The people inside the Onmyo Academy had long since evacuated to seek refuge elsewhere.
Now, the Onmyo Academy had become an ownerless land, with its barrier no longer maintained.
However, in the current Tokyo, the Onmyo Academy remained the only building still intact.
The reason, naturally, was that Rozen still had attachments to this place. At the same time, out of consideration for Kurahashi Miyo, who had once provided him shelter, Rozen showed some favor and specifically ordered the Hyakki not to invade or destroy the Onmyo Academy. He even commanded them to fend off any Spiritual Disasters that attempted to attack it, successfully preserving the academy.
Now, around the Onmyo Academy, countless demons, spirits, and supernatural entities wandered. At the slightest sign of a Spiritual Disaster, they would immediately swarm it and obliterate it without a trace.
On the rooftop of the Onmyo Academy, aside from Rozen and Harutora, their respective shikigami were also present.
Kakugyouki and Hishamaru remained at Harutora's side.
Natsume, Suzuka, and Kyouko were also there, standing beside Rozen.
In addition, several incredibly powerful shikigami had appeared.
As Harutora and the others looked at these shikigami, they couldn't help but feel tense.
That was because these shikigami were anything but ordinary.
- Shuten Doji.
- Tamamo-no-Mae.
- Great Tengu.
- Ootakemaru.
- Suzuka Gozen.
- Momiji.
- Ibaraki Doji.
A total of seven strategic-level shikigami surrounded them, as if enclosing them, yet at the same time, they seemed to be guarding Rozen, their eyes all fixed on Harutora and his group.
To be honest, being stared at by these terrifying shikigami created immense pressure.
Of course, aside from the pressure, some people also had complicated feelings about this.
"Shuten…"
Kakugyouki gazed at Shuten Doji with a complicated expression.
Sensing Kakugyouki's gaze, Shuten Doji lazily lifted his eyelids and grinned.
"I hear you're also Ibaraki Doji?" Shuten Doji said bluntly. "Too bad, the only Ibaraki Doji I recognize is the one by my side. I don't know you at all, so my apologies."
Hearing this, Kakugyouki fell silent, while Ibaraki Doji looked unsurprised.
As Shuten Doji's most trusted right-hand man, Ibaraki Doji's relationship with Shuten Doji was more like that of brothers than superior and subordinate.
So, it was understandable that Kakugyouki felt complicated about Shuten Doji's presence.
However, Shuten Doji was not from this world. To him, his true brother was only Ibaraki Doji, not Kakugyouki.
Kakugyouki was unaware of this and assumed that Shuten Doji had lost his memory due to the Taizan Fukun Ritual, or that, like Ibaraki Doji, he was another existence found, nurtured, and created by Rozen. Thus, he remained silent.
Shuten Doji, while not entirely uninterested in Kakugyouki, was much more intrigued by someone else.
"The little shikigami beside the master seems quite interesting."
Shuten Doji cast a meaningful gaze at a certain girl.
"W-What?"
Suzuka immediately tensed up, trying to sound fierce but failing to hide her unease.
"No, it's nothing. I just find the ogre inside you rather intriguing."
Shuten Doji chuckled, raised his sake gourd, and drank nonchalantly.
Seeing this, Ibaraki Doji also seemed lost in thought.
"As expected, if even Shuten noticed it, then my feeling must be right. The ogre inside our master's shikigami is probably this world's…"
These words were merely muttered under Ibaraki Doji's breath, unheard by anyone else.
At the same time, another of Rozen's shikigami was also being pestered by a great yokai.
"P-Please let me go, Miss Tamamo!"
Natsume, blushing furiously, struggled to escape.
"Now, now, what's the harm? Let big sis hug you for a bit."
Tamamo-no-Mae giggled, her breathtaking beauty perfectly embodying the phrase a smile that topples nations, dazzling beyond compare.
As a Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo-no-Mae had been an exceptionally stunning woman in life. Her intelligence and unparalleled beauty earned her the title of the most talented woman in the world. She had seduced rulers across five different dynasties, including China's Shang Dynasty, India's Magadha Kingdom, and Japan's late Heian period. However, she was eventually exposed by Abe no Seimei's divination and slain. She was a true femme fatale.
Now, this legendary enchantress clung to Natsume, as if she had found something intriguing, leaving Natsume thoroughly flustered.
Tamamo-no-Mae's interest was likely due to the spirit residing within Natsume.
The spirit within Natsume was the fox spirit Kuzunoha, the divine fox venerated for generations by the Tsuchimikado branch family, and the mother of Abe no Seimei.
A being that was both a fox spirit and the mother of Abe no Seimei—it was no wonder Tamamo-no-Mae found it interesting.
However, whether that interest was benign or malicious was a question only Tamamo-no-Mae herself could answer.
After all, even though Kuzunoha was a fox spirit like Tamamo-no-Mae, she was also the mother of Abe no Seimei.
And Abe no Seimei was the one responsible for Tamamo-no-Mae's downfall and death—her true mortal enemy.
Under such circumstances, it was hard to believe that Tamamo-no-Mae would have any fondness for Kuzunoha.
But Natsume was clearly innocent in all this.
Thus, Ootakemaru spoke up.
"Behave yourselves. The master is still here. Stop causing trouble."
Ootakemaru's words made Shuten Doji and Tamamo-no-Mae somewhat more restrained.
This was the deterrent effect of power.
Among the Hyakki, the three strongest beings were none other than Shuten Doji, Tamamo-no-Mae, and Ootakemaru.
All three were strategic-level powerhouses, standing on equal footing with Hokuto.
Especially Ootakemaru, who not only wielded multiple divine abilities but was also protected by three divine swords. His strength faintly surpassed that of Shuten Doji and Tamamo-no-Mae.
Given this, even Shuten Doji and Tamamo-no-Mae had to be cautious of his words.
Compared to them, the Great Tengu—despite being one of the Three Great Yokai—was somewhat weaker, falling short of strategic-level peak power. It was no wonder rumors suggested that Ootakemaru should replace the Great Tengu as one of the Three Great Yokai, leaving the Great Tengu's position rather awkward.
Even more notably, within the Hyakki, there were other beings who could potentially replace the Great Tengu.
That being neither Momiji nor Suzuka Gozen, but the legendary supreme yokai leader—the Guest Deity from foreign lands: Nurarihyon.
Currently, that yokai leader was overseeing the situation in Tokyo as the commander of the Hyakki, which was why he was not present. Otherwise, with his strength, he could have served as one of Rozen's guardians.
With that, the gathered shikigami calmed down, allowing Harutora and the others to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Thanks to this, everyone was finally able to focus on Harutora's plea.
Rozen, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
"You want me to help you deal with the Kurahashi and Souma families?"
Rozen gazed at Harutora and asked directly.
"That's right," Harutora said in a deep voice. "This operation has failed, and we've even lost Touji. Meanwhile, Souma's princess has fully awakened, and both the Kurahashi and Souma clans have prepared their Divine Descents. The situation is dire, so we have no choice but to ask for your help."
From Harutora's words, it was clear that he originally intended to accomplish this task alone.
For a simple reason.
"This was my mistake. I had hoped to correct it myself, but in the end, I was still too weak."
Harutora spoke with self-mockery.
Rozen looked at him silently.