"Boom..."
Along with the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, Kira was thrown harshly to the floor, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.
"Cough... cough...!"
Blood spewed uncontrollably from Kira's mouth, signaling just how much damage she had sustained from that last attack.
But there was no helping it.
While fighting Rozen's shikigami, she had only used the bare minimum amount of mana necessary for battle. Only when attacking Rozen himself did she inject a significant amount of mana, resulting in a terrifyingly powerful knockback effect.
If it weren't for Kira's bloodline from the Domon clan — known for its vitality and strong resilience — that one strike might have been enough to claim the life of this not-so-young elder.
Even so, though life was spared, it was nothing more than a dying struggle.
"Is it over just like that?"
At some point, Rozen, holding Galantine, appeared before Domon Kira.
Looking down at the pale-faced woman lying on the ground before him, Rozen muttered to himself as if recalling something.
"The mastermind behind the massacre that left me helpless... turns out to be this easy to take down. I really was too weak back then."
Too much power causes hesitation.
Too little, and one can protect nothing.
"There's truly no such thing as perfection in this world. Everything has two sides. Just like how the Izanagi thought they could rest easy after eliminating the Akabane clan, only to provoke an enemy like me. Don't you agree?"
"Head of the noble clan."
Rozen's indifferent words made Domon Kira's breath grow ragged.
She wanted to get up and resist, but every part of her body was screaming in pain.
She wanted to fight back with all her might, but her strength wouldn't rise no matter how hard she tried.
Although she still had mana left and could continue fighting in theory, Domon Kira couldn't move at all.
Because even though Rozen in front of her wasn't doing anything outwardly, the mana he emanated was becoming increasingly terrifying — like actual gravity pressing down on her, rendering her immobile.
That scale of mana was simply not something any human should possess.
At least, Domon Kira had never witnessed such frightening power before.
Even within the Akabane clan, famed for their magic amplification techniques like the secret art Crimson Wing Formation, she doubted anyone could match such a level of mana.
"Why... why have you become this powerful...!"
Domon Kira stared at Rozen standing before her, then at the burning surroundings filled with screams and howls of agony, overcome with despair.
To this, Rozen only responded with a flat expression.
"I already held back."
After all, although Rozen summoned the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), none of the strongest among them had appeared.
Unlike what happened in Tokyo, this time, the shikigami Rozen summoned were at most at the level of upper-level familiars. Otherwise, it wouldn't have just been the Izanagi — the entire Tengu Mountain might have collapsed.
So yes, Rozen had shown extreme restraint, and yet he still easily took down a whole noble clan, making his earlier reflection on his past weakness all the more understandable.
Just like that, the battle ended before anyone noticed.
The screams and howls faded away.
Panic vanished without a trace.
The Izanagi residence collapsed into rubble amidst the flames.
The fierce resistance from the Izanagi's elite onmyōji vanished completely in less than ten minutes.
By the time the residence crumbled, all the shikigami summoned by the Izanagi had disappeared, leaving only the monsters, demons, and spirits born from magic formations to roam freely.
However, it still wasn't truly over.
Izanagi, inner courtyard.
All the demons, monsters, and spirits had gathered here without anyone noticing, surrounding the area. Laughter echoed eerily, and countless threatening roars rang out — like a festival of demons, at once rowdy and ghastly.
The surrounding buildings continued to burn.
The entire Izanagi compound was bathed in flickering firelight.
And all the people of the Izanagi — men and women, old and young — had been herded here, completely surrounded by the Hyakki Yagyō.
This included Hinowa, Subaru, and Mutsura.
Rozen stood in front of the gathered horde, like a demon king leading his army, his expression calm and unwavering.
That sight filled the hearts of the Izanagi members with dread. Even the children didn't dare to cry, all huddling together in fear — helpless, pitiful.
"Rozen..."
"Rozen..."
Subaru and Mutsura, grouped with younger onmyōji, watched Rozen with conflicted expressions.
"Rozen-sama..."
Hinowa, who had not resisted from the beginning, simply stood in a daze, gazing at Rozen with sorrow and relief.
Sorrow because from beginning to end, Rozen hadn't even looked at her once.
Relief because the Izanagi had paid the price and atoned for the massacre of a clan.
Perhaps, this was a good thing.
Even Kamo and Yuge, the two top-ranked elders beneath Domon Kira, looked at their people and then back at Rozen with complicated expressions — as if accepting that karma had finally come for them.
Only Domon Kira glared at Rozen with both self-mockery and sarcasm.
The reason was simple.
"I didn't expect... you wouldn't kill a single person."
She spoke with biting sarcasm.
"Don't tell me you had a change of heart and decided to show mercy, Akabane?"
Her words weren't wrong — although the long-standing Izanagi residence had collapsed, not a single member had died, at most suffering heavy injuries.
That was the reason she no longer attempted to resist.
Of course, she didn't believe Rozen had done this out of compassion.
"Or maybe you just didn't want us to die too easily? You want to slowly torment us, is that it?"
Domon Kira sneered.
"Is that the only way to vent your hatred, Akabane?"
She continued trying to provoke Rozen.
However, Rozen didn't even spare her a glance.
Because—
"Even if you provoke me, trying to redirect all my hatred onto you alone, hoping I'll spare the others, it's pointless."
Rozen said coolly.
"From the very start, I had already decided your fate. No matter what you say, I have no intention of changing my mind."
Hearing this, the sarcasm and cold smile on Domon Kira's face vanished completely.
Clearly, as Rozen said, she was simply trying to shift all the blame onto herself, hoping to spare her clan.
"...What do you intend to do?"
Domon Kira asked darkly.
"Nothing in particular. Just telling you not to waste your efforts," Rozen said, glancing at her with a small smile. "Even if I spared your clan, do you really think they could escape danger unscathed?"
"Witch of the Rose."
With that one sentence, Domon Kira's pupils contracted sharply, unable to utter another word.