That feeling of being watched—Satsuki had already sensed it several times along the way.
With the insight of her Tenseigan and reverse detection, she had roughly pinpointed the source within the Imperial Palace of Heian-kyō. Naturally, the most likely culprits were the Onmyōji.
"It seems the Onmyōji of Heian-kyō aren't all useless fools. At the very least, they must have some grasp of the current situation…"
Thinking this, a flicker of Vipralopa energy shimmered across Satsuki's form, severing that sense of surveillance in an instant.
...
Among the eight nodes of the spiral seal, seven were occupied by temples or the estates of great nobles—hardly suitable places to visit at this moment.
The only one that fit her purpose was the Fushimi Inari Shrine, headquarters of the greater Fushimi Inari complex.
It should be noted that Fushimi Inari Shrine and Fushimi Inari Grand Shrine were not the same concept—the latter served as the headquarters of the former. Most of the women rescued from Shuten Nyōko's domain had been placed in branch shrines, not the main one.
Such a grand shrine, of course, required sufficient prestige and power to maintain appearances, with shrine maidens and Onmyōji stationed to preserve spiritual stability.
Given Satsuki's current identity as a shrine maiden, visiting a local shrine was perfectly reasonable.
Fushimi Inari Shrine was said to be located in the northern district—but the so-called northern district was not particularly prosperous. It sat upon the flat slopes between the three peaks of Mount Inari.
Following the endless line of red torii gates up the mountain, Satsuki soon beheld the shrine's most iconic sight—the stone fox statues standing solemnly on either side of the path.
According to legend, these foxes shared a deep connection with the deity worshiped here.
Inari, also known as Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami or Ukanomitama, was called the "Three Fox God" in popular folklore—the child of Susanoo-no-Mikoto and Ōyamatsumi's daughter, Ōichi-hime.
Inari was the kami of grains and food in Japanese mythology, a guardian of harvest and prosperity. Legends claimed the deity sometimes appeared as a man, sometimes as a woman, and at times even took the form of a spider or other creatures.
The fox served as Inari's primary divine messenger, for foxes hunted rats—creatures harmful to agriculture.
Ordinary visitors would feel nothing special upon seeing these stone foxes. Yet through Satsuki's Tenseigan, she perceived a strange contradiction within each statue.
From every carved fox emanated both demonic energy and malice—not weak by any means—intertwined with traces of spiritual power and purification energy.
These two forces maintained a delicate balance within the stone bodies.
If not for Fushimi Inari Shrine's role as one of the sealing nodes, this equilibrium would likely have already been broken.
After passing through hundreds, even thousands of vermilion torii gates forming a passage up Mount Inari, Satsuki finally stepped past the rows of fox statues. Before her, the Fushimi Inari Shrine came fully into view.
Although it was already late in the afternoon, the shrine grounds were as crowded as ever—no less lively than any other place in Heian-kyō.
After all, Inari was the god of agriculture and commerce. Worshippers—both locals and travelers—came weekly or monthly to pray for bountiful harvests and prosperous trade.
When Satsuki, dressed in a black kimono, arrived at the site, she naturally drew a great deal of attention.
Her overall presentation contrasted sharply with the practical and reserved attire worn by most others present. She wore high-heeled footwear that emphasized the shape and posture of her legs, which were covered in sheer tights that revealed the tone of her thighs through the translucent fabric. Her kimono had been styled to leave the upper portion of her chest partially uncovered, exposing a portion of her cleavage and drawing further focus to the curvature of her body.
Some observers seemed to mistake her for an oiran (high-ranking courtesan). However, those who considered approaching froze the instant they met her golden eyes. A chilling sense of extreme danger struck their hearts like lightning. It vanished as swiftly as it came, leaving them unable even to grasp the fear they had felt—only the instinctive urge to step back and keep their distance.
Thus, an oddly captivating scene unfolded: amid the bustling main path of Fushimi Inari Shrine, a visually arresting woman walked calmly at the center, while the people on either side instinctively moved away—creating a clear path for her as though by unseen command.
The moment she stepped into the shrine's domain, Satsuki's eyes narrowed slightly.
This feeling was different.
Unlike Yasaka Shrine or Katori Shrine, both of which radiated profound divine grace and powerful sacred barriers that filled the air with holiness and solemnity—
This place felt... something else entirely.
Yet compared to the solemn divinity of Yasaka and Katori Shrines, the Fushimi Inari Shrine before her felt far more worldly—or rather, grounded in mortal affairs.
It was bustling, noisy, and vibrant. But amid that noise, Satsuki could also detect a faint undercurrent of corruption drifting in the air.
As she tried to trace the source of that impurity within the shrine grounds, a boy's voice suddenly came from beside her, interrupting her focus.
"Honored guest, hello! May I ask if you've come to offer prayers to Lord Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami?"
Hearing that voice, Satsuki momentarily stopped her investigation.
Without turning her head, her Tenseigan's 360-degree vision presented a perfect image of the speaker before her eyes.
It was a young Onmyōji boy dressed in hunting robes, wearing a black-lacquered eboshi hat. He looked quite young, and his garments bore no insignia denoting rank—meaning he was likely an Onmyō trainee, still in his apprenticeship period.
Not far away, several other boys around the same age were sneaking glances at her from behind the shrine pillars, whispering and giggling nervously.
Satsuki paid them little mind. She had long since grown accustomed to such reactions. With calm indifference, she spoke softly, "And you are?"
The boy, flustered by being addressed by such a breathtakingly beautiful woman, tried hard to maintain composure—but his voice came out awkward and stammering: "I-I'm Hanakaiin Kaede! I like grilled saury and roasted oysters… Currently, I'm a trainee Onmyōji here at Fushimi Inari Shrine, but my dream is to become a great Onmyōji who will make all of Kyoto know my name!"
Hearing that answer, Satsuki couldn't help but feel as though she had wandered into the scene of a Japanese anime.
It wasn't just the boy's enthusiasm—it was that unmistakable tone of youthful pride mixed with endearing foolishness. For a brief moment, Satsuki almost thought this boy might actually be the "protagonist" of this world.
But such was the way of fate—each person had their own karmic path to follow.
"Well then, future Great Onmyōji Hanakaiin Kaede," Satsuki said mildly, "I would like to pay my respects to Inari. Would now be a convenient time?"
The young Onmyōji's face lit up immediately, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Of course! That's exactly my duty!"
But before he could take a single step, a sudden commotion erupted outside the shrine.
A man wearing a straw hat came running in from beyond the torii gates, his expression filled with panic and terror. His voice cracked as he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Master~! Help! Please, help me!"
Satsuki couldn't help but glance at the man shouting in panic—and with just that single look, she noticed something rather interesting.
"It seems that man needs help far more than I do," Satsuki said lightly, nodding toward the panicked stranger as she addressed Hanakaiin Kaede.
"Uh… yeah," the young Onmyōji muttered, sounding somewhat deflated.
Before he could say more, two other boys around his age—junior Onmyōji assistants without noble lineage or talent, usually relegated to menial positions—emerged from one of the shrine halls. They glanced briefly at Kaede and said respectfully, "Young Master Kaede, our superior requests that you escort this guest to the main hall."
"Yes," Kaede replied.
He cast one last, reluctant glance in Satsuki's direction before giving up on continuing their conversation under the watchful eyes of his companions.
With a rather sullen expression, he walked toward the approaching man. Yet the moment Kaede came within a certain distance, an overwhelming sense of danger suddenly surged through his body. Acting on pure reflex, he leapt backward instantly.
The gloomy look on his face vanished, replaced by sharp vigilance. "Sir," he said firmly, "please come with me at once."
"Ah! Onmyōji-sama, please save me!"
The man removed his straw hat, revealing a face pale as death. Even his voice trembled as he spoke.
Despite his youth, Hanakaiin Kaede maintained composure. Softening his tone slightly, he said, "Sir, this isn't the place to talk. Please, follow us to the audience hall."
As he spoke, he discreetly cast a calming charm.
The frightened man seemed to feel some measure of reassurance from the young Onmyōji's presence. His breathing steadied, his color returned slightly, and he finally managed to compose himself.
"Yes…" he murmured.
At that moment, Satsuki interjected. "I am a wandering shrine maiden. Perhaps I can offer some assistance as well."
"Shrine… maiden?" The three young Onmyōji looked at her in surprise. "But your attire—?"
Satsuki brushed aside the question smoothly. "That isn't important right now. Shouldn't our focus be on this troubled guest?"
"Ah—yes, of course!" the three boys said quickly, regaining their senses.
Under the curious gazes of the surrounding visitors, they led the man into a secluded room within the shrine.
Once seated, Hanakaiin Kaede began, "You seem quite shaken. Has something happened to you?"
The man fidgeted nervously, rubbing his hands together as he spoke. "I… I've been cursed."
"Cursed?!"
The three young Onmyōji immediately perked up. They had sensed something strange about the man's aura, yet none of them possessed the skill to identify it. And since the man had no spiritual power himself, how could he so confidently declare that he was cursed?
"Why do you think that?" Kaede asked.
The man's mannerisms betrayed no deceit. His pallid face, trembling voice, and restless movements all spoke of genuine fear.
"I've been having… the same dream over and over again," he said. "And it's not just any dream—it's deeply disturbing."
One of the young Onmyōji asked, "Could it simply be an ordinary nightmare?"
"At first, I thought so too," the man replied. "But it's far more than that…"
He began to describe the vision.
"A place of only black and white. When I become aware of myself, I'm already standing among a long line of people…
"Everyone in that line seems to be controlled by something unseen. Their heads hang low, and every so often, the entire crowd shuffles forward exactly one step—precisely the space of a single person.
"I looked toward the very front of the line… and saw something horrifying. The person at the head stepped up onto a tree stump, leaned forward over it… and then…"
At this point, the man swallowed hard and continued tremblingly, "Then… I saw a woman with a spider clinging to her face. She was holding a huge axe—and with a single swing, she chopped off that person's head!
"Black blood sprayed into the air, splattering into a wooden bowl placed beside the stump. And then—I saw another woman, also with a spider crawling on her face, appear. She was holding a massive spider in her hands.
"She placed the spider on another wooden board, stabbed it with a dagger, and killed it. Then, one of the women took the dead spider, while the other held the bowl filled with blood. They threw both into a large boiling cauldron set in the center.
"Something within that cauldron seemed to be struggling to emerge, but one of the shrine maidens pressed it down forcefully.
"All the others in the line seemed oblivious to what was happening before them. The person at the front of the queue stepped up to the stump, rested his head upon it, and placed his hands behind his back.
"Then—the entire line moved forward one step again…
"I was terrified. Even though it was a dream, I could feel a chilling evil wrapping around me. My teeth were chattering, my body trembling. I wanted to run, but I was too afraid that those two horrifying women would notice me.
"Just when I was on the brink of despair, I noticed someone else within that dilapidated temple. Aside from us and those two women, there was another person in the center, digging into the dirt with bare hands. And that person's face—I knew it all too well!"
"Who was it?" Hanakaiin Kaede asked sternly.
"It was me!" the man exclaimed, his voice filled with horror. "That man—I could see his face clearly even within the dream. It was another me! But he seemed to be controlled by something, moving mechanically as he kept digging into the ground with his hands.
"When I saw that, I was so scared I couldn't move. And then—suddenly, a group of samurai burst in from outside!
"They killed everyone in sight. They cut down those two women with spiders on their faces, and they slaughtered all the people standing in line.
"When one of the samurai raised his sword toward me, I thought I was done for. I shut my eyes tightly, shaking my head and covering my face with both hands, praying desperately for mercy.
"But then—a miracle happened. The samurai didn't strike me down. Instead, he stared at me as if trying to confirm something… and then he suddenly grabbed me, lifted me up, and threw me aside."
"And then?" Satsuki asked calmly from nearby.
The man's tone carried no trace of relief at surviving—only sheer, suffocating terror.
"Then… I woke up," he said hoarsely. "But when I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in that very same place from my dream. In front of me was a half-dug pit in the ground—I had somehow gotten up from my bed and gone there to dig, without any memory of doing so. And this… this has been happening for seven days straight."