"Save the tears for later. We should put some distance between us and that thing."
Kawashima Toya let out a short laugh, grabbing Jashin-chan as he vanished from the altar.
In an instant, they were back beside Hanazono Yurine and Nyaruko.
Toya set the demon down, his gaze fixed on the sarcophagus.
"Is he coming out?"
He could feel the presence within the coffin surging. Having siphoned Jashin-chan's energy, the dormant corpse was rapidly awakening.
.....
Abe no Seimei's Tomb
The silence was shattered as the coffin erupted in a violent tremor. A pillar of obsidian and crimson light shot toward the ceiling, blowing the heavy stone lid into the air.
From the wreckage, a young man slowly sat up. He had flowing, blue-black hair and piercing grey eyes. His features were striking, accented by intricate purple markings across his face.
A localized hurricane of malevolent energy swept through the underground chamber.
"A pity. I was only a hair's breadth away from a full restoration."
The youth stood up stiffly, offering the group a thin, elegant smile.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I am Abe no Seimei, a humble Onmyoji."
The moment he finished speaking, an overwhelming wave of killing intent crashed against them.
"So you really did come back," Toya remarked, entirely unfazed. "I take it you aren't planning to be friendly?"
Abe no Seimei nodded, his smile deepening. "A thousand years of slumber is taxing. You interrupted my ritual just now, so I must ask for compensation."
"I ask for your understanding. To ensure that the great Abe no Seimei truly returns to this world, I'm afraid you all must be sacrificed."
His grey eyes, filled with absolute malice, swept over the group. He looked pleased.
"Wonderful. A shrine maiden, a powerful fighter... and a high-ranking demon."
When his eyes landed on Nyaruko, however, he hesitated.
How strange. Who is this girl?
Why does her presence fill me with such instinctive dread?
He felt a primal fear bubbling up from his soul, yet he couldn't quite place her identity.
"Damn that 'White' Seimei," he cursed under his breath before forcing his eerie smile back into place.
"Your power shall serve as the foundation for my peak. Spirit Bind!"
With a cold command, ropes of crimson-black energy hissed through the air toward Toya's group.
"If this is your best, it's a bit underwhelming," Toya said, his expression turning strange. "Do you really think this is enough to stop me? It's almost laughable."
With a casual flick of his wrist, a blade of clear light swept through the air. The energy ropes were severed instantly, dissolving into harmless sparks.
[Name: Abe no Seimei (Black)]
[Level: Master (Currently declining) / Transcendent (Potential if fused)]
[Description: A millennium ago, Abe no Seimei was contaminated by an Outer God. To survive, he used the Art of Yin-Yang Separation to split himself into two entities: Light and Dark. Each inherited half of his memories and power. Over the centuries, the 'White' Seimei has faded away. Only the 'Black' Seimei remains, clinging to existence through dark sorcery.]
Toya stared at the ancient Onmyoji. "Abe no Seimei, just rest in peace. This era no longer belongs to you."
"You were a legendary figure of the Heian period. You should leave with your dignity intact."
"Hmph, ignorant whelp!"
Black Seimei snarled. He forced his stiff hands to form a seal, but his half-formed body lacked the fluidity required for high-speed incantations.
"The only one being ignorant here is you."
Toya let out a soft sigh, gripping the hilt of Murasame as he walked toward the sorcerer.
Yurine watched with a cold expression. "Kawashima-kun, don't hold back."
"Yeah! Avenge me!" Jashin-chan shouted, waving a weak hand from the floor.
With every step Toya took, his aura exploded outward like a cataclysmic flood, shaking the foundations of the cavern.
"Mystery has long since vanished... How can a fighter like you even exist?"
Black Seimei's eyes were wide with shock.
"I was the one who exhausted the world's Mystery! I traded it all to ensure the peace of the coming eras! There should be no one left who can walk this path! Even if there were, they shouldn't be this strong!"
His memories were absolute; the foundation of Mystery should have been depleted. A few minor practitioners might exist, but a monster like Toya—someone who could rival him in his prime—was an impossibility.
"No! I refuse to die!"
Black Seimei struggled, desperately cycling through every spell in his repertoire. But as his level continued to drop toward the Expert tier, he found himself unable to manifest any of them. His rigid shell couldn't even manage a retreat. He could only watch as death approached.
"The times have changed. It's time for you to go."
In the distance, Nyaruko and Jashin-chan were watching with interest. Only Yurine looked away with a hint of sorrow. The historical records described Abe no Seimei as a refined, elegant master. To see him reduced to this was a tragedy.
Toya's eyes remained calm as he raised Murasame.
"As the savior of the new era, I offer my thanks to the savior of the old."
"You saved the Heian era and gifted the final remnants of that age's Mystery to the future. You gave me the possibility of saving this world. For that, I am grateful."
"And so, the savior of the new era bears witness to your end."
Black Seimei made one final, desperate plea. "Since I am the reason you exist... you have no right to kill me!"
Flash.
A blinding arc of sword-light illuminated the darkness of the underground tomb.
Slowly, the body of Black Seimei began to flake away, dissolving into dust as it returned to the earth. The last remnant of the Heian era had finally vanished.
Toya sheathed Murasame and walked back to the girls. "Let's go. It's over."
"Yurine-san, don't be too disappointed in him. That was the 'Black' half—the manifestation of his darkest survival instincts. As for the 'White' half, the noble part of him... that likely dissipated during the feast of the Outer Gods long ago."
Yurine blinked, a soft smile finally touching her face. "Thank you."
Toya's explanation settled the conflict in her heart. The group made their way out of the tomb and returned to the surface.
.....
Wakura Onsen Village
Shortly after they left the burial site, a figure arrived at the tomb in total silence. The person stood at the edge of the massive hole in the shrine, staring down into the abyss.
Is he gone?
The figure was exceptionally tall, standing like a small giant. Even from a distance, the sheer pressure of his aura was staggering.
Back at the onsen, Toya was in a celebratory mood.
"Eat as much as you want today. It's all on me."
Having acquired such a massive collection of Onmyodo texts, a big feast was a small price to pay to thank Yurine for the information. In the system shop, such a library would have cost him at least five hundred points.
"I won't be polite then!"
Jashin-chan snatched the menu from Hinatsuru Akina and began checking off items rapidly.
Toya watched her, confused. Is she sick? Why is she only picking vegetables?
Suddenly, Jashin-chan looked up with a smirk. "Exclude everything I just checked... and bring ten orders of everything else on the menu!"
Yurine immediately delivered a heavy chop to the demon's head. "Can you even finish that much?!"