"Something has emerged in Musashi Province."
"A Great Yokai?"
"More troublesome than a Great Yokai."
The old man reset the armillary sphere, but his expression remained so grave it was almost unsightly: "That is a 'Rank', something capable of altering the spiritual veins of a region. It happened once a few hundred years ago, caused by that god-chosen shrine maiden, 'Midoriko'."
The young onmyoji's pen stopped.
Midoriko.
A forbidden topic within the Onmyoryo.
A shrine maiden from an unofficial background who made this group of noble-born official onmyoji unable to lift their heads, and who ultimately created the headache-inducing shikon jewel.
And now, what the old man was talking about was surely that 'shikon jewel'.
"That thing... wasn't it always being guarded well?"
"Who knows."
The old man snorted, watching the white light that had not yet completely dissipated: "But with this scale of purification power, in this direction, if it isn't the shikon jewel, then there is nothing else it could be."
"However... whether it is a blessing or a curse, it is yet to be known. Let us observe it more."
The young onmyoji nodded and noted it down.
The old man looked at the horizon, his expression full of gravity.
Chaotic times produce monsters.
But if these monsters are too strong, no one will have a good time.
You must know.
Kyoto is not peaceful either!
...
On the other side.
The location of the capital was actually a luxurious palace buried deep underground.
There was no moonlight here; only ever-burning lamps fueled by oil, crackling with sound.
A thick, heavy scent of blood drifted through the air.
Behind layers of heavy curtains sat a woman.
A twelve-layered robe spread across the floor—a garment only noblewomen of this era were entitled to wear—now stained with specks of dark red blood.
She held a lacquer tray in her hands, upon which sat a set of liver, freshly ripped from the belly of some unknown living creature, still steaming.
"Painful."
The woman put the liver into her mouth, swallowed it without even chewing, then clutched her stomach, her brows furrowed into a frown.
"Lady Hagoromo Gitsune?"
Outside the curtains knelt a hunched little old man with a massive head, looking just like a comical gourd.
"That light, it's blinding."
The woman pointed toward the east.
Even separated by thick layers of earth and stone walls, she still felt it.
That scorching sensation that threatened to burn away all filth.
It made the 'child' in her womb very uncomfortable.
"It is the direction of Musashi Province."
The little old man kowtowed: "Some blind things are stirring up trouble in that area, seemingly for that jewel."
"A jewel... the shikon jewel? It seems those fellows can finally no longer hide it."
The woman stuck out her tongue and licked the blood from the corner of her mouth.
Her tongue was forked, like a snake's, and also like a fox's.
"That is a good thing; it can make my child grow faster."
"But that light, it is so annoying."
Behind her, nine black tails flickered in the shadows, irritably slapping against the ground, cracking the hard stone slabs.
"Investigate it."
The woman issued the order.
"If it is real, seize it. If someone is just showing off a fake..."
She smiled, revealing two sharp canines.
"Then eat the person holding the jewel along with it."
"To nourish my child."
"As you command, Lady Hagoromo Gitsune."
The little old man buried his head even lower.
In the darkness, countless eyes lit up; these were the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons lurking in the shadows of this city.
They were waiting.
Waiting for the existence within the womb of the figure before them, known as 'Hagoromo Gitsune'.
Waiting for the 'King' destined to return to this world.
...
Tokaido, an open-air tea stall by the roadside.
The owner was busy cleaning tables, muttering curses under his breath.
"The times are truly chaotic; that commotion last night scared my donkey so much it stopped eating grass."
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