The spiritual veins of Tokyo were still trembling, sending a ceaseless flow of spiritual energy from all directions, converging beneath the Kanda Myojin Shrine.
Souma Takiko positioned herself at the very center of the spiritual veins, her eyes tightly shut, her body floating midair, fully attuning herself to the divine energy surging into her body. She allowed the overwhelming spirituality, surpassing all existence, to gradually descend upon her.
This phenomenon conveyed a message to Rozen.
"The Divine Descension Ritual is about to succeed?"
At the very least, from the current state of things, the ritual was progressing smoothly, without a single flaw.
The spirit of Taira no Masakado had already lodged itself within Souma Takiko and was in the process of merging with her.
If this were an ordinary Divine Descension, it could already be declared a success.
However, the Souma family's Divine Descension was not an ordinary one. It was not simply about summoning a deity temporarily, but about ensuring the deity remained permanently on earth. To achieve this, the deity and the shrine maiden had to fully merge.
In other words, more time was needed.
But not much time.
Rozen could see this clearly, and naturally, so could others.
For instance, Tsuchimikado Yakou, who had once presided over the "Tensou Jifu Festival."
"Akikan!"
Tsuchimikado Harutora, wielding a talisman in one hand and forming a hand seal with the other, set up a barrier to resist the blazing flames. At the same time, he chanted an incantation, trying to counterattack against Miyachi Iwao.
However, the infinite spiritual energy radiating from Miyachi Iwao suppressed him, leaving him unable to break free. Anxiously, he called out to Rozen.
"Hurry up and stop the ritual!"
Harutora still had not given up on preventing the "Tensou Jifu Festival."
And now, among everyone present, only Rozen remained standing without engaging in any battle. Naturally, this made Harutora desperate to have Rozen intervene.
Unfortunately...
"Don't worry," Rozen said with extreme calm. "I have it under control."
Rozen did not move an inch.
"Akikan!"
Harutora shouted again, but his response was a surge of flames from Miyachi Iwao, forcing him to focus entirely on defense.
Meanwhile, Hishamaru continued to engage in a relentless struggle against Byakua And Kurobou. One side persistently used various jujutsu techniques combined with martial arts to launch fierce assaults, while the other side retaliated with unyielding ferocity, their figures constantly clashing and weaving through the underground space, leaving behind countless afterimages.
The battle between Kakugyouki and Shaver was even more intense. One struck with immense force, releasing a flood of demonic energy, while the other frantically wielded a spirit blade, slicing through the incoming energy with overwhelming force, creating a storm of flashing blades that even forced Kakugyouki to retreat momentarily.
Kurahashi Kyouko and Kurahashi Genji's battle was the most straightforward—standing at a distance, continuously chanting and casting jujutsu spells. It was the very definition of a "battle of jujutsu," with countless spells clashing midair, countering and colliding, showcasing the very essence of an orthodox Onmyouji duel.
As for Natsume, Suzuka, and Kagami Reiji's battle, in terms of intensity and spectacle, it was no less fierce than the others.
After all, Kagami Reiji's jujutsu style was inherently wild and reckless, while Natsume and Suzuka were both Living Spirits—one a fox spirit, the other a ogre king. One unleashed foxfire from the rear, incinerating everything, while the other roared and charged forward with relentless aggression. Naturally, their battle was nothing short of explosive.
These four clashes divided the entire underground space into four distinct battlefields, leaving only Rozen standing and observing.
Before long...
"It's finally starting?"
Rozen seemed to sense something, and his eyes flashed with a ghostly light.
His Wise Eye and Mind's Eye activated simultaneously, allowing him to clearly perceive an anomaly that had suddenly appeared.
An anomaly in the spiritual veins.
Rozen had expected this.
"No matter whether the ritual succeeds or fails, recklessly using the spiritual veins like this… how could it not cause problems?"
However, this was not an issue with the ritual itself.
By this point, the ritual was already practically successful.
With all of Tokyo serving as an altar, the previous two large-scale Spiritual Disaster attacks had been used to stir the spiritual veins as preparation. The setup was thorough, and the chances of success were high.
Yet, with the spiritual veins being exploited so recklessly, problems were bound to arise.
Rozen could clearly observe that the spiritual veins were now completely destabilized, triggering numerous Spiritual Disasters across Tokyo, which in turn ignited fierce battles with the myriad spirits roaming the city. The entire metropolis was once again engulfed in conflict.
Moreover, the situation was escalating.
"At this rate, the spiritual veins will eventually spiral out of control and obliterate all of Tokyo."
That would be a true catastrophe.
Since that was the case...
"This mess needs to be cleaned up a little."
Rozen muttered to himself.
Then, he suddenly raised his holy sword and thrust it heavily into the ground.
"Clang!"
With a metallic clang, the tip of the sacred sword pierced the earth, standing tall like a gravestone before Rozen.
The noise instantly caught the attention of everyone present.
Rozen, however, remained indifferent. Gripping the hilt of the sacred sword, he channeled his boundless spiritual energy, transmitting it through the blade and into the spiritual veins.
"—With the Great Purification Rite of Takamagahara, cleanse all impurities—"
Rozen chanted the supreme purification incantation.
"—With the heavenly proclamation of Takamagahara, devour the sins of the world, purify body and soul—"
Like a surging ocean, Rozen's spiritual energy flooded into the spiritual veins with unmatched force, forcibly stabilizing the rampant chaos.
"He's using his own spiritual energy to suppress the entire spiritual vein…!?"
Everyone present was utterly astonished upon realizing what Rozen was doing.
Was this even possible?
Could a single person's spiritual energy really suppress an entire spiritual vein?
This was beyond absurd!
But for Rozen, achieving this was hardly surprising.
His spiritual energy—his High-Grade Mana—was on par with, if not superior to, an entire planet. Subduing mere spiritual veins was a trivial task.
However, Rozen's actions inevitably affected the ongoing Divine Descension Ritual.
Since the ritual was using the spiritual veins as a power source, the sudden intrusion and suppression of the veins by Rozen's spiritual energy caused a reduction in the flow of energy while introducing his own energy into Souma Takiko.
"Ugh…!"
Souma Takiko let out a stifled groan, a mix of pain and discomfort.
"Not good!"
Seeing this, Kurahashi Genji, Miyachi Iwao, and Kagami Reiji were all alarmed.
Rozen, on the other hand, smirked and calmly formed a hand seal, beginning to chant another incantation.
"—Hail to the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, Hachiman Daimyojin, the tutelary deity of Buzen Usa, the second shrine of Hachiman, in dedication to the golden scripture of the Hachiman Shrine—"
As this incantation echoed through the air, Kurahashi Genji's eyes widened in shock, his face turning pale.
"Damn it!"
Kurahashi Genji could no longer maintain his composure and shouted in alarm.
"Stop him!"
Because...
"He's trying to take control of the descending Taira no Masakado!"
Kurahashi Genji's desperate cry echoed through the battlefield.