more terrifying.

Then:

"......A rare opportunity. Should I have fun with you too for a few moments?"

He coldly laughed.

In Harutora and the others" point of view, the current scene was as if a tiger, baboon, or even a dinosaur that understood human language had showed them a hideous smile covered in saliva, which moreover unconsciously released an evil air. Even their skin cells were trembling, and they were close to losing consciousness.

"Don"t let him scare you!"

Touji encouraged everyone, but his own expression was extremely stiff.

Across from the barrier and even with the shikigami as a medium, a certain feeling was still conveyed to their hearts.

...The hard-to-describe terror of Ashiya Doman.

Kyouko endured the brunt of the terror, straightening her back:

"Th-The academy"s barrier will protect us! Grandma"s preparations should be flawless. Moreover, several professional Onmyouji will be coming to help from the Onmyou Agency and the Exorcist Bureau. Of course, there will be Divine Generals. I don"t know if you"re the real Ashiya Doman, but you can"t win!"

Kyouko"s trembling voice showed an impressive courage, making Harutora relocate his strength from his beaten-down emotions. He had this kind of friend to be proud of. He grasped the shakujou in his hand.

But, Doman was unconcerned about Kyouko"s full-force resistance.

"That"s quite bad. You would be concerned if this old man came to visit without bringing any gifts at all, right? That would no longer be a problem of "etiquette", it would be simple ignorance. This old man wouldn"t do anything so boring. Being able to scare everyone once in a while is enough to let this old man feel meaning in living."

The shikigami smiled lightly again, its body bending back from the windows.

Then, it used its head to strike the gla.s.s again. Its body was burned by the barrier.

"Moreover...... When I looked for the person to deliver the gift, I especially chose someone around the Tsuchimikados. It looks like that person is also looking forward to this old man"s mischief. Rejoice, rejoice. Then, as you insist, here is my duty as a "jester"."

Harutora and the others breathed deeply upon hearing Doman"s monologue. Though they didn"t understand the meaning in his words, they had a kind of bad premonition.

The shikigami was still smiling.

Then:

"They all do it like this these days. ...Order!"

A scream sounded right as the words left his mouth.

It was Tenma.

Harutora looked back. A beam of light shot from Tenma"s uniform - from his pocket, penetrating the fabric and turning into the light source, a small piece of paper that flew into the air.

It was a charm.

"...! Get down!"

After Touji shouted, Harutora and the others hastily threw themselves to the floor. A moment later, a strong magical energy exploded over their heads. As Harutora lay p.r.o.ne, he "saw" it. It wasn"t very complex, to the point where it could be called a simple magic. It pa.s.sed through the walls and floor, scattering in all directions.

The magic stopped at the surrounding barrier, beginning a magic that eroded the barrier. The surrounding barrier gradually dissolved. Then, a sound of something hard shattering rang out and the air outside blew over their head.

Gla.s.s shards flew everywhere. The sounds of their landing came from above the heads that they protected with their arms.

"...How is it? Most barriers are only tough on the outside but easy to destroy from the inside. No matter whether it"s an ancient magic or a recent magic."

The elated voice was no longer across the window. Kon rapidly jumped into the air to protect Harutora. Harutora still couldn"t stand up for the moment, raising his head while kneeling on the floor.

The shikigami fanned its wings near the ceiling of the cafeteria, gazing at Harutora and the others.

"......Th-The barrier..."

"How is that possible......!"

Kyouko and Natsume moaned. "b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Suzuka cursed loudly upon seeing the unfavorable situation before her. Touji, who had quickly risen, solemnly checked the surrounding damage.

Tenma was already no longer able to speak.

The sound of shattering gla.s.s was audible from every direction. Perhaps this was the same everywhere in the academy.

The barrier had been broken.

Doman"s shikigami had infiltrated the academy.

Harutora hastily stood up, his brain still in a state of terror. He lifted the shakujou next to Kon, raising his head towards the shikigami wheeling above him.

Black feathers dropped from the shikigami"s body, as if to proclaim:

"Come, prepare to leave the nest."

An innumerable amount of simple shikigami attacked the Onmyou Agency building. At the same time, they also confirmed several servant shikigami, each one seeming to possess quite a high level of spiritual power. It could be considered as an outstanding fighting force with the Onmyou Agency as its opponent.

Amami, who was designated the commander, arranged a defensive stronghold with the building"s barrier as its center, ordering that they stick to the basics and repel the shikigami. The enemies" numbers were more than planned for, but the personnel deployed beforehand were still enough to cope. The problem was the high-level servant shikigami. Considering how to rationally use their fighting power resources, Amami separated out four Independent Exorcists and subordinate units to go deal with them, becoming servant shikigami strike teams that left the building to attack.

But, Kagami who received this order began a separate search operation.

It was just c.u.mbersome to bring subordinates to the battlefield that couldn"t act as human shields for himself. Even if they could be useful for dealing with traps, he could use his own shikigami instead when the time came. After all, Kagami had originally taken the subordinates to be the higher-ups" supervisors to watch over him and he felt annoyed just by looking at them.

"......In the end, the opponent is the old man from back then. I can"t bring that group of trash."

Kagami and Kogure were the same. They had both confirmed "D"s existence first-hand.

They definitely couldn"t forget that world. After the Onmyou Academy students had defeated the Nue, turning a certain crossroads into a battlefield, a magic that Kagami had never seen nor heard of before formed a barrier that fully encircled the entire area. Even with his, Kogure"s, and Ohtomo"s efforts, they had only been able to break the barrier at the very end. Three National First-Cla.s.s Onmyouji.

Also, the aura he had exposed before leaving had been quite unusual. Whether he was the original Ashiya Doman or not, "D" undoubtedly possessed a strong power, enough to match an Independent Exorcist like Kagami. What"s more, it had already been very long - actually, extremely long - since he had an intense magical battle.

But "D"s location still hadn"t been confirmed. He had just sent a large number of shikigami. Judging from this, he himself seemed to be focusing on controlling the shikigami, so he wouldn"t come to the frontlines. If his attack ended in defeat, he could also escape without exposing himself. "I won"t let him get what he wants." Kagami"s eyes flashed strangely.

First were the servant shikigami. Putting aside the simple shikigami for now, the aura connection between servant shikigami and their master couldn"t be hidden easily. If he could suppress the servant shikigami, he could probably fiddle with it and find the location of the master.

According to the reports, the enemy"s servant shikigami hadn"t yet been a.n.a.lyzed, but it seemed that several had been confirmed that were similar to Type-Ogres - in other words, oni. Actually, Kagami had vaguely noticed the enemy letting off a weak demonic aura before. He originally hadn"t planned on being choosy, but if the enemy - if "D" was using oni, his nickname of "Ogre Eater" was already crying out in excitement.

"Heh, heh, heh......"

As he ran on the moonlight road, Kagami"s mouth showed a violent smile.

Then, the sword bag in his hands constantly shook as if it were possessed.

There was a katana placed in the sword bag, the famous sword Onikiri that had cut off the arm of a certain oni in ancient times. At the same time, it was the vessel of Shaver, the shikigami Kagami used.

Sincerely speaking, Kagami hoped "D" could be a bit honest. Though Shaver was Kagami"s shikigami, he had been taken away from his master because it wasn"t necessary for him to take the stage in normal work. Now, Kagami had only received permission to use him to deal with "D", and he had been returned to Kagami"s hands.

If they dealt with "D" in this operation, the Onmyou Agency would definitely take Shaver back again. The current Kagami didn"t have the permissions or rights to stop them either. Since he didn"t have the power, he could only obey.

Though Kagami was a stereotypical faithless b.a.s.t.a.r.d, he would inadvertently feel some sort of respect for someone whose strength overpowered his own, whether it was in magical energy, intellectuality, or even authority. For example, regarding his boss Miyachi, his senpai Kogure, or the Onmyou Agency organization, Kagami held pure admiration for their "strength" completely unrelated with their personalities or ways of organization. That was undoubtedly the only reason he officially belonged to the Onmyou Agency.

In any case, if the battle ended here, the possibility that Shaver would be stolen away again was extremely high. In that case, he needed to use this "strength" as much as possible and savor some refreshment. It was a waste of energy no matter how many simple shikigami he smashed, but as for the ancient, strong servant shikigami...... Or even the mystery-filled "D" himself...... There was only a meaning in wielding strength if he faced strong opponents.

Then, after this kind of battle, his strength would also increase. Familiarity with techniques, and study of battle would become his own flesh and blood.

He would consume his enemy - the oni.

"......I won"t let you run away......"

Kagami himself probably hadn"t noticed, but he was extremely "ambitious" in a sense - even greedy to an abnormal degree. Moreover, it was this greed that sustained Kagami"s strength.

Kagami"s hunt still continued. Putting the Onmyou Agency work to the side, he single-mindedly headed towards the servant shikigami - pursuing in the direction from which he felt a weak demonic aura.

But the battle-hardened Kagami immediately noticed something strange.

"......It"s a bit strange."

The enemy - the reactions of the hunted servant shikigami were slow. They didn"t seem to be escaping, nor did they have any intention of fighting. Under normal circ.u.mstances, Kagami wouldn"t feel doubt about such a reaction from an enemy, but this time was different. The current enemy was attacking the Onmyou Agency to steal the "Raven"s Wing". Hence, why didn"t they seem to want to attack?

Kagami stopped moving. Then, the demonic aura he had been chasing just now also stopped moving.

...Could it be that the enemy"s goal was to lure me far away from the Onmyou Agency building?

Luring away an Independent Exorcist that was an important fighting force of the Onmyou Agency, hence weakening the defensive power of the headquarters. So that"s what was going on, "D" was using a common, effective strategy.

But even so, he was still a bit concerned about some things. If "D" truly wanted to destroy the Onmyou Agency building"s barrier, gathering hundreds of simple shikigami had no meaning at all. The Onmyou Agency building"s barrier was undoubtedly the best such building-size magic in the nation. Letting a small number of strong shikigami gather somewhere and attack a single point might have hope.

Or did "D" have the means to destroy the barrier alone? Supposing so, it would be more effective for him to destroy the barrier as soon as possible and let the shikigami rush inside to create havoc. Never mind Kagami for now, the other of the Twelve Divine Generals would have trouble using strong magic out of concern for surrounding damage if they were mixed in with normal exorcists and workers. Even if Amami was using the barrier as a stronghold, strong magic could only be used "outdoors".

"......What is his goal, exactly."

Not moving, Kagami furrowed his brows and muttered quietly. The sword bag in his hands shook urgently, but Kagami didn"t care.

Just then, Kagami"s phone received a call from Miyachi. He immediately picked up the phone.

"Kagami. Let me ask, are you moving with Kogure right now?"

An unexpected question stunned Kagami.

"Hah? I"m alone. Did Kogure die?"

"No, how"s that possible. I was just asking."

Miyachi laughed, speaking vaguely. Kagami clicked his tongue anxiously. That serious Kogure annoyed him, and this foxy boss - his "strength" was another matter - also really p.i.s.sed him off.

But, Kagami"s anxiety immediately turned to a different direction.

"Well, it"s nothing. Come back to the building. The shikigami you"re chasing probably won"t stop you."

After hearing Miyachi"s instructions, Kagami couldn"t help but doubt his own ears. Not comprehending, he wanted to roar back angrily--

"Actually, the Onmyou Academy in Shibuya is being attacked right now too. Moreover, an Onmyouji whose appearance is similar to "D" has been confirmed. Chief Amami judged that the attack against the Agency is a decoy, and redid the deployment."

After hearing Miyachi"s words, Kagami stood still, speechless.

...The Onmyou Academy?

Moreover, they had confirmed "D" was there.

He couldn"t understand why "D" would attack the Onmyou Academy. But the reason didn"t matter at all. What was important was the fact itself that "D" had attacked the Onmyou Academy.

The "D" that had made him caper not long ago wasn"t at the Onmyou Agency, but had appeared in the Onmyou Academy instead. More importantly, Ohtomo was also at the Onmyou Academy. "D" and Ohtomo, two prey that Kagami wanted to capture himself - "demons" with powerful abilities. It was because he wanted to meet those two that he had been baited by the servant shikigami acting as a trap.

"Come back immediately."

After saying this, Miyachi hung up the phone.

Kagami"s body trembled for a moment.

"...b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

He hurled the phone onto the ground.

...Could he catch up if he used Far Step[2]?

Far step was a high-level magic of Imperial Onmyoudou. One could enter the aura flow and perform long-distance movement. But his current location was too far from Shibuya. Such a large-scale decoy had been used to make the Onmyou Agency focus its fighting power on the headquarters. The enemy had definitely fully considered countermeasures to magic that could render the decoy useless - magic like Far Step.

The most convenient method would be to set a trap in the aura flow. Confirming whether there was a trap would waste valuable time.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d! b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

Kagami tore off his sungla.s.ses, staring at the distant Shibuya.

"......Ohtomo. If you die, I"ll never forgive you......"

He ground his teeth and spat those words. Even as a joke, this was the first time Kagami prayed for the safety of his former colleague.