Chapter 161: The Duel Site
"Heh heh heh... Seimei, I didn't expect you to still remember the little tricks we used to play together."
Ashiya Dōman laughed strangely.
However, from the expression on his face, it was not difficult to tell that he was excited.
Extremely excited.
Almost overjoyed.
It was as though he had finally met an old friend he had not seen for many years.
"Seimei, to have the honor of meeting you again in this era is truly my luck and good fortune."
Ashiya Dōman looked at Gin Tsumugi and smiled.
"Doesn't history say the Director and Master Dōman were enemies?"
Seeing this scene, Kasugano Sora could not help muttering in confusion.
"Why does it feel like this?"
In her memory, many movies, dramas, and historical records portrayed Ashiya Dōman as an evil Onmyoji.
He was also said to be the Director's only true rival.
Moreover, the Ashiya Dōman standing before her did indeed match those descriptions rather closely.
No matter how one looked at him, he did not seem like a good person.
Even today, Ashiya Mounds, Dōman Mounds, and Dōman Wells still remained throughout Japan.
Those places showed the lingering fear and strange reverence people still held toward this evil Onmyoji.
"Heh heh... little girl."
Ashiya Dōman turned his gaze toward Kasugano Sora.
"Most things written in history are inaccurate."
The moment his eyes landed on her, Kasugano Sora's heart tightened.
For one brief instant, she felt as though she had been stared down by something terrifying.
"Besides..."
Ashiya Dōman's smile deepened.
"Compared to this master of yours, the things I have done are hardly worth mentioning."
Before Kurahashi Miyoshi and Kasugano Sora could fully understand what he meant, Gin interrupted him directly.
"Master Dōman."
Gin looked at the ghostly figure before him.
"For a mere Onmyōdō duel, you went so far as to deliver a challenge letter to the Onmyō Academy. Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
"No, no, no."
Ashiya Dōman hurriedly shook his head.
"Seimei, perhaps in your eyes, this is only a small matter. A mere Onmyōdō duel, not something worth caring about."
His expression became intoxicated.
"Just like a thousand years ago, you have always possessed grander ambitions and desires."
"But in my eyes, climbing toward the end of Onmyōdō, peering into its abyss, that is my lifelong desire and ambition."
"The brilliance and vastness of Onmyōdō are enough to completely fill my seven emotions and six desires."
His voice trembled, not with fear, but with obsession.
"That is what an Onmyoji should pursue."
"Unlike the Onmyoji of today, who have long since lost their heart for exploration and knowledge."
The next moment, his face twisted with anger.
"That fellow Tsuchimikado Yakou completely destroyed my beloved Onmyōdō beyond recognition."
"Detestable."
"Detestable."
"Hateful... truly hateful..."
Ashiya Dōman's mood shifted violently.
One moment he seemed intoxicated.
The next, furious.
Then he began shouting over the current state of Onmyōdō.
Kasugano Sora was frightened by his instability and could not help taking several steps back, instinctively moving closer to Gin.
"Master Dōman."
Gin shook his head.
"A thousand years ago and today are two completely different eras."
"The changes in Onmyōdō followed the times. No one can say absolutely whether that is good or bad."
He glanced at Dōman.
"One can only say that the Onmyōdō of today is perhaps what best suits the Onmyoji of this era."
Regarding the transformation and evolution of Onmyōdō, Gin did not possess Ashiya Dōman's deep, almost obsessive attachment.
In his view, whether it was the Onmyōdō of a thousand years ago or the Onmyōdō of today, they were simply different choices made by Onmyoji of different eras.
There was no need to force a distinction between superior and inferior.
"Besides."
Gin's voice remained calm.
"You did not come here to argue with me about settled matters in Onmyōdō, did you?"
That reminder finally pulled Ashiya Dōman back from his frenzy.
"It seems I have become too attached to this matter."
Ashiya Dōman shook his head with a sigh.
"In this regard, I am still not as open-minded as you, Seimei."
Then he looked at Gin again.
"Seimei, I originally wanted to choose Kyoto, the old site of the Onmyōryō, as the place for our Onmyōdō duel."
His tone carried regret.
"Unfortunately, after Hagoromo Gitsune and the others ran wild there, Kyoto has become ruins."
"It is no longer worthy of the duel site I imagined."
A pause.
Then Ashiya Dōman suddenly pointed at the ground beneath his feet.
"How about here?"
His smile became eerie.
"In certain ways, the Onmyō Academy might be even more interesting."
Kurahashi Miyoshi's face instantly turned pale.
She hurriedly stepped forward.
"Please reconsider carefully."
Her voice carried urgency.
"The Onmyō Academy cannot withstand a battle between the two of you."
In truth, she had already prepared the teachers and students for the worst case scenario.
The purpose was to prevent the Onmyō Academy from becoming the stage for a duel between these two lords.
One only needed to look at the current state of Nijō Castle and Kyoto to understand the consequences.
Although part of the destruction there had indeed been caused by the battle between Hagoromo Gitsune's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons and the Onmyoji, even more of it had come from the aftershocks of the battles involving Gin, Nue, and Daitengu.
If the Onmyō Academy truly became the stage of their duel, its total destruction would only be a matter of time.
And this was Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo.
The population density here was enormous.
There would not even be time to evacuate everyone.
The aftermath of a single Great Onmyō Art descending could create rivers of blood.
"Shrine maiden of Tsuchimikado Yakou."
Ashiya Dōman glanced at Kurahashi Miyoshi.
"I remember seeing you when you were young."
His voice turned cold.
"However, no one can stop my Onmyōdō duel."
"If your Onmyō Academy and the Onmyo Bureau wish to stop me, I do not mind destroying you right now."
Kurahashi Miyoshi felt as though she had fallen into an ice cellar.
She did not dare say another word.
She could only look toward Gin with a pleading gaze, hoping he could persuade Master Dōman to change his mind.
Unfortunately, she was disappointed.
"Even if I refuse this Onmyōdō duel, Master Dōman will likely continue pestering me."
Gin spoke calmly.
"Then let us set it at the Onmyō Academy."
Kurahashi Miyoshi's expression stiffened.
Gin continued, "After all, the site is still here."
His gaze moved slightly.
"It should at least be able to withstand one round from us."
"Heh heh heh... very well."
Ashiya Dōman's eerie laughter echoed through the office.
"Three days from now, I will arrive as promised."
Amid that laughter, Ashiya Dōman's figure completely dissipated into the air.
"Lord Seimei..."
Kurahashi Miyoshi looked at Gin, her expression filled with confusion and despair.
"Do not worry."
Gin's voice remained steady.
"I will ensure the entire Onmyō Academy remains safe and sound."
"Not even the slightest damage will be allowed."
"Truly?"
Kurahashi Miyoshi was immediately overjoyed.
"Is Lord Seimei's word true?"
"I originally thought that the site had completely vanished in the historical changes of the Onmyōryō."
Gin looked out the window.
"I did not expect it to actually be preserved in the hands of the Onmyō Academy."
"The site?"
Kurahashi Miyoshi was slightly confused.
"Yes."
Gin's gaze pierced through the glass and looked toward a certain place within the Onmyō Academy.
From there, a familiar aura was faintly spreading.
"A good site."
He said softly.
"Perfect for an Onmyōdō duel."
....
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