The event had been antic.i.p.ated.

But,

"......Impressive. What a debut."

Yashamaru murmured to himself, descending from the night sky down to the road. k.u.momaru followed right behind him.

He didn"t need to turn around to sense that k.u.momaru next to him was somewhat tense. It wasn"t without reason. After all, "he" who currently stood in front of them couldn"t be spoken of the same way as one and a half years ago.

On an overpa.s.s, Harutora held the still-unconscious Natsume who was bound by Yashamaru"s Unmoving Golden Chains. Surrounding them on the other side of the overpa.s.s was the figure of Kakugyouki, holding the rabbit living spirit girl in one arm.

They had been a step away from getting their hands on Natsume and the girl, but Yashamaru was more curious and excited than upset. The Onmyouji Dairenji Shidou who had abandoned his human body had dedicated his life to research on "him".

"He" who had been born in chaotic times and who had established a huge system of magic amidst the swirling fires of war - the great Onmyouji Tsuchimikado Yakou.

They had met before, while he had been working for his master. He had been trying to steal back the same Natsume who was collapsed behind him, and hadn"t even spoken.

But this time was different. There was already a camouflaging barrier set up around them, and no one would come disturb them.

Suppressing the excitement in his chest, Yashamaru righted his posture and greeted him.

"North Star King."

He noticed a momentary tremor from k.u.momaru behind him. Mutobe Chihiro was also an Onmyouji fascinated with Yakou.

"It"s been a long time, and I deeply apologize for being unable to greet you properly before. It"s an incredible pleasure to see that you"ve successfully awakened. I am fortunate for the opportunity to meet with a great historical pioneer of magic, it truly is--"

"Quiet."

Yashamaru"s lips twisted at that word and the words in his throat were stopped right there.

Harutora gazed at Yashamaru with his right eye. He had been hit. First-cla.s.s spirit language. Though he had showed an opening just now, it was incredible that he had been able to shut his mouth so precisely.

He waved a hand to tell k.u.momaru taking a stance behind him not to act rashly.

...A bitter lesson.

He had been struck without hesitation. But anger, bitterness, and displeasure didn"t fill his heart. After all, it was obvious retribution for setting bait and doing such rude things to the reincarnation of that great Yakou. You could even say that he wanted the rare experience of taking one of the North Star King"s moves directly.

...Exactly what I"ve been looking for.

That was how special the existence Tsuchimikado Yakou was to someone captivated with the abyss of magic. Even to someone as old and experienced as he.

The Onmyouji who had mastered all the magic in the world and fearlessly stepped into the deepest taboos half a century ago.

That said, Yashamaru greatly respected this Onmyouji named Tsuchimikado Yakou, but didn"t worship him. His praise was just respectful courtesy.

He stopped k.u.momaru and released the first-cla.s.s spirit language cast on his body, forming his hand seal slowly as if to tell the other party that he wasn"t doing anything reckless. Then he lowered his head and bowed again.

"My apologies. Please forgive my discourtesy, but my praise for you is no falsehood. I am sincerely happy for your return as the former leader of the Souma. ......Even if you are on a different side now."

Harutora"s face was stony. He didn"t react to Yashamaru"s words, but a response came from an unexpected direction.

"Eh!? Souma? Did you just say Souma!?"

The living spirit girl that Kakugyouki was protecting cried out and then hastily shut her mouth.

But her wide-eyed expression of disbelief could still be seen.

As expected, Souma blood also ran through this girl"s body. And the Tsuchimikado didn"t seem to have investigated it much.

"Hey, stand up."

Yashamaru released the girl[1]. If you didn"t count the rabbit ears sprouting from her head, the swaying girl didn"t even reach the chest of her protector next to her. She looked confusedly between Kakugyouki and Harutora.

"U-U-Um, I"m Natsume"s friend, I just ran away with N-Natsume, so, well, I, um......!?"

Seeing that incoherent expression told them that she didn"t understand who the protector next to her was. No, it was likely that she truly didn"t understand anything at all. But that was why she had been able to escape the Souma intelligence network so successfully.

Harutora held Natsume and approached the fl.u.s.tered Akino, the hem of his Raven"s Wing fluttering.

"Hi, what"s your name?"

A simple tone. I see. Yashamaru"s eyes brightened.

"Eh? ......Ah, S-Souma Akino. ......B-But I don"t have any relationship with the other Souma over there, okay? ...N-No, I"m really not related! It"s my first time seeing him--"[2]

"I know. So you"re Akino? You said you were Natsume"s friend?"

"Y-Yeah. Definitely, I"m not lying--"

"I said I know. It was a bit of a surprise."

"Eh?"

"She wouldn"t even imagine taking the initiative to make friends before. Akino, I don"t know how you see it, but that girl was incredibly antisocial before." Harutora smiled cheerfully as he spoke.

Yashamaru quietly and carefully observed Harutora"s appearance.

Yashamaru himself had been resurrected as a shikigami, but it was different from "reincarnation". "Who" the current Tsuchimikado Harutora was posed an extremely important point for Yashamaru and Kurahashi.

Oblivious to what Yashamaru was thinking, Harutora continued speaking with the straightforward Akino:

"Akino. I have to ask you for a favor. Can you carry Natsume away from this place while my shikigami clears the way for you?"

"Eh, you want m-me!?"

"I"m asking this of you because you"re Natsume"s friend."

"B-But......"

After hesitating for a while, Akino clenched her fists in front of her chest, replying resolutely to Harutora:

"Y-You"re Natsume"s childhood friend, right? Natsume"s always...... always been looking for you! You finally met, but......"

"......Yeah. I know. But I still need to ask this of you."

He said in a firm tone.

It was a firmness that was hard to reject, as well as a firmness that wouldn"t budge in the face of adversity and would only continue struggling forward. The reb.u.t.tal that reached Akino"s mouth vanished like smoke.

"Chief......" k.u.momaru, who had been silently watching the situation unfold, quietly urged Yashamaru. But:

"...Don"t worry." Yashamaru dispelled k.u.momaru"s suspense.

"......It"s just the two of them. It"s not too late to take care of things later. Kurahashi ought to have plans too. Right now we need to pay attention to Tsuchimikado Harutora."

According to the conversation, Harutora seemed to want to stay here. Though Yashamaru didn"t know what his plans were, it was a good thing for them. More importantly, recklessly stopping Akino from escaping was quite dangerous with Kakugyouki here.

And most important of all......

Their preparations weren"t done yet. They just needed to quietly watch for changes.

Akino thought for a while and then put Natsume on her back.

"Can you carry her?"

"N-No problem!"

"As expected of a living spirit, you"re stronger than you look. I almost can"t hold on anymore...... Ah, right. Keep this matter a secret from Natsume when she wakes up. ...I"m counting on you, "Full Moon"."

As he had thought. Yashamaru narrowed his eyes as if his prediction had hit the mark.

After glancing cautiously in the direction of Yashamaru and k.u.momaru, and then nodding to Harutora, Akino ran out to the road carrying the unconscious Natsume.

She was just running on the ground, but she vanished in the blink of an eye. Quite an astounding speed. No wonder Harutora had asked her.

Then--

Finally, Harutora turned his head back over to Yashamaru.

Harutora and Kakugyouki confronted Yashamaru and k.u.momaru on the narrow overpa.s.s road. The boy"s eye stared straight at the two Yase Doji.

Quite intimidating. Just as Yashamaru was thinking about what to do next--

"...Hishamaru!"

Harutora suddenly barked.

A woman in a military outfit with fox ears and a tail appeared in front of Harutora with a disappointed look. She was Hishamaru, who, along with Kakugyouki, composed "Yakou"s two guardians".

"Stand down."

"But..."

"Hishamaru."

"......Yes!"

She quickly moved back behind Harutora and took a stance.

She hadn"t left after checking on the Onmyou Agency men, but had approached them while under stealth. Perhaps she had been preparing for a sneak attack.

Of course, Yashamaru and k.u.momaru weren"t so careless that they would let such a sneak attack work, but Hishamaru seemed a bit strange indeed.

...Her aura wasn"t stable?

When he had fought with Hishamaru at the Exorcist Bureau before, she had just released her seal and her aura had been extremely chaotic. But now, her aura was more "unstable" than chaotic.

...Was that why he stopped her from sneak attacking?

In any case, the actors were now all present.

He wanted to first say something if possible, but the strange atmosphere didn"t seem to be giving him the room to open his mouth.

"......Are the Souma trying to make the same mistake?"

Harutora broke the silence first. And he entered the main topic right away. Slightly unexpected, but that was just the development Yashamaru desired.

"That"s a misunderstanding. North Star King, you should understand that it"s all a misunderstanding."

"Quit it."

"What are you referring to?"

"That manner of speaking. You didn"t talk like that at all the last time we met. There"s nothing venerable about me."

"Have you forgotten? The one before you right now is the leader of the Twin-Horned Syndicate, you know? The leader of that Twin-Syndicate formed of fanatics chasing after Yakou"s footsteps?"

Harutora listened with a resentful look. He[3] was incredibly disliked.

"But...... alright. Since you say so, I"ll stop speaking respectfully. But my respect for you is the real thing, you know? It wouldn"t be too much to call it an obsession."

"Lying again, huh."

"No way. I just admire your heroics from your previous life. Establishing magic that none would speak ill about in the future using scientific techniques was an unprecedented feat! National funding, military support, a supply of talent...... you had as much as you wanted. What greater joy can there be for a pract.i.tioner? You brought about a golden age of magic."

"Haha, don"t look so bitter. Are you embarra.s.sed?"

He still didn"t respond. Yashamaru continued speaking his mind:

"If I could realize any one desire, it would be to live in the same era as you and feel that excitement with my own body. Gathering all the magics of j.a.pan, a.n.a.lyzing them all, modifying, and melding them into a complete system. It"s like creating a world to an Onmyouji - no, it"s a great revolution of "reincarnating" a world! What fortune it would be to be part of that revolution. I truly admire you."

Anyone delving into the road of Onmyou would think this, not just Yashamaru. To embrace a common vision and single-mindedly write a chapter of history.

The private Yakou Academy had been one of his creations.

Tsuchimikado Yakou had been the savior of the endangered magic community. Though there were naysayers, those naysayers had also been unconsciously helping along the downfall of magic.

But Yakou hadn"t stopped at revitalizing magic. He had stepped further along and broken through taboos, delving into the marrow of magic. Until......

"......Indeed, you failed that time."

Yashamaru spoke emotionlessly.

"But you can"t call that a "mistake". Why would you use a sad term like "mistake"? If you fail, just challenge it again. However many times it takes. Until you succeed."

"......Causing huge spiritual disasters in Tokyo again is alright for the sake of that success?"

"Of course."

He already knew what Harutora was scared of.

"Since ancient times, only a small number of humans have had the ability to "see" aura. Why is that? It"s so that they are "able to see". So that they can see that others "cannot see". Even if you must sacrifice something, you must look at the greater picture to contribute to humankind. That is our mission, although often people cannot see this."

...I"m not being straightforward enough.

"You failed that time."

Yashamaru repeated.

"But we"re very thankful for that failure, you know? Now that we have that lesson, we"ll succeed this time. We"d be able to fulfill any request you have if you were to give us your help."

He was walking on the road that Yakou had cleared. It would be terribly exciting to continue walking forward with him.

Tsuchimikado Harutora wouldn"t do. Harutora, who was far removed from magic and who had grown up with the values of modern society, couldn"t do it.

But Tsuchimikado Yakou was different.

"Since you regret your failure, come help us succeed. Isn"t that why you reincarnated? Wasn"t it to complete your mission?"

"......I see. So Yakou had this group of believers. There are these kinds of people, in addition to second-cla.s.s magic."

"Please, please. You weren"t like this in the past."

"......Just as you say, pract.i.tioners probably exist to "see"."

Yashamaru"s heart leaped when he heard "his" reply.

However,

"But Onmyouji exist to use their "seeing" abilities to maintain the balance of yin and yang."

Hmph. Yashamaru"s mouth twisted unconsciously.

"Why must you be constrained by this? You"re the one who expanded the scope of Onmyou to where it is now."

"Even so, the role of the Onmyouji does not change. I admit that there were times when I became too pa.s.sionate and deviated from that role. But don"t point to me to justify your current actions."

"Don"t you want to know the spiritual composition of the world? Don"t you want to test the possibilities of magic!? Don"t you want to open the door to a new world with your own hands!?"

Yashamaru straightened himself and shouted. His aura rose like an aureole[4] of light, his eyes burning like fire.

But Harutora looked back with a sedate gaze.

Silence.

Silently, the spiritual pressure between the two of them increased.

Finally, Yashamaru withdrew first.

"Desire...... huh. I can"t deny it, but at least call it a "n.o.ble desire". The n.o.ble desire that the Souma clan has wanted to realize for a thousand years. ...Alright, I understand. I didn"t have much hope in getting you to accept it. I"m a bit regretful, but there"s no other way around it."

Actually, now came the important part. Yashamaru regained his self-confident smile.

"So...... Let"s venture into the next topic. How to take care of this current situation."

k.u.momaru quickly took a stance, and Hishamaru and Kakugyouki prepared to engage accordingly.

An unstable atmosphere hung over the night road.

The two dead knights, one alluring fox spirit, a one-armed oni, and a black-clothed Onmyouji.

A modern Hyakki Yagyou[5].

"Let me repeat that I don"t recognize you. I"ll put out the fires that I started once before."

Harutora"s eye closed, and instantly, the Raven"s Wing swept forward, followed closely by the two shikigami attacking from the left and right.

Hishamaru went for Yashamaru, and Kakugyouki went for k.u.momaru.

In the next second,

"Ugh!" "Hah!"

Blows were exchanged. The four wove a typhoon of fist and feet.

The spell that solidified a shikigami"s body with every punch and kick was "magic" on its own. The most effective means for someone who single-mindedly wanted to defeat the enemy.

"Isn"t it no fun to make it a physical battle right at the start?"

"Spare the jokes, dishonorable undead!"

Another fierce scuffle. In a physical battle, shikigami clashed with aura and sentiment. k.u.momaru was falling into trouble as he fought with the one-armed oni who was spiritually the strongest present.

"I"m only using one arm over here, you know? Or do I need to hold back some more, hmm?"

k.u.momaru was already powerless to do anything but defend. He had no chance of winning a physical battle.

Usually, a few mere shikigami were nothing before the power of a Yase Doji.

But their master currently wasn"t with them.

Resurrection as a "defensive shikigami" meant that they were unable to use their full power when their master wasn"t present. Takiko hadn"t approved Yashamaru"s and k.u.momaru"s current actions; they were acting independently. They couldn"t get any support in this place that their master couldn"t sense.

Without the support of his magic, k.u.momaru might not be able to suppress Kakugyouki alone--

"Don"t look elsewhere during battle!"

He kicked back to dodge Hishamaru"s attack. With that kick, he pulled away far enough to use magic.

"On bishibishi karakara shibari sowaka!"

He chanted repeatedly and formed eight Unmoving Golden Chains, shooting them at Hishamaru like a shotgun. Just as she was about to tear through the bindings by force,

"Argh!?"

An intense shock.

He had aimed at Hishamaru"s unstable aura and deliberately strengthened the internal binding instead of the external.

As expected, Hishamaru couldn"t use her full power. The reasons were unclear, but it was a great opportunity for them.

"k.u.momaru, come help me--"

Just as the words left his mouth, Yashamaru was engulfed by a lotus of red flame appearing out of thin air and struck down to the ground.

Fire Realm magic. A merciless strike just like the first-cla.s.s spirit language from before.

"Seems like you want to hold out until the Independent Officers come, but we don"t have that kind of time, you know?" Harutora spoke loftily, the hem of his black clothes fluttering lightly.

His strategy to buy time had been exposed. Just by taking those two attacks, Yashamaru already had a deep feel for Harutora"s fighting style. He didn"t blindly show his strength, he just struck decisively at the most opportune time. "Practical strength", like the strength of his old friend Kurahashi Genji.

But,

"......Well, buying time ends here. It looks like they already just got here."

Yashamaru spoke as he righted himself. Harutora realized something was wrong, his single eye showing his alarm - unfortunately, it was one step too late.

"You don"t mind if I say a bit more, right? There were twenty total Swallow Whips that I let out a while back, and you brought down fourteen of them. One of the remaining ones made it back already...... k.u.momaru!"

k.u.momaru stopped fighting and retreated backwards in a flash. The five Swallow Whips present responded to the signal and hovered in the sky above, drawing out lines of magical energy.

The lines of magical energy crossed, and what appeared was a giant magic seal - a pentagram.

"Ugh! Hishamaru, Kakugyouki, return!"

Just as the words left his mouth, a powerful magic crushed down on Harutora like a waterfall.

The Yamantaka method of the Vajrayana system of magic.

"d.a.m.n, this strength......! Kakugyouki, help me!"

Harutora had trouble resisting and hastily summoned his defensive shikigami for aid. But the magic bursting forth held Harutora perfectly captive and wasn"t that easy to break through.

Yashamaru took his hands out of his pockets and said calmly,

"I"m proud to welcome the "Fire Demon", Independent Officer Miyachi - the most powerful long-range magic user of this generation. Enjoy."

A familiar sensation.

The feeling of being held. "Natsume, Natsume", sounded her childhood friend from next to her ear.

Her memories from her past life, secret memories from years ago that she had worked up the courage to say. Slightly-sweet memories that had gnawed at her in the lonely void of death.

If she slept like this, she wouldn"t need to return to painful, bitter places.

If she slept deeply like this in warm arms.

As she thought this, she was reached by an unexpected shout.

...Don"t give up.

Where did the voice come from......?

...Go, do your best.

Why? I"m already so hurt, so why do you want me to keep going?

...If you don"t keep going, you"ll definitely regret it. A regret that you"ll never be able to forget.

Natsume suddenly awoke from her slumber and ran towards the source of that voice.

Returning to that world with only despair and frustration no matter how hard she worked.

The voice continued to reach her.

...You realized long ago what it was you were actually chasing after.

...So you"ll definitely keep going until the end.

Yeah. What Natsume was chasing after was still in that world. It wasn"t in this gentle darkness, but was in that pain-filled world instead.

There was a soft feeling gently wrapping around her.

It was......

......Eh?

The first thing she felt was a fierce floating feeling. Wind howled by her ears.

"Eh?"

She opened her eyes. The scenery was rapidly receding.

Then soft hair brushed across her cheek - a rabbit ear.

"Eh!? Ah, Akino!"

She was pa.s.sing by pedestrians, vehicles, and traffic lights on the night road at an extremely abnormal speed.

"Wait, hey, Akino!"

Akino didn"t ease up on her speed. Rather, she accelerated. She stepped on a mailbox by the side of the road, and leaped with that momentum--

...N-No way!?

Carrying Natsume, Akino leaped across the busy road. The sound of wind, the impact of landing, and the blunt force from Akino"s feet combined to make Natsume wake up completely.

"Hey, Akino! Akino!!"

"Eh? Ah, Natsume, you"re awake."

"Y-Yeah. First let me down......"

Akino hastily put Natsume down.

She looked around. They were surrounded by tall buildings that weren"t residential. Fortunately, no one had noticed Akino"s reckless way of crossing the road.

She breathed deeply.

It looked like there were no dangers around right now. But how?

"Akino, what happened to the Yase Doji? What happened afterwards?"

She clearly remembered being defeated by Yashamaru and losing consciousness as she and Akino fell from the sky.

Of course, Yashamaru wouldn"t have just let her fall and die there, but it was impossible that he would have let Akino run away with her. Akino couldn"t possibly have the strength to escape those two either. So then--

"Natsume, your childhood friend saved you!"

"Eh?"

"It was that... Yeah, that guy called Harutora!"

She thought of it. The black wing that had flashed before her eyes the moment before she lost consciousness had given her a nostalgic sensation.

"So it was Harutora-kun......"

"Yeah! He told me to carry you away, and then--"

...Harutora-kun......!

"Where is he!? Where is he now!?"

"Ehh? H-He"s back over there...... Wait, Natsume!"

She hastily grabbed Natsume as she tried to run back.

"Let me go! Harutora-kun"s over there, right!? I finally met him again!"

"E-Even if you say that!"

Rationally, she knew that she wouldn"t be any help now that the draconic aura was already almost depleted, but her body unconsciously rushed over when she heard that Harutora was there.

Unsure what to do, Akino stared at Natsume as she tightly bit her lip and trembled.

Harutora had let her escape. He definitely had his own reasons. She would just be a hindrance if she recklessly went back right now.

......She knew that.

"S-Should we really go back and take a look? Maybe it"ll be okay from a distance......"

Akino timidly acquiesced to Natsume.

She inadvertently put on a wry smile. Even though it was a smile with a trace of sadness, at least she had relaxed a bit.

"......Thanks."

Natsume thanked her straightforwardly.

"But never mind. Even if I went back right now, I wouldn"t be able to do anything for Harutora......"

She couldn"t do anything for Harutora.

Though she said it herself, it stung her heart.

She had hidden herself, run away, and worked hard until now, but still ended up like this. How comical. How pathetic. Even she felt it miserable. She wanted to cry.

That being the case......

...That was why she was able to continue on.

"......Akino, along the way, wasn"t there......"

"Eh? What?"

"......No, nothing."

She couldn"t think of it. The voice she had heard in her dream just now, had it been......

Suddenly, Akino"s ears stood up straight and she looked in the direction they had come from.

...A pentagram of light was drawn in the sky there.

The Yamantaka method.

"W-Why did that magic seal appear!? Is it the Exorcist Bureau?"

"I-Isn"t that the place we came from......"

Natsume"s expression changed.

...Harutora-kun......!

"As I thought, we should go back!" This time it was Akino pulling Natsume to urge her on.

"......No. We can"t go back right now."

That was definite. Since Harutora decided it, all I can do is trust Harutora.

...He would definitely be alright.

Suddenly, a motorcycle stopped about ten meters ahead of them.

"As I thought."

The man on the vehicle spoke in surprise.

"Is it...... Natsume?"

"Kogure!?"

Natsume"s body stiffened.

His current pallid expression was scarier than the Kogure she had seen a long time ago. But the eyes looking their way were the same as always.

...Not good!

Kogure currently belonged to the Mystical Investigators, and Natsume was being chased by the Mystical Investigators.

It wouldn"t be strange for him to strike out with Unmoving Golden Chains right now. Should she run? But Kogure was riding a motorcycle and had the four crow tengu shikigami. She couldn"t escape over any terrain.

But unexpectedly - Kogure didn"t move.

A stalemate.

Dozens of seconds felt as long as several hours.

What broke this silence wasn"t Natsume, Akino, or Kogure.

"Water, obscure! Order!"

The three of them were surrounded by a sudden fog.

The voice chanting the incantation just now was very familiar.

A large vehicle appeared on the fog-covered road alongside loud engine noise.

A Hummer plated heavily like an armored car. The brown-haired girl leaning out the window cut through the fog.

"Hakuou! Kokfuu!"

"Kyouko!"

Natsume cried out. Right as the words left her mouth, the knight-shaped "Type M2 Yaksha", Kyouko"s defensive shikigami Hakuou, was summoned behind her.

Just as Kogure was about to turn around, the other Yaksha Kokfuu blocked his way with spear in hand.

"Kyouko!"

Leaning her body out, Kyouko looked back over at Natsume and put on a shaky smile.

"Yeah, Natsume! Are you alright?"

Leaving Kogure behind, the Hummer drove through the night, departing at full speed over the road.

The black Yaksha also dematerialized after the Hummer left.

Should he pursue? With the crow tengus" speed, even a Hummer was catchable.

But Kogure didn"t give any orders to pursue.

"......Natsume-kun."

Of course, he knew that Natsume had been resurrected with the Taizan f.u.kun Ritual, but having someone who had died before standing before him was still an unimaginable shock.

As he thought, a large van pulled up next to him and a voice shouting for him came from the driver"s seat. It was Kogure"s current teammate, Yamashiro of the Twelve Divine Generals.

"What are you s.p.a.cing out about!? Officer Miyachi"s magic activated a long time ago!"

Ten minutes ago, Kogure"s team had received the report of Tsuchimikado"s capture. Needless to say, Natsume wasn"t the Tsuchimikado they were baiting out. Their true target was Tsuchimikado Harutora.

Right now, Harutora was bound in Director Miyachi"s long-range magic. This was an incredible opportunity to arrest him.

But,

"......Miyoshi."

Kogure called out to his teammate in the backseat of the van, the Special Sensor with the nickname "Heaven"s Eye" - Miyoshi Tougo.

"What?"

"Can you understand the situation on scene from here?"

"Well, it"s certainly not easy to "see" with Officer Miyachi"s magic - but judging by what it looked like a moment ago, it"s undoubtedly Tsuchimikado Harutora, Hishamaru, and Kakugyouki who were captured. The aura is the same from that time at Seishuku Temple."

...Natsume-kun had been here just now rather than at the scene......

It was very difficult for the Yamantaka method of General Onmyoudou to hit a moving target. If Harutora had been searching for Natsume, he would definitely have been constantly moving, and couldn"t have gotten hit so easily. They had needed Natsume as bait for this...... But in that case, why was Natsume here......?

"......Miyoshi, are there Mystical Investigators on the scene?"

"......None nearby."

"But there were people there, right? The people fighting with Tsuchimikado Harutora."

"That"s wrong."

"Hah?"

"They weren"t human, they were shikigami. I can"t spot the aura of a master. Incidentally, they also fought with Tsuchimikado Natsume before Tsuchimikado Harutora arrived."

"Wait." Yamashiro was confused. "You mean Tsuchimikado Natsume"s also there?"

"No. After the fight, her presence vanished...... Probably left with some other shikigami."

Miyoshi stared at Kogure as he said this instead of looking at Yamashiro who had asked the question.

"......Are they Mystical Investigator"s shikigami?"

"Who knows......"

Kogure thought rapidly.

They had been able to stop Harutora, Hishamaru, and Kakugyouki, and had successfully led them into Miyachi"s magic. In other words, they were shikigami serving the Exorcist Bureau or Onmyou Agency.

He knew a number of shikigami that could satisfy the first condition. But to simultaneously satisfy the second condition......

Even the Divine General Kogure didn"t know whether he could oppose Hishamaru or Kakugyouki. As for an Onmyou Agency shikigami......?

Kogure and the others hadn"t been called over to "engage", but to help "capture". Just as a means of insurance. And for Harutora......

"......Oh my."

Miyoshi suddenly spoke up. His voice was very flat, but when Miyoshi spoke up on his own, it meant something abnormal was happening.

"What happened?"

Kogure asked.

"A new force has appeared. It"s unfortunate, but we should go back for today."

"d.a.m.n!?"

The bout with Yashamaru had been at most a skirmish, and he hadn"t thought of a powerful magic like the Yamantaka method. It was a great magic that usually needed a number of people...... No, dozens of people to cast, and now there was only one caster. The pract.i.tioner possessed that level of strength.

"The Divine General Miyachi Iwao...... How powerful!"

Though he had heard rumors during his hiding, only now that he was experiencing this superhuman spiritual power first-hand did he recognize that they hadn"t been lies or exaggerations.

He could only maintain the barrier resisting the Yamantaka method because he had Kakugyouki with him converting spiritual power into magical energy to maintain it.

But that Kakugyouki was showing a fatigued expression.

"......Hey, this is bad."

"I know that!"

They might be able to escape if Kakugyouki got serious. It wouldn"t be hard for the ancient oni with one of the three strongest spiritual powers in j.a.panese history to oppose the "Fire Demon" controlling this at a range. If he broke through the barrier with all his power and whipped up a storm of spiritual power, Harutora could escape with magic.

But......

"H-Harutora-sama! Please don"t mind me!"

Hishamaru was down on the overpa.s.s gasping on one knee next to Harutora. With her unstable spiritual power and after having suffered the Yamantaka method attack, the current Hishamaru would be unable to safely avoid an explosive storm. But if this deadlock went on, they would eventually be worn down.

He could take off the Raven"s Wing and give it to Hishamaru, but the Raven"s Wing was Harutora"s shikigami in the end, so it wouldn"t be a very effective defense for the fellow shikigami Hishamaru.

d.a.m.n. Harutora regretted.

Had calling Hishamaru back been a mistake?

Thinking about it now was useless. The important thing now was to think of how to break through this quandary.

But,

...How would he break through it?

No matter how he thought, he couldn"t find any ways to break through. Also, during the short period of time that Harutora was inactive, k.u.momaru had taken new actions.

He had circled around both ends of the overpa.s.s, setting three charms on each side to surround Harutora and company. Able to guess Yashamaru and k.u.momaru"s trick, Harutora inadvertently gulped.

"The Eight-Point Barrier! d.a.m.n, they"re really doing it......"

The next moment, the six charms linked with Yashamaru and k.u.momaru by pale blue lines of magical energy. The Eight-Point Barrier, a technique used against spiritual disasters. The spell originally required eight people to cast, but the other six were being replaced by charms. It was weaker than the true barrier, but was strong enough not to be easily broken through from the inside.

"......Harutora!"

"I know!"

If the barrier were completed, they would be doomed, trapped inside the barrier even if Kakugyouki broke through the Yamantaka method. Even if they stalled for time, it would just invite more Independent Officers. What could they do--

"...Order!"

A charm that flew over from somewhere cut apart the spreading lines of magic, wrecking the almost-formed Eight-Point Barrier. Yashamaru and k.u.momaru who had been focusing on the spell moved back in a panic.

Three figures appeared below.

A seductive woman, a short, fat man, and a figure with a cane.

"Ohtomo-sensei......"

"......Yeah. I"m finally able to see you, Harutora-kun."

"Natsume...... This is great, you finally......" Natsume"s eyes also moistened when she saw Kyouko breaking down into tears.

"Welcome back!"

...Ah, that"s right.

Kyouko hadn"t met the resurrected Natsume. The Natsume in her memories had been stuck in time since the moment she died.

What pushed that time into progressing again was the Natsume sitting before here who Akino had brought back.

"Sorry, I never contacted anyone, I......"

"Honestly. We finally managed to meet, but you"re talking about such stupid things. ...Right, Tenma?"

"Yeah. That"s right. It"s not like you, Natsume."

"Tenma-kun!"

As she thought, it was Momoe Tenma. The person Akino had sent the letter to before. He also remembered Akino, and greeted her.

"Thanks for before. You really surprised me that time."

"Ah, no, that wasn"t, u-um!"

"Do you know Tenma?"

"Eh? Ah, yes, well, um,"

"I got a love letter from her."

"Love letter?"

"N-No!"

The wide-eyed Kyouko and the red-faced Akino. Kyouko, who had been almost crying before, now couldn"t help but laugh.

"Hmm? Are you embarra.s.sed? There"s nothing to hide~ Okay, let"s stop joking around. It"s good that Natsume"s safe."

Speaking of which, Kyouko was the daughter of a famous family - as well as the daughter of the Onmyou Agency Chief - but she had gone to such lengths for Natsume.

...This person was a good person. What a sympathetic, broad-minded good person.

"Okay, we"ll talk about the details later. ......So, how did the two of you find us? Do you know about Harutora-kun?"

"Harutora!? Harutora"s here?"

She asked in surprise. It looked like Kyouko didn"t know what had happened to Harutora. Natsume scratched her head and explained what had unfolded.

Though they had gone through a lot, she, Akino, and the rest still weren"t safe. Harutora was being imprisoned in that magic. Kyouko bit her lip in regret.

"Anyways, now we have to escape the pursuit of the Mystical Investigators. Also...... where are we going to run too?"

"I think we should go to the city center first...... probably."

"Probably? What do you mean?"

"Well, actually......"

"Master, a report."

Suddenly, a voice she hadn"t heard before came through the speakers. It wasn"t the voice of a human.

"I-Is this car a mechanical-type shikigami?"

"Hama," Tenma asked the dashboard without letting Natsume finish:

"What"s going on?"

"E1 is gradually approaching. It looks locked on to us."

""Garuda"! The shikigami of Independent Officer Shigeoka! ...Hama, can you shake it off?"

"Sorry, Master, it"s flying faster than our current maximum speed. It"s impossible to shake off. I surmise that we might be able to lose it if we go underground or into a building. Should I try?"

"No, Tenma! We"ll just back ourselves into a corner if we do that!"

"I know. Let"s just see how things go for now and think of something--"

"Report! Garuda is descending at high speed! Commencing evasive maneuvers, prepare yourselves!"

Tenma was underestimating the opponent.

"H-Hama!?"

"Garuda approaching from behind. Estimated distance fifty meters."

They quickly looked back. A giant black figure was close by and heading straight for them at an incredibly low alt.i.tude.

"......Get ready to fight! Open the roof!"

"N-Natsume, really!?"

"Hama, open the roof!"

"Understood. Shifting to opened mode."

The parts inside the car shifted and the roof was completely pulled into the seats. The cold wind raged by and the vast night sky was above their heads.

"Garuda is approaching. We"ll be in contact with the enemy soon. Three... Two... It"s pa.s.sing above!"

Overlapping with Hama"s report, Garuda pa.s.sed over the heads of Akino and company at high speed, catching up to the car and turning in front of them.

But when Akino hastily turned her head to look in front of them, it was already dozens of meters away.

"Ah, huh?"

The Garuda that seemed to have been attacking them had pa.s.sed over their heads. It just kept going forwards, then scattered a number of pieces of paper.

The papers "took form" one after another--

"Garuda has scattered shikigami charms. The shikigami have been formed. Four - seven - eleven - twelve shikigami in total have been confirmed. Six are "Type G1 Emperors" and six are "Type G2 Yaksha", all custom models. They are arranged in an offensive configuration. ...Master, your orders."