"You're still a bit green, you know."
"..."
Hii Kao, standing midair, swayed slightly. He tried to say something, but his lips were cut by a small wound from the yet-unresolved sword intent.
"Let me show you something else. Consider it a generous gift from your father~"
Even as he said this, his light gray eyes—noticeably bright—clearly showed he was equally interested.
After all, this snowfield was an imitation domain forcibly established using the effects of his technique. Having moved within this imitation domain for quite some time, having immersed himself in barrier techniques for over twenty years across two lifetimes, and having possessed Domain Expansion abilities in the past, how could Hii Kōri possibly not have perceived the structure of this snowfield's outermost "shell"?
Since Hii Kao relied on a barrier device to form this imitation barrier, there was no reason he couldn't use that device either, right?
"Om—Namo samanta buddhanam, Mahakalaya, svaha!"
"Pervading earth, water, fire, wind, and void, Vajradhatu Venerable One, now shine the light of parinirvana."
His left hand formed the three-pronged vajra mudra, his right hand clenched into a fist pressed against his waist. Thus the Īśāna Seal was formed. Yet what Hii Kōri chanted was an invocation to Mahākāla.
However, in certain esoteric Buddhist traditions, Īśāna was originally a transformation of Maheśvara—Shiva's name. And Mahākāla was precisely the form Shiva manifested when destroying the world.
In Shinto philosophy, there were also theories equating Īśāna with Izanagi.
Maheśvara himself was considered equivalent to Mahāvairocana, residing at the center of the Vajradhatu and Garbhadhatu mandalas.
Destroyer of worlds, wrathful demon-subduing form, pinnacle of the form realm, god of fortune, creator god... Even within the composite traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Esoteric Buddhism, and Shinto, the complexity of his divinity, authority, and manifestations was among the highest.
Like a network, like a river, like blood—it was the single answer that, no matter which direction one explored, one would ultimately reach.
Though he had initially chosen the Īśāna Seal for his jujutsu simply because its function of "protecting the world and creating" aligned well with his technique, the deeper he explored its origins, the more Hii Kōri discovered that this Dharmapala's source matched the principles he practiced exceptionally well.
If fate truly existed in this world—
Then Hii Kōri's choice on that day was fate itself.
"Piercing the triple city is Maheśvara. Earth, water, fire, wind, pleasure, pain, life—all dharmas are born from the palm!"
"Domain Expansion—"
Self-nature, outflow.
"—Void Mandala: The Stages of Samsara to Nirvana..."
A far more complete, far more steadfast, far more unshakable sense of self instantly transformed into an irresistible tide, sweeping away all traces of Hii Kao, completely covered.
The Hiruko Shadow Bright Deity's barrier faithfully fulfilled its duty, forging this inner world—changed yet with eternal, unchanging roots—into form.
Hum—A flash of light, dazzling to the point of near-blindness, seemed to originate from the depths of the soul.
The next instant, all phenomena suddenly vanished.
The snowfield, like a foreign land, and that fleeting flash of light completely dissipated. In their place was a corridor typical of Rōran's palace.
A faint but exceptionally clear cracking sound arose. Hii Kao, lying on the ground, instinctively reached toward his chest.
That "Hiruko Shadow Bright Deity" had already returned to its initial silkworm form. Yet countless fine cracks had emerged on its translucent shell, and the intricate mechanisms inside were entirely damaged.
"Ha... the output wasn't enough to carry your inner world, Father... Looks like I really am far behind you."
Marveling thus, Hii Kao raised his hand to cover his eyes. Physical and mental exhaustion surged like waves. He gasped heavily, as if he couldn't breathe smoothly otherwise.
Yet even with such heavy breathing, Hii Kao felt extremely relaxed. In those amber eyes, the confusion, melancholy, and heaviness accumulated over time had dissipated. In their place was a clarity like the sky after a storm—washed clean.
"? What? What did he call you, Teacher?"
With the domain's collapse, the distance between the "Hii father and son" and the four children—Yahiko, Konan, Nagato, and Sasori—within the domain also dissipated. The cracks in the wall, previously damaged by the battle, were further worsened by the off-road vehicle that materialized out of nowhere.
Hii Kōri blinked, casually ignoring Yahiko's question, and stuffed the four children back into his shadow along with the off-road vehicle, restoring the wall to its original state. Then, using Rainbow Release, he set up a barrier around himself and Hii Kao to disperse onlookers.
Though far cruder than Rōran's Dragon Pulse barrier, and operating on a completely different principle—purely relying on subconscious phenomena from optical refraction to make others ignore them—it was enough to fool Rōran's ordinary guards.
After all, he and Hii Kao had fought quite loudly. Even the deaf and blind would have noticed something was wrong.
"How do you feel?"
"...So annoying."
Grumbling thus, Hii Kao's lips curved into a smile he couldn't hide.
Though only for an instant, that unshakable "sense of self" within his father's inner world had indeed, truly reflected in his eyes.
"Having seen something so dazzling... how could I possibly forget..."
At the same time, a soft, bright light gradually emanated from Hii Kao's body. No longer relying on Rashōmon to obscure his identity or to isolate his existence through Domain Expansion, this "foreign object" from the future was about to be repelled back to its original era.
In this gradually dissipating light, Hii Kao struggled to prop himself up, casting his gaze toward his young father, who stood nearby quietly watching him. He revealed an unprecedentedly open-minded smile.
"Thank you... for the guidance and the gift."
Though his voice was faint with exhaustion, his trembling words were exceptionally clear: "Though I don't think I can yet be as steadfast as you, I... will strive to follow you—to follow your example."
Just before his form became completely blurry, Hii Kao subtly changed how he addressed Hii Kōri. He looked up at his father with a mischievous grin—utterly different from his earlier melancholy image: "When I get back, I'll definitely cause trouble for 'that you.' You encouraged me yourself, so don't blame me~"
More like coquettish than provocation, these words became Hii Kao's last two statements in this era.
"Thank you. And—"
"Goodbye, Father."
***
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