Chapter 159: Conversation
The root of the Underworld's order.
To Kasugano Sora, it was an extremely unfamiliar term.
Of course, perhaps her level was simply too low. She had only stepped into this mysterious field for less than a year. It was natural that she did not understand what the reincarnation of Tsuchimikado Yakou, that rare Onmyoji of the past, meant by the root of the Underworld's order.
She was much more familiar with the source of Yin energy after everything that had happened over the past few days.
But judging only from the words themselves, anything connected to both "root" and "order" could not possibly be simple.
However, let alone Kasugano Sora, a newcomer, even old monsters like Miyoshi Tōgo, Amami Daizen, Kurahashi Genji, and Tsuchimikado Arima would likely struggle to give an accurate answer if they were suddenly asked to explain what the root of the Underworld's order truly was.
"The root of the Underworld's order, huh."
Gin Tsumugi's eyes showed traces of thought and recollection.
"It feels both familiar and strange."
In truth, that thing had always been part of "his" plan.
Unfortunately, even after sealing the entire Underworld, "he" still seemed to have failed to achieve that goal.
It was not due to insufficient strength.
Rather, it had been an issue of opportunity.
Because the role-playing system had not yet advanced to that stage, what Gin knew now was more like general historical information, not the vivid personal experience of returning to the Heian Period and reliving a thousand years.
Still, general historical information was enough to guarantee authenticity.
"However..."
Gin paused.
His gaze locked onto Tsuchimikado Harutora.
"Tsuchimikado Harutora, since you know what the root of the Underworld's order is, you should also understand one thing."
"Even if you were in your prime, trying to seize it would be no different from a moth flying into the flame."
His voice remained calm.
"Let alone in your current situation, where you can barely protect yourself."
It was not that Gin looked down on Tsuchimikado Harutora, nor on the rare Onmyoji from half a century ago.
Even if Tsuchimikado Harutora eliminated all his hidden dangers and advanced further into the realm of a Great Onmyoji, the root of the Underworld's order was not something he could touch.
Calling it a moth to the flame was not an exaggeration.
One had to understand that the moment someone truly dared to lay a hand on that root, they would face the attack of the entire Underworld.
Demons.
Ghost Gods.
Every buried thing in that realm would stir.
Even the unconscious order of the Underworld itself would generate hostility and suppress them.
That kind of rejection was far more severe than the repulsion Gin was currently experiencing from the Underworld's order.
Furthermore, Gin did not believe Tsuchimikado Harutora had the qualifications to discuss seizing the root of the Underworld's order with him.
At the very least, there should have been no visible foundation for a trade between them.
Since there was no foundation for a trade, then Tsuchimikado Harutora mentioning an "unequal trade" earlier became even more impossible.
However, Tsuchimikado Harutora seemed to understand that Gin did not recognize his qualifications.
Without a word, he unbuttoned the top of his uniform.
Beneath the fabric, lines were carved across his sallow skin.
Around those lines were mantra patterns, Sanskrit characters, and divine scripts arranged like tattoos. Together, they formed an incredibly profound array.
Its essence was even more obscure and difficult to understand than the Taizan Fukun Festival.
Gin's eyes changed slightly.
"Is it that?"
Surprise flashed across his face.
Then understanding followed.
"I see."
He looked at Tsuchimikado Harutora again, and this time his gaze held a rare trace of appreciation.
"I am impressed that you were able to dig this Forbidden Spell out of the Tsuchimikado records, and even complete it."
"Tsuchimikado Harutora, I must admit I have to look at you in a new light."
"Ancestor, you overpraise me."
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Tsuchimikado Harutora calmly buttoned his clothes again.
"I merely followed the footsteps of my predecessors."
After a pause, he added, "After all, this Forbidden Spell was originally created by you, Ancestor."
"Even following in another's footsteps to this extent is quite remarkable."
Gin did not deny it.
"At the very least, as the creator of this Forbidden Spell, I never tested it on myself even once."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The massive Spiritual Disaster that broke out in Tokyo must have happened right after the Taizan Fukun Festival was performed."
"Then this Forbidden Spell followed immediately after."
Gin now understood.
He finally saw where Tsuchimikado Harutora's confidence in coming here to discuss a trade came from.
He had been hiding this trump card all along.
"Wasn't the Spiritual Disaster in Tokyo caused by Tsuchimikado Yakou failing to perform the Taizan Fukun Festival?"
Kasugano Sora asked in confusion.
Facing the question from his temporary little secretary, Gin explained patiently.
"If the Taizan Fukun Festival had truly failed, then the reincarnation of Tsuchimikado Yakou standing before you would not be appearing openly in front of us now."
Kasugano Sora paused.
That was true.
If it had failed, it would naturally have produced no result.
In other words, reincarnation and rebirth would have been impossible.
"What he just showed carved onto his skin is a Forbidden Spell."
Gin continued, "More accurately, it is a derivative Forbidden Spell of the Taizan Fukun Festival."
"You can understand it as a superior version of the Taizan Fukun Festival."
"In fact, the matter of Tsuchimikado Yakou performing a Forbidden Spell superior to the Taizan Fukun Festival is not exactly a secret."
"At the very least, many senior figures in the Onmyōdō world have already guessed this."
"What they might not know is that for this superior Forbidden Spell to be fully completed and perfected, one must first undergo reincarnation through the Taizan Fukun Festival."
Gin looked at Tsuchimikado Harutora.
Or rather, he looked at the superior Forbidden Spell engraved upon him.
Precisely because the condition for its completion required the Taizan Fukun Festival as a foundation, "he," as the creator, had only devised it and had never truly executed it.
After all, from certain perspectives, the conditions simply had not allowed it.
"So that is how it is."
Kasugano Sora nodded.
She seemed to understand, yet not fully.
She only realized that the longer she stayed beside the Director, the more secrets of the Onmyōdō world naturally unfolded before her eyes.
"I wonder if using myself and this Forbidden Spell as the price qualifies me to trade with you, Ancestor?"
Tsuchimikado Harutora tapped his chest with his thumb.
Gin remained silent for a few moments.
Then he looked at Tsuchimikado Harutora and said, "I must admit, Tsuchimikado Harutora, you have indeed brought something that interests me."
His tone remained calm.
"Tell me. What are the core details of this unequal trade of yours?"
The moment Gin said this, joy appeared on Tsuchimikado Harutora's face.
The haze and heavy stone that had been pressing on his heart for so many days finally showed signs of being lifted.
He immediately raised three fingers.
"Thirty percent."
His gaze was serious.
"I need thirty percent of the root of the Underworld's order that Ancestor seizes this time."
"You certainly have quite the appetite."
Gin glanced at him.
"You really dare to ask for that much."
Tsuchimikado Harutora shook his head.
"This is the compensation I deserve."
"Of course, this is also where the trade seems unequal to you, Ancestor."
He met Gin's eyes directly.
"But without me as bait, no matter how heaven-defying your strength may be, you likely would not be able to find the dimension where the root of the Underworld's order is hidden."
"It is not something as simple as a mere spatial interstice."
The superior Forbidden Spell engraved upon his body had carried that purpose since it was created by the Ancestor before him.
It could locate the position of the root of the Underworld's order hidden within an unknown dimension.
Without his assistance, no matter how powerful this Ancestor was, finding that location would be impossible.
This was the source of Tsuchimikado Harutora's confidence.
It was also why he dared to demand thirty percent of the root of the Underworld's order from this living myth of Onmyōdō.
"You certainly know how to gloss over the difficult parts and hide everything unfavorable to you."
A cryptic smile curved Gin's lips.
"Tsuchimikado Harutora, the prerequisite for you to activate that Forbidden Spell is for me to help you kill the Ghost God that has been coveting you."
"That is additional content in this trade."
"Furthermore, when facing the backlash of the entire Underworld, you seem unable to help much."
His voice cooled.
"In other words, you want thirty percent of the root of the Underworld's order with nothing but a set of coordinates."
"Isn't that a little ignorant and greedy?"
By the time Gin finished speaking, the smile on his lips had vanished.
Only coldness remained.
"Ancestor... then twenty percent."
Tsuchimikado Harutora's expression tightened.
"That is my bottom line."
The previous thirty percent had been an intentionally inflated offer meant to leave room for negotiation.
He had not expected to almost overreach and ruin everything.
"Thirty percent. Twenty percent."
Gin's tone was flat.
"Stop indulging in wishful thinking."
"Do not try to use that so-called unequal trick on me."
He looked at Harutora.
"Five percent."
"I will only give you five percent."
Tsuchimikado Harutora's expression changed instantly.
"Ancestor, I am the one who must become bait to locate the coordinates of the root of the Underworld's order."
His voice became heavier.
"For only five percent, I am afraid I cannot comply."
However, Tsuchimikado Harutora did not turn and leave in anger.
He still maintained a certain level of reason.
After all, with his current predicament, the only person in all of Onmyōdō who could help him with absolute certainty was the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei standing before him.
"Tsuchimikado Harutora."
Gin looked at him calmly.
"Right now, you are the one begging me."
"Not the other way around."
"You should put away your so-called unequal trade and your bluff about thirty percent of the root of the Underworld's order."
"Even if I gave you none of it, you would have no grounds to complain."
His words were extremely blunt.
"Moreover, five percent of the root of the Underworld's order is more than enough for you to completely repair the defects in your soul and successfully advance into the realm of a Great Onmyoji."
Looking at Tsuchimikado Harutora's grim face, Gin's eyes gained a faint chill.
"Tsuchimikado Harutora, do you truly believe that the Forbidden Spell engraved on your body belongs to you?"
To outsiders, that sentence might have sounded completely nonsensical.
But in Tsuchimikado Harutora's ears, it exploded like spring thunder.
His face changed drastically.
He instantly thought of a certain possibility and retreated several steps.
At the same time, two extremely powerful figures appeared and blocked his path.
Their eyes watched Gin warily.
On the left stood a giant of a man nearly two meters tall. He wore a suit, had short golden hair, and only one arm.
On the right stood a woman with fox ears and a fox tail.
Both of them emitted intense pressure.
They were both existences at the level of Great Yokai.
However, they restrained their aura very well.
Except for those nearby, neither the teachers nor the students of the Onmyō Academy sensed anything at all.
"These are Tsuchimikado Yakou's shikigami, Hishimaru and Kakugyouki."
Kasugano Sora had heard of these two famous shikigami.
"Ibaraki Dōji and an atavistic member of the Tsuchimikado Clan."
Gin merely swept a glance across Kakugyouki, formerly Ibaraki Dōji, before his gaze finally settled on Hishimaru.
Such an atavistic member of the Tsuchimikado Clan was extremely rare.
Aside from Tsuchimikado Natsume, this Hishimaru before him was the first one he had seen.
However, there was an extremely mysterious karmic connection between her and Tsuchimikado Natsume.
It carried the aura of reincarnation, space, and time.
Quite interesting.
"Lord Seimei!"
"Ancestor!"
Kakugyouki and Hishimaru remained deeply wary of Gin.
But they were still extremely respectful.
After all, the person before them was the myth of Onmyōdō.
The Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei.
No one dared to show even the slightest insolence before him.
"If even two Great Yokai by your side cannot stop that Underworld Ghost God from eroding you, it seems it is no ordinary character."
Leaving aside Hishimaru's strength, Kakugyouki alone possessed power close to Tsuchigumo's.
From this, one could easily deduce that the Ghost God secretly eroding Tsuchimikado Harutora possessed power surpassing Tsuchigumo.
Perhaps it even rivaled existences like Daitengu.
Deep within the Underworld, it was not impossible for several ancient Ghost Gods comparable to Daitengu, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Shuten-dōji to be hidden.
After all, the Underworld was too vast.
It had existed for far too long.
Too many things were buried there.
However, for Tsuchimikado Harutora to encounter something like that could only be called a form of "luck."
"Tsuchimikado Harutora."
Gin turned away.
"I have said what needs to be said."
"I will wait for your answer at the Onmyō Academy."
With that, Gin led Kasugano Sora toward the main teaching hall.
"Lord Yakou."
Hishimaru looked at Tsuchimikado Harutora with concern.
Tsuchimikado Harutora watched Gin disappear from sight.
Then he shook his head slightly.
"I'm fine."
He exhaled slowly.
"It is just that this ancestor from the outside is truly and exceptionally domineering."
His eyes lowered.
"If I exceed the time he has given me, he will likely seize the Forbidden Spell from my body directly."
A brief silence.
"Or perhaps even control me and force me to activate it."
To that, Tsuchimikado Harutora had nothing to say.
After all, the person before him was the myth of Onmyōdō.
The Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei.
Even if Tsuchimikado Harutora's strength fully recovered, he would not be a match for him.
Let alone now.
....
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