Chapter 126. The True Identity of the Grand Onmyoji
Crimson flames blazed across the bodies of Shuten Douji and Ian.
One human, one demon, both were completely engulfed in the scorching sea of fire, to the point that their figures became unrecognizable.
The event happened so suddenly that it took Minamoto no Raikou a long moment to comprehend what had just unfolded before her eyes.
The demon known as Shuten Douji had swallowed Ian in flames!
"No—!"
The female samurai let out a horrified scream and immediately prepared to cut through the raging flames before her with Hizamaru.
However, unlike the Five Elements traps that Shuten Douji had previously set at Ooeyama—
The flames before her were not something "borrowed" from somewhere else.
Rather, they were "heat" that Shuten Douji had released herself.
The "heat" was so intense that it gave birth to flames, creating this sea of fire.
This was something only high-ranking demons like her could accomplish.
Minamoto no Raikou's eyes gradually lost their color.
Yet she still swung the famed blade Hizamaru with all her might at the flames.
However—
What Minamoto no Raikou did not know was—
Inside the flames, something was happening that she could never have imagined.
Within the sea of fire—
Shuten Douji stared at Ian in astonishment.
Not only was this man not being consumed by the flames she had unleashed, but on the contrary, he remained as calm as if nothing had happened.
As if the flames raging around him were nothing more than a pile of insignificant debris.
Shuten Douji could not believe it.
She opened her mouth and asked:
"Oji-san! What trick are you pulling this time?!"
"I'm not doing anything."
Ian looked straight at the little oni before him, who appeared like a child, and answered honestly.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
Shuten Douji screamed, refusing to accept the words before her.
"We specially prepared this 'extreme heat sea of fire' to welcome you!"
"I should have roasted you into dried meat!"
"How can it not harm you?!"
"..."
[You realize that your and Minamoto no Raikou's suspicions were correct.]
[From the moment you set foot in Ooeyama, Shuten Douji had set her sights on you.]
[She had been watching your every move from the beginning.]
[She intended to turn you into a dish at the feast, to prove the strength of 'demons.']
[But it seems that plan will never become reality.]
Hearing Shuten Douji's words, Ian suddenly realized something.
"So—"
"You called Kintoki here because you intended to eat him?"
"Kintoki?"
Upon hearing the unfamiliar name, Shuten Douji did not appear confused.
Because the "Kin" (Gold) in that name was simply too striking.
"You mean golden boy, right?"
"No." Shuten Douji waved her hand dismissively. "I had no intention of killing him."
"After all, he looks quite interesting."
"Right now, I simply find you a bit more interesting, so I decided to play with you instead."
"What do you think?"
Shuten Douji spread her arms wide, her expression filled with arrogance.
"The Five Elements Formation I recreated, isn't it impressive?!"
Seeing her eager expression, awaiting praise, Ian let out a cold chuckle.
"Heh."
"My assessment? A clumsy imitation."
"The so-called Five Elements cannot be used separately as you have."
"There exist countless connections between them that you have yet to perceive."
As his words fell—
Shuten Douji immediately felt the ground beneath her feet begin to tremble violently.
It was the same earthquake as before.
As an Onmyoji, Ian possessed the mystical power to manipulate the Five Elements.
And this time, what he controlled included the very flames that Shuten Douji had created.
To be fair.
Shuten Douji was somewhat surprised.
Having been triumphant in Ooeyama for so long, this was the first time she had encountered someone with such ability.
But—
This is my territory!
Allowing an Onmyoji to casually set up a formation right in her own domain—wasn't that utterly ridiculous?!
[Shuten Douji was no longer as easily struck by you as before—this meant that this time, she had appeared in her true form.]
[She began to contest control over the earth and fire beneath your feet.]
[You realized that her power was equal to yours.]
[For the first time since becoming an Onmyoji, you had encountered such an opponent.]
[For some reason, an indescribable feeling arose within you.]
"Looks like you must have done quite a lot of bad things in your time."
Ian gazed at Shuten Douji before him, the one whose strength matched his own, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
His opponent was not to be outdone and retorted.
"Heh, if you say so—"
"Then have you become what you are now because you've done a lot of good deeds?"
"I don't believe in such things."
"But at the very least, I'm standing right before you now, am I not?"
Ian did not conceal his thoughts in the slightest.
"Shuten Douji, the demons rampaging through Heian-kyo—you're the one commanding them, aren't you?"
"Umu."
Shuten Douji casually admitted it.
To her, ordering the demons under her command to wreak havoc everywhere was a glorious achievement.
"The demons in Ooeyama have been restrained for so long—shouldn't I let them out to stretch their limbs a little?"
"I'm a very reasonable demon, you know."
As expected.
Only someone as powerful as Shuten Douji was qualified to orchestrate such a "grand" Hyakki Yagyō.
This was already predetermined.
So Ian was not surprised in the least.
"In that case—"
The Grand Onmyoji fixed his gaze on Shuten Douji before him.
"The Watanabe no Tsuna clan—were they killed by you as well?"
"Watanabe no Tsuna?"
Shuten Douji pretended to think seriously.
Then, she curled her lips into a grin.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"That's right!" Shuten Douji smiled gleefully. "Just like how you humans can't remember how many loaves of bread you've eaten in your lifetime."
"The demons under my command kill so many people every day—how could I possibly remember them all?"
"Besides—"
She crossed her arms over her chest, appearing completely indifferent.
"Dead is dead."
"What's the big deal?"
Shuten Douji knew very well how to use a single sentence to provoke the person she was speaking to.
Hearing such a callous attitude toward human life, Ian immediately burned with rage.
As an Onmyoji, the one thing he could never tolerate was demons who treated humans as nothing.
[You said nothing more.]
[You drew your small blade.]
[This was the weapon that had helped you slay countless demons and was also the treasured tool used to train Minamoto no Raikou and your four sworn children.]
[This was a close-quarters battle.]
[But Shuten Douji was not afraid in the slightest.]
[With her small frame, she raised her sake cup and charged straight at you.]
[It had to be admitted—she truly had skill.]
[No matter how powerful your swordsmanship was, in this duel, you could not gain the upper hand.]
[This was a battle of equals.]
"Heh."
Shuten Douji looked at Ian before her, a trace of admiration flickering in her violet eyes.
"At first, I thought you were just some petty trickster with Onmyodo."
"Didn't expect your swordsmanship to be this impressive too."
"I don't need your praise."
Ian was completely unfazed by Shuten Douji's words.
"Today, I will kill you here!"
"How arrogant~"
Shuten Douji placed both hands on her hips.
With her small stature, this gesture did not exude intimidation; on the contrary, it carried a somewhat childlike air.
"In that case, I'll have to bring out something more interesting."
The moment she finished speaking, her body began to emit a faint scent of sake.
["Grand Onmyoji++" activated: You realize that this scent of sake is merely an illusion meant to disguise her trickery.]
[Shuten Douji is trying to use this to enchant you.]
"I've practically tasted every kind of sake from the Heian era."
Shuten Douji exhaled softly.
"So just like this, I can recreate countless exquisite liquors."
"Nee~, oji-san, have a drink."
"Wouldn't it be a waste if someone as interesting as you didn't get completely drunk?"
As she spoke, Shuten Douji blew all the sake-infused air toward Ian.
It was an overwhelmingly potent fragrance.
The demon king of Ooeyama was convinced that the moment Ian came into contact with it, he would immediately fall into a drunken stupor.
However—
Reality was different.
Amidst the swirling flames, the wave of sake-laden air indeed rushed toward Ian like a fierce wind.
It was a swift and forceful attack.
Yet Ian remained standing there, unshaken.
No matter how strong the intoxicating aura was, it could not affect him in the slightest.
"This is what you call 'interesting'?"
Sensing the faint sweetness in the air, Ian furrowed his brows.
"Just a mildly irritating scent of alcohol, isn't it?"
"..."
Shuten Douji faltered slightly.
Because this sake-infused breath was not something she released carelessly.
As someone who had tested this ability on humans countless times, she knew well that it could effortlessly send someone spiraling into intoxication.
Once the prey was drunk, whether to kill, torture, or even keep them as a toy—everything was at her discretion.
Yet, the Onmyoji before her was not only unaffected but could even discern the true nature of the "sake."
That meant—he was entirely immune!
How could this be?!
A human should not be able to resist this intoxicating breath!
Shuten Douji forced herself to rapidly process everything happening.
Suddenly, she realized a possibility.
That's right.
A human could never resist it.
But—
What if he wasn't human at all?
No way…?!
Shuten Douji's eyes widened as she scrutinized the person before her.
No.
She couldn't see anything unusual.
His appearance was no different from the people in the capital.
But her sake-infused breath would never deceive her own senses.
Which meant—
There was only one way to find out for sure.
Thump.
Thump.
Shuten Douji's heart pounded violently.
Her eyes turned a deep, blood-red hue, and her entire body radiated a heat no less intense than the surrounding flames.
This was the state of her body fully activated as an oni.
[Shuten Douji lunged forward at an unimaginable speed.]
[This was a completely unexpected situation.]
[She bit into your shoulder.]
[Blood instantly gushed from the wound.]
It was a sensation as if his flesh was being torn apart.
Ian felt as though two long spears had pierced straight through his body.
As an oni, even Shuten Douji's fangs carried an immensely strong demonic aura.
Yet, he did not fall.
Her biting into him also meant the distance between them had closed.
Enduring the searing pain from the wound on his shoulder, the Grand Onmyoji immediately raised the weapon in his hand.
He knew he had to kill Shuten Douji.
Not just for the peace of Heian-kyo under Minamoto no Raikou's protection—
But also for his sworn son—Watanabe no Tsuna.
But something unexpected happened.
Just before Ian could plunge his dagger into Shuten Douji's body, she pulled away of her own fang.
The fierce demon lifted her head, staring at him with an expression of utter disbelief.
"What in the world are you?"
"What?!"
Ian was momentarily caught off guard by the sudden shift in the situation.
Seizing the opportunity, Shuten Douji swiftly retreated from him.
She unconsciously took several steps back, her voice filled with astonishment:
"You… have no human breath."
"But you're not a demon either."
"What kind of monster are you?"
"What are you even talking about?!"
Ian looked at Shuten Douji in front of him, feeling as though she was spouting nonsense.
"I am—"
Before he could finish, the wound from Shuten Douji's bite sent a strange sensation coursing through his body, as if something within him had been awakened.
Thousands of memories suddenly surged into his mind.
Countless images flooded before his eyes.
Words he had never heard before—words from a distant past—resurfaced, finally completing themselves.
"Your name is—"
"Abe no Yasuchika."
"I am truly sorry… but for the sake of the Genji clan, you must bear all of this."
A man gazed at Ian, his eyes filled with remorse.
Who was he?
What was he talking about?!
Ian's head felt like it was about to burst from the overwhelming flood of memories.
Clang!
The dagger slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.
He fell to his knees, clutching his head, screaming in agony.
Just a second ago, the Grand Onmyoji stood tall, exuding unwavering strength.
But now, he had collapsed in complete despair.
It should have been a sight that brought Shuten Douji immense joy.
Yet, the taste lingering on her tongue kept her from feeling any satisfaction.
Something was wrong with this Onmyoji!
He absolutely could not be allowed to leave here alive!
He had to die here!
For Ooeyama!
Suppressing the vague fear creeping into her heart, Shuten Douji prepared to strike Ian down.
But at that very moment—
A thunderclap resounded across Ooeyama.
And then.
A powerful, commanding voice rang out, leaving no room for defiance.
"Return my husband to me!"
Boom!
Lightning struck.
The sea of flames surrounding them was instantly torn apart by the bolt.
A figure, cloaked in the most intense shade of violet, appeared in the midst of the battlefield.
A blade swung.
Blackened red blood spurted from Shuten Douji's neck.
Thud…
A head rolled across the ground, stopping at Minamoto no Raikou's feet.
In the final moments before her vision faded to darkness, the Demon King of Ooeyama heard an eerie whisper echoing through the air.
"No one can steal my husband from me…"
"No one ever can…"
"No one ever will…"
And so, the fate of the female samurai turned once more.