25+ Advance chapters on Patreon
After effortlessly decapitating the leaders of the three great families, Yuto displayed no remorse. He turned the cascading rain of treasures toward the remaining family members, now engulfed in despair.
To Yuto, anyone who threatened his or his loved one's existence deserved annihilation. All the people who came to kill him today were mercilessly struck down by the unyielding torrent of treasures. His unrelenting brutality sent shivers through even his allies.
"This boy is truly merciless," one yokai remarked. "The three great families numbered nearly a thousand, and he eradicated them without hesitation."
Among the yokais, seasoned warriors like Kiryuin Kaede and Oikawa Setsura nodded in approval. The demon clans required a resolute leader like Yuto. The families had come to slaughter them, so why spare them? Wiping them out entirely was the only logical choice. Gentler spirits, such as Oikawa Tsurara and Keikain Yura, flinched at the carnage but acknowledged its necessity.
"It's done. Time to move on," Yuto declared.
With the three families obliterated, the Nura Clan demons slain, Nura Rikuo dead, and Tsuchimikado Yakou teetering on the edge of death, Ashiya Doman attempted to flee. As he turned, however, fine black hairs ensnared his ankle.
"What the—?" Ashiya Doman cursed, looking down.
There, lying in a pool of her own blood, was Mao Shogi, the demoness. Her curly hair fanned out around her, and despite the Killing Stones peeling from her face, she clung to life. Her pale, striking features twisted into a savage grin.
"I'll make you pay," she hissed.
"You miserable wretch! How are you still alive?" Ashiya Doman snarled, raising his hand to curse her.
A chilling voice cut through the air. "Too bad. You almost escaped."
Ashiya Doman whipped around to see Yuto holding the lifeless form of Santoka Tanuki, the butterfly boy who had served him. The boy's chest was caved in, his head tilted lifelessly, black blood dripping from his mouth and his eyes bulging grotesquely.
"Well done, Miss Mao Shogi," Yuto said, dropping Santoka's corpse and kneeling beside the barely conscious demoness. He gently lifted her into his arms.
"I…I—"
"Shh, don't speak. I'm healing you with magic."
A green rune materialized from his hand, radiating life energy. Mao Shogi's eyes widened briefly as color crept back into her face.
"You're fortunate to have survived the Killing Stone," Yuto noted calmly. "Rest now. Tomorrow awaits."
His soothing words washed over her like a soft wind. "Thank… you," she murmured, her bright eyes fixing on his face as if memorizing it.
"Young man, let's strike a deal," Ashiya Doman interjected, maintaining his composure despite his predicament. "Spare me, and I'll teach you ancient onmyodo secrets…knowledge no one else—"
Boom!
A treasure sword erupted from a ripple in the air, cleaving Ashiya Doman in two. Yet instead of perishing, his body convulsed and morphed into a dark spirit with glowing red eyes, an Aramitama, a form of immense vitality that could persist even after physical destruction.
"Northern Star King, we were the greatest onmyoji of our time," his voice reverberated. "I refuse to fade into oblivion. I will not be second to anyone!"
Before anyone could react, the spirit surged into Tsuchimikado Yakou's dying body. "Behold the miracle of two eras' greatest onmyoji!"
Now possessing Tsuchimikado Yakou, Ashiya Doman lifted his head, his crimson eyes gleaming. Five black-and-white talismans shot from his sleeves, pulsing with spiritual energy, and aligned into a pentagram.
"Gods of the four seas, repel the hundred demons, exorcise the disasters; swift as the law commands!"
Yura gasped. "Is that the Imperial-style Hundred Demons Night Parade Repulsion? Yuto, beware! This is a potent curse!"
The talismans detonated, unleashing a massive wave of energy toward the Gate of the Underworld, which sealed Hagoromo Gitsune. 'He's not targeting me; he's breaking the gate,' Yuto realized.
Dark energy erupted like a tempest, transforming into vacuum slashes infused with the five elements. The earth fractured, cracks branching outward, and the air churned into lethal winds.
Boom!
The explosion shattered the sacred pillars sealing the gate. Eerie howls emanated from the breach, and a suffocating aura descended.
"The Gate of the Underworld is broken!" Yura cried, rushing to the rift to seal it with her spiritual power but a dark vortex surged forth, nearly dragging her into the abyss.
"Run!" she shouted.
Ashiya Do man, having achieved his aim, smirked. 'The boy will handle the gate, and I'll slip away.'
Just as he thought, a pure sword light struck from behind, bisecting him. A strange force coursed through him, causing his immortal form to crumble.
"What—?" Ashiya Dōman clutched his chest, blood spilling as a purifying light thwarted his regeneration.
"This is the A-rank [Baptism Rite]. Impressive, no?" Yuto approached, hand aglow with white light. "Time to return you to hell, old man."
He kicked Ashiya Doman down and began chanting, his voice icy:
"I declare
I am destruction and creation.
I harm and heal.
None escape me, none evade me.
Return to dust."
"No! Release me!" Ashiya Doman roared, terror gripping him for the first time. He thrashed, but Yuto stomped harder, snapping his limbs.
Crack!
Black keys imbued with curse-breaking power pinned him like a broken animal. "Eternal life comes only through death. I, in flesh, swear this. May the Lord pity this soul."
"Aaahhhh!!!"
Amid his anguished screams, the white light flared like a sun. Before the stunned onlookers, Ashiya Doman dissolved into black smoke and vanished.
......
[You have baptized the dungeon boss Ashiya Doman. Reward: [Imperial Onmyodo]. Additional reward: Cursed Beast Gallstone.]
Golden Material: Cursed Beast Gallstone
Effect: A stone formed from curses within a cursed beast, emitting a constant, powerful curse.
Note: Can be exchanged for Mana Prisms.
...
'Not bad. A new golden material,' Yuto mused, though he had no time to dwell on it. The breached Gate of the Underworld still demanded attention.
"Can we seal it now?" he asked.
Evil spirits poured forth, a sea of malevolence that paled everyone present. If unchecked, the world would become a necropolis.
"I-I… let me think," Yura stammered, overwhelmed.
"Wait, I've got it!" She clapped her hands. "With enough spiritual power, we can summon the 'Hagun' shikigami from my ancestors!"
The "Hagun" summons past Keikain family heads; skeletal, except for the 13th head, Keikain Hidemoto, who retains his human form due to his vast power. It demands intense focus, prayer, and an exorcism chant, amplifying the caster's strength to its peak.
"So, we summon those old spirits to fix this, right?" Yuto asked
"'Ancestors,' not 'old spirits'!" Yura snapped. 'This jerk…I'd bite him if I could!'
"How do we do it?" Yuto asked.
"It needs immense spiritual power, but I'm short right now," she admitted.
"Simple. I'll supply it," Yuto said, clapping his hands with a grin.
"You–what?!" Yura blushed. "This isn't the time for—mmph?!"
Before she could protest, Yuto kissed her deeply, transferring a surge of spiritual power.
'Too much, it's overflowing!' she thought, dazed.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━
patreon.com/DUKE3500 for advance chapters for all the novels i translate for 2$