"Whoosh—!"
The moment Harutora's words fell, the hem of his raven-feathered cloak suddenly swayed forward.
That was the result of the gusts generated by his two guardian shikigami, who had transformed into swift winds and charged forward from their master's sides.
Kakugyoki and Hishamaru suddenly shot out at an astonishing speed, dashing toward Yashamaru and Kumomaru.
Without a doubt, it was a surprise attack.
"...!"
Yashamaru and Kumomaru instantly reacted.
"Kumomaru!"
Yashamaru called out, then abruptly dashed forward.
As for Kumomaru, he instead retreated, scooping up Takiko at some point, transforming into a ghostly black shadow, and swiftly retreating, creating distance from Kakugyoki and Hishamaru.
One moved forward to engage, while the other seized the opportunity to retreat—coordinating seamlessly.
Seeing this, Kakugyoki was the first to laugh.
"Let me handle this, Hishamaru."
Saying so, Kakugyoki's speed surged as he charged toward Yashamaru.
"Boom!"
With the sound of impact, the fists of the two ogre clashed, sending a violent surge of demonic energy through the air.
Kakugyoki and Yashamaru punched each other directly, their spiritual pressure intensifying and distorting the atmosphere.
At this, Kakugyoki raised an eyebrow and spoke.
"So it's true—once the little girl of the Souma family enters her awakened state, her guardian shikigami gain a power boost?"
If that weren't the case, Yashamaru wouldn't be able to hold his ground against Kakugyoki in a direct clash.
Shikigami had no flesh or blood; they were aggregates of miasma, spiritual energy, and jutsuryoku. Battles between them were essentially collisions of raw jutsuryoku, spiritual energy, and willpower—the stronger side would have an overwhelming advantage, one that couldn't be easily overturned.
And as a demon king who had accumulated power over a millennium, Kakugyoki's jutsuryoku was dominant. Even though Yashamaru was once one of the Twelve Divine Generals and had grown stronger after becoming a Yase Doji, he shouldn't have been able to match Kakugyoki.
However, the strength of a shikigami was also closely tied to its master's power. If the master's jutsuryoku was strong enough, the shikigami would become stronger as well.
It seemed that Yashamaru was benefiting from Takiko's awakened state, allowing him to stand toe-to-toe with Kakugyoki.
The only issue was…
"Your master may be present, but she's unconscious. Her loss of awareness will still weaken your power, won't it?"
As he spoke, Kakugyoki's demonic energy abruptly swelled, causing his body to expand, growing even larger.
"Boom!"
With an explosive sound, Yashamaru was blasted backward by the force of Kakugyoki's demonic energy.
At that moment, a shadow shot past the retreating Yashamaru at high speed, charging toward Kumomaru.
It was Hishamaru.
"Damn it…!"
Yashamaru's expression changed as he tried to react, but he was too late.
Kakugyoki's previous attack had already caused a fissure-like effect in Yashamaru's body, momentarily locking up his movements.
This was one of the weaknesses of shikigami. As spiritual entities, any physical attack that struck them would cause a fissuring effect, leading to momentary delays in movement.
This was precisely why mechanized shikigami were highly favored among Onmyo practitioners. Their substantial physical forms served as vessels, granting them high physical resistance, giving them a significant advantage over standard shikigami.
Of course, as a renowned Yase Doji and a former Divine General, Yashamaru had ways to mitigate this delay.
One method was to quickly cast a restraining spell.
For instance, a seed syllable incantation.
"——"
Yashamaru chanted the mantra of the Peacock King, an incantation capable of devouring poison and curses.
For demonic-type shikigami, this mantra was especially effective. Even for non-demonic shikigami—so long as they were composed of miasma—its effects were considerable.
Yashamaru aimed to use this to restrain Hishamaru, forcing him to halt.
However, unlike the Yase Doji, whose master was unconscious, Kakugyoki and Hishamaru's master was in peak condition.
"Order!"
With a calm and concise incantation, a talisman was cast, transforming into a barrier that intercepted Yashamaru's spell.
"Boom!"
The protective wall blocked the seed syllable incantation.
"Order!"
At the same time, Harutora coldly threw out another talisman, summoning roaring flames that surged toward Yashamaru.
Though it was merely a basic talisman technique, it placed immense pressure on Yashamaru.
The reason was simple: Harutora's timing was impeccable, striking in a way that left Yashamaru completely off guard.
"This is the combat style of Tsuchimikado Yakou…?!"
Neither relying on brute force nor complex strategies, neither unleashing overwhelming jutsuryoku nor extravagant spells—only a calm, efficient approach that used the most effective means at precisely the right moment. A combat style favored by those with clean, decisive technique.
It was neither flashy nor overwhelming, but the more skilled an opponent was, the more difficult it was to deal with.
Yashamaru quickly formed a hand seal.
"——————"
Invoking the spell of Suiten, one of the Twelve Heavenly Deities, Yashamaru summoned a swirling torrent of water to counter the incoming flames, creating a massive burst of steam.
Seeing this, Yashamaru felt more alarmed than relieved.
The reason was simple—his vision had now been obstructed by the steam.
And in the instant the two spells clashed, Yashamaru clearly saw Harutora forming a hand seal.
That was…
"Invisibility Jutsu…!"
"Correct."
Just as Yashamaru exclaimed, a silent figure emerged from the mist, throwing a jutsu-infused punch straight at him.
Who else could it be but Kakugyoki?
"Damn it!"
Yashamaru found himself at a disadvantage, forced to raise his arms to defend against Kakugyoki's fierce assault, leaving his back completely exposed.
Meanwhile, Hishamaru successfully reached Kumomaru.
"Well, she's not a loli, but she's still cute enough. Hand her over."
With those casual, detached words, Hishamaru shot forward like an arrow, summoning a jutsu-infused whip of light in his hand—no chant required.
It was the jutsu of Marishiten—Divine Whip Technique.
Hishamaru aimed to ensnare Takiko and take her away.
"Not happening!"
Kumomaru immediately raised a hand, stepping in front of Takiko, allowing the whip to coil around his arm instead.
Hishamaru remained expressionless, gripping the whip tightly while forming a single-handed seal.
"————"
She cast a lightning spell, sending a surge of electricity through the whip, directly toward Kumomaru.
"————"
Kumomaru chanted in response, distorting the surrounding atmosphere into miasma, which surged through the whip toward Hishamaru.
Lightning and miasma clashed, exploding violently.
The two sides were locked in a deadlock, neither yielding.
Meanwhile, Harutora stood by, talismans in hand, waiting for the perfect moment to act. Then, he turned to Rozen.
"You won't interfere, will you, Akikan?"
Harutora spoke with a hint of wariness, still unsure if Rozen was an enemy or ally.
To this…
Rozen smirked and remarked playfully.
"I don't mind, but Bakatora, are you ready to face your little sister's wrath?"
At that moment—
"Akikan!"
"You bastard!"
The excited voices of two girls rang out.