Toya's perception swept across the lightless, chaotic void.
He focused his gaze on the territory of the Other Country, searching its fabled sacred lands and ancient peaks. To his surprise, he found no traces of mystery or spiritual residue.
It was an anomaly. Even Japan had managed to retain a few fragments of its supernatural foundation. For a vast and ancient empire to be entirely hollowed out of its mystery made no sense.
Did it vanish over two thousand years ago?
After a deeper investigation, Toya was startled to discover that the mystery of that land had been utterly depleted during that distant era.
Not only was the energy gone, but the very possibility of a spiritual resurgence had been severed at the root.
Two thousand years ago... the era of the First Emperor.
Toya's expression turned solemn.
An empire's entire spiritual foundation wouldn't just evaporate. It had to have been sacrificed for something of equal magnitude.
A mechanical ascension? Or perhaps a desperate defense against an external threat?
Toya stopped speculating. Ultimately, it didn't concern him.
Whether the foundation was gone or not, its absence was arguably a blessing for the current age, preventing the rise of ancient, uncontrollable powers.
He then shifted his focus toward the frozen, lightless reaches of the North and South Poles.
Just as he was about to probe further, the darkness of the void was suddenly overridden.
Countless chaotic, disorganized pupils snapped open in the shadows. Everywhere he looked, the void was blanketed by a mass of staring eyes.
The world's light was blotted out, replaced by the crushing weight of a million conflicting human emotions—madness, joy, and sorrow—all swirling within those gazes.
And every single one of them was locked onto him.
"..."
Toya's skin crawled, his survival instincts screaming as a wave of visceral revulsion hit him. It was a sight that defied the laws of biology and sanity.
That was disgusting. Retracting his perception from the world-observation state, Toya took a deep breath.
What exactly is lurking at the poles?
He began to analyze the nightmare he had just witnessed. Cosmic entities? It was a bold guess. If only Nyaruko were here, she might have the answer.
Should I go and investigate?
He quickly dismissed the idea. He decided to put the matter of the poles on hold for a while.
Whatever was hiding there was clearly beyond his current scope.
If he rushed in and stumbled upon an entity of that scale, he would find himself in a precarious position.
"Kawashima-kun, did you find anything?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked, her eyes filled with hope.
Toya shook his head gently. "Nothing. We'll just have to wait for now."
He had searched the entire world.
Aside from the uncertain nature of the poles, no other region contained the substances required for training.
There were a few places where the earth's veins converged that still held remnants, but the quantity was so small it was useless for actual training.
Hearing this, Utaha looked disappointed.
"So, the training has to be postponed again."
"Actually, you can do something else," Toya said with a small smile.
"Onmyodo training requires memorizing various methods and theories. While I look for a viable energy source, you can try to memorize the manuals."
"Memorize them?" Utaha's face went pale. "Is that even possible? Toya-kun, do you have any idea how many books you brought back?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Toya replied, tilting his head. "Quite a few, I assume?"
He had looted all those records from the tomb of Abe no Seimei.
He had asked Nyaruko to transport them back, and he had only given them a cursory glance at the time.
"There are exactly seven thousand, six hundred volumes! I might be a top student, but even if I were a hundred times smarter, I couldn't memorize all of that!"
Utaha looked like she was on the verge of tears. "How could anyone memorize so much?"
"It's possible," Toya explained patiently.
"As you begin to train, your mental capacity improves. Eventually, you'll achieve a photographic memory. For now, just focus on the basics. You can take your time with the rest."
After their conversation, Toya returned to the main hall. The room was bustling, yet it felt as though something was missing.
What is it? Toya frowned as he thought.
Right. Where is Nyaruko?
After a moment, he realized the source of the emptiness. Since the defeat of Cthugha's avatar, Nyaruko had vanished without a word.
Even the avatar of Cthugha that he had spared was nowhere to be found.
Toya's gaze sharpened.
Are those two planning something? Why would they disappear at the same time without leaving a single message?
They had been gone for days. He couldn't help but assume the worst.
Both Nyaruko and Kuuko were avatars of Evil Gods, beings that harbored an inherent, extreme malice toward humanity.
If they had vanished together, they were undoubtedly orchestrating something significant.
I should go look for them.
Toya couldn't sit still knowing two Evil Gods were wandering the world unchecked.
"My 'Kawashima-kun Search Radar' tells me that Darling was thinking about me!"
At that moment, a beaming Nyaruko suddenly appeared at the agency's entrance, the silver lock of hair on her head pointing straight at Toya.
Beside her stood a girl with red twin-tails, radiating a heat as intense as a roaring flame. She was fair-skinned and delicate—a girl whose beauty easily rivaled Nyaruko's.
"Kuuko? Nyaruko?"
"Both of you, stay exactly where you are!"
Toya stared at them, his voice cautious. "You two... you seem different."
For some reason, he felt a change in Nyaruko.
Though her appearance and clothes were identical, he felt as if the person standing before him wasn't the same Nyaruko he knew.
A sense of danger flared within him, warning him not to get close.
What is this feeling? Toya racked his brain, trying to pinpoint why he felt this way.
Suddenly, a white envelope drifted into the room, moving slowly before everyone's eyes. Nyaruko and Kuuko tilted their heads, watching the mysterious letter.
RUN.
The letter opened, revealing only a single, frantic word.
Run?
Before Toya could even process the warning, a terrifying aura of blind, chaotic idiocy erupted. Chaos, madness, and distortion began to seep out, threatening to consume the entire town.
"The Great Old Ones?!" Toya shouted.
"Excalibur!"
He no longer cared about hiding his power. He unleashed the True Name of the Star-Holy Sword. In an instant, a brilliant, shimmering starlight exploded from the blade, enveloping the entire Trash Fox Agency.
The infinite, radiant golden light covered every inch of the office, acting as a shield against the indescribable corruption leaking from the bodies of Nyaruko and Kuuko.
"Tohru, take everyone and leave!" Toya shouted, relieved to see the divine essence being suppressed. "Get them as far away as possible! I'll call for you when it's safe!"
"Understood, Master."
Tohru's golden dragon eyes stayed locked on Toya.
She didn't dare look toward the door. Her draconic instincts told her one thing: do not perceive, do not investigate, and do not think about what was standing there.