Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 948

In the end, if Ōtakemaru had succeeded, Kyoto would have become completely uninhabitable.

At the intersection of five main roads.

The key position of the formation, which was heavily fortified and guarded by numerous Onmyoji, including Onmyoji such as Minamoto no Yorihira and Fujiwara no Michitsuna, was instantly swept away by Ōtakemaru.

All defenses and barriers instantly flew to the side.

Ōtakemaru slammed the Yasakani no Magatama into the ground, activating everything within him...

However, both hands were pressed hard on Ōtakemaru's body.

"I said, you want to sacrifice yourself? You'll have to see if the remaining tribesmen can evacuate safely in the end."

Kousaka Kyosuke said as calmly as possible.

At the same time, he used all his strength to hold down Ōtakemaru.

Despite the high probability of being traded one-for-one in a near-death experience, he still made it through.

"Are you threatening me?" Ōtakemaru continued his actions, relentlessly activating the ultimate power of the Yasakani no Magatama.

He was well aware of the power of the Yasakani no Magatama.

Even if the five blood sacrifice arrays fail, they can still be reactivated as long as he sacrifices himself.

"This is not a threat, but a statement of facts. You need to think about what people who have lost their homes might do."

"It's all your fault!"

"I hope you can calm down..."

"hehe."

Ōtakemaru continued to sneer, his actions showing no sign of stopping.

Meanwhile, all the other people and monsters followed.

Kagura arrived quickly after Kousaka Kyosuke and saw him holding down Ōtakemaru with both hands. She was stunned, as if her computer had crashed, and then she became flustered and anxious.

"Lord Kyosuke..." Su Chang, who was also quite fast, sensed it and panicked.

Higanbana said, "She probably wants to persuade Ōtakemaru."

"Could we try to kill Ōtakemaru together...?"

A detached voice also rang out.

The speaker was dressed in plain clothes.

Higanbana shook her head: "Ōtakemaru has fully unleashed the power of the divine weapon, so it's estimated that no one can get to him. Therefore, we can only rely on Kyōsuke."

"Damn it!"

An angry voice came from Minamoto no Hiromasa's mouth.

Without hesitation, Minamoto no Hiromasa fired three arrows at Ōtakemaru.

Chi chi chi~

The arrow vanished into nothingness in an instant.

However, this did not affect Minamoto no Hiromasa's continued attack in the slightest.

Seemingly moved by this event, Kagura, Suyi Sushang, Higanbana, and others also began to attack Ōtakemaru.

"Hahaha... You have quite a few admirers."

Ōtakemaru noticed the situation and said with a smile.

Kousaka Kyosuke, struggling to resist the corrupting power of the divine artifact, simply said, "There are quite a few people who like you, so I advise you not to act impulsively."

"You don't understand at all!"

"Yes, I might not understand, so I'll call someone who does...—Sea monsters of Suzuka Mountain, listen up! Your leader, Ōtakemaru, has begun to sacrifice himself for you. Aren't you moved?"

The sound of reading aloud drifted leisurely throughout Kyoto.

Many of the sea monsters, still engaged in battle, shuddered.

Some of the sea monsters even reacted and rushed towards the center of the formation at an extremely fast speed.

"Cease fighting for now."

Seimei was instructing the others not to attack the sea monsters that were approaching the center of the formation.

They all understood what was going on and quickly moved aside to make it easier for the approaching sea monsters to reach them.

"...This method is interesting."

The red spider lily laughed.

Kagura, Su Yi, and the others gradually breathed a sigh of relief.

Especially when they saw the sirens crying out in a pitiful voice, "Young Master! Young Master!", they immediately realized that the situation was beginning to change.

When a gloomy-looking old man arrived, he knelt down and loudly pleaded, "Young Master! Let's retreat!"

"teacher……"

At this moment, Ōtakemaru was stunned. Why was his teacher like this too?

"Young Master! Let's retreat!" The old man Haiming knelt down and pleaded again.

Ōtakemaru refused: "If we back down now, all our previous efforts will be in vain. We will never have such an opportunity again."

“…Young Master, Mount Suzuka is beyond repair.”

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Ōtakemaru suddenly shouted loudly.

Haiming looked up at Ōtakemaru with a pained expression:

“I deceived the young master. I originally planned to abandon Suzuka Mountain and make Kyoto our new territory. Suzuka Mountain can no longer receive any external power... or I was hoping that after the young master absorbs the power of Kyoto with the Yasakani no Magatama, he can lead us to establish a home in the new land.”

Ōtakemaru finally stopped what he was doing, and Kōsaka Kyōsuke simply let go of his hands that were holding him down.

"Haiming, you..."

"Without a valid reason, I knew you wouldn't attack Kyoto, Young Master. I deceived you. If you sacrifice yourself, everything will be meaningless!"

"Hai Ming..."

Ōtakemaru stared blankly at the sky, lost in a daze, looking to outsiders like an old man on his deathbed.

Kyosuke Kosaka wondered if he should say something, but then realized that nothing he said would be appropriate.

Forget it.

"You must also pay for the sins of the Sea Kingdom."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who had already arrived, spoke out.

Following the sound, Ōtakemaru looked at Minamoto no Yorimitsu, and then saw his clansmen kneeling down, begging him not to sacrifice them, yet suffering from various injuries. A deep sense of sorrow welled up in his heart.

He chuckled, slowly opened his arms downwards, and gradually floated up.

"As the young master of Suzuka Mountain, I should bear the blood debts of everyone..."

Kyosuke Kosaka quickly stepped aside.

"a!"

"Kyosuke-sama!"

One by one, the women surrounded Kyosuke Kousaka.

Kyosuke Kosaka smiled sheepishly, "Sorry to have worried you all..."

"What a dangerous thing!"

With tears welling up in her eyes, Su Chang finally cried for the first time.

As if infected, Kagura, Suyi, Kingyo-hime, Yoto-hime, Hakuro, and others also had red eyes.

Kousaka Kyosuke coughed dryly, at a loss, watching the spider lilies as if they were watching a show, feeling quite helpless.

Looking up at the sky again, Ōtakemaru was gradually turning into specks of light and beginning to dissipate.

"I started this war by my own hand, and I should end it as well. This is my final order, young master—you must live on..."

After saying that, Kyosuke Kousaka could only see the smile on Ootakemaru's face as he looked at the sea monsters, and then he could see nothing more.

Just then, the sun broke through the darkness.

Another new day has begun.

Kyosuke Kousaka glanced at the siren kneeling on the ground, sobbing, and shook his head inwardly. "They really have the air of someone living a simple life. Saying sorry is all they want..."

237. Post-war rest/voyeurism/feast/resumption of schedule

The sun shines brightly.

At dawn, the air in Kyoto was still thick with the chill and bloodshed of the great battle.

The battle, which began at midnight, lasted all night.