"Old Monk? You alright?"
Yoichi shouted and looked at the pretty exhausted face of the monk scantily dressed as the fiery flames ate the monk's clothes but he was unharmed.
"Benefactor, you are here! Can you help me with this vile creature?" the monk used his impressive speed to retreat and go to Yoichi's side.
The problem was the continuous creation through the souls and bodies of the dead as these fire spawnlings scattered around the desolated place and left slowly, finding anything to sacrifice for their lord and mighty creator.
"Another ant? Kill them all!" the fire giant roared as a bunch of human-like outbursts of fire rushed to their side, swarming with raging heat and quantity.
"Another fight once more... Take care of me!" the old monk charged with his incredible strength and brimming energy to shove the fire spawnlings away.
"Likewise." Yoichi stepped forward and vanished instantly, appearing to the fire giant's blazing body with a curious smile on his face.
"Filthy mortal! You dare to be near the Fire God! Die!" the fire giant slammed his mystical fiery fist against Yoichi with destructive powers.
"Water Release: Riptide!"
Yoichi pre-casted his jutsu in his mind and stomped as the gushes of water ran through the ground beneath the monsters, killing the spawnlings and injuring some of them with the unpredictable water bubbling and springing out like a geyser underground.
"What a great power, benefactor! I am not wrong with my decision following you!" Looking at the fire corpses flying into the air with the unexpected torrents to the ground, Ananada sighed in relief.
'It's time to end this, many people outside would be in trouble once this young flame scattered his seeds.'
"Four Symbol Seal!"
Black lines flew out of Yoichi's hands with a bunch of intricate sealing foundations laid out for a big surprise as the lines surrounded and spread through the body of the fire giant like a tattoo.
"Foul mortal! What is this?... HAHAHAHA, you wanted to kill me? I am an elemental god! I will never perish with my never-ending life! Cease your futile struggle, annoying fly!" Fire God roared as the black lines spread completely and Yoichi gradually sucked his spiritual form and raging fire with his pot in his hands.
"You are pathetic, calling yourself a god makes me sick. Heh, a god this weak? Are you kidding me!"
"HAAAAARRRRGHH!!! Kill them all!"
As if there's a black hole in the pot of Yoichi, the sealing became intensely warped, spiraling and swirling like a whirlpool, eating the Fire God's spiritual energy one by one until the incessant screams and echoes of crying souls rang inside.
"Benefactor, let me purify these people back into the Buddha's Pure Land and expel these evil flames." Ananada slightly bowed and clasped his hands into a prayer for the affected victims dying fatally.
The result was worse than an earthquake.
The emperor of the land died due to his retainer's treacherous plan, his retainer sacrificed all of the high-ranking officials inside the halls leaving a huge gap in governing the public, and many people tomorrow would be angry with the imperial family's cruel rule.
"Monk Ananada, I will leave this young flame here in your embrace. As for how you will do, just do it, the era of strife was incoming and it was inevitable."
"Benefactor, there are other monks like me in the barren desert and the misty islands of this world. I suppose I wanted to tell you whenever you wanted to meet with them as a form of friendship..."
After the fight, Yoichi gave the evil sealing pot and extinguished the flames nearby, revealing a torn and destroyed hall that was marvelous and decorated earlier. In just a couple of minutes, the gold and accessories were gone, just like a candle flame.
'I will look for these monks at a later date. For now, let me see what the group has done.'
"Universal Swap!"
"I need to have a meeting with the 2 monks, the plan must be done immediately!"
After seeing Yoichi's fade away, Ananada left the scene with a sighing silhouette. The place was in ruins, beyond recognition with burnt corpses.
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"Are all fine? Did you save some of them?"
Yoichi appeared in his group with a sigh of relief in his mind.
Unexpected situations happen every time. Being cautious and curious was in his line.
"Yes, we save them all but the usage of our abilities was still rudimentary stage. What happened there?"
Maki and the others were exhausted but swept away by Yoichi's safe arrival and the dire information about the fire and the emperor's health.
Yoichi simply explained the details.
"Shit, that's got to be Seimei! That smiling bastard was always planning something!" Satomi cursed in her breath, frustration poured out.
The festival that they wanted to enjoy became a feast of fire monsters and demons alike.
"Oh? So his name is Seimei? I've seen him in The Divine Tree Exploration with his guards. As for Nobara's parents, did you see them?"
Yoichi instantly forgot and looked at his wife's family, after all, they were his in-laws.
"It's fine now. Luckily, my father and mother were in the Onmyouji Bureau and didn't attend the meeting. They are constantly maintaining the crowd there." Nobara sighed at the alleviation and safety of her family.
"Huuhh... That's great! For now, I will relay orders as a clan leader, so hear me out. The era of conflict was upon us, the emperor was dead along with his loyal retainers. These shogun and daimyo from far away would accumulate military power for the sake of taking the throne. What I wanted to do was take away Suzaku Town. If the Tokugawa Clan wanted to intervene, kill them without any mercy." Yoichi crossed his arms and began looking at his group, tensed and a little bit...excited?
"Consolidate our strength and bolster our troops for the meantime. These people would grow itchy to find scruples against nearby towns. That's all."
"Then what are you doing?" Makima rubbed her chin and glanced at their husband's furrowed brows.
"I will continue my adventure. It will be quick and easy. Trust me, the words travel faster than any kind of messenger. Bandits and unscrupulous people will pop out of the shadows. We should be ready. Understand?" Yoichi explained his thoughts, looking at the group's inquisitive stare.
"Understood. Everyone, let's head back."
Maki reluctantly glanced at Yoichi and left the scene along with the rest of the group.
"Be careful, okay?" Yoru was concerned.
"I will, don't worry!" Yoichi pecked her lips as Yoru quickly chased the group.
"My clan against the world... How exciting!"
Yoichi glanced at the capital city and left on foot, in another direction away from the group.
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"YOICHI MURAKAMI!!! I WILL KILL YOU!"
In the secluded shrine away from the capital, a man spat a mouthful of blood as his body swayed weakly and roared, hating the name with all his guts and mind on the recuperation of his soul.
This is Seimei's hiding spot away from the capital.
His man-like shikigami extinguished in an instant as soon as Yoichi, the mysterious individual, destroyed the shikigami in one grasp of spiritual energy, giving a surprise gift to Seimei.
What Seimei's feeling right now was intense searing heat and cold coursed through his body like a fever and heat decompression at the same time. The connected shikigami earlier was connected to his soul and Yoichi delivered a near-lethal blow to his soul, shooking his foundation in Onmyouji Soul Arts and many more wicked techniques in his mind.
"Sir, what happened?" Haruta, the loyal assistant wanted to help his liege in standing up...
"Shut up! I don't want to hear you talking about this!" Seimei forcefully waved his hand, powerful enough to send Haruta to the ground.
He looked at his blood-stained hands as the humiliation and despair he felt for the first time was mortifying and embarrassing in his mind. The thought of losing didn't come into his mind as his plan came ahead of time and it worked as planned. But that calm and confident smile of his enemy shook his soul and psychology like a traumatic experience, unable to get away from his mind.
"Haruta! Release that man and kill everything! I want him to kill many people in the capital. Anyone must be killed!" Seimei roared with unbound hatred and killing intent emitted in his body.
"But... But sir—"
"Why do you always talk huh?! Just follow my orders!" Seimei glared hatefully at Haruta, who trembled in fear and went through his way to release the monstrosity Seimei had developed.
"I WILL WASH AWAY MY HUMILIATION, YOICHI!!!"
Seimei passed out unconscious on the ground.
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"Achoo! Who the fuck called my name?!"
Yoichi sneezed out as the campfire nearby sizzled with grilled meat of rabbit, bringing out the warmth in his large hammock between the two trees.
"I will look for the western seas and go back once I am done. I'm just gonna enjoy this food first!"
After eating his food, Yoichi slept in the forest with no worries about the disastrous event in the city.