Hanakaiin Haru sat calmly in place, waiting patiently.

Although his vision had not fully returned to normal, a faint ‘barrier’ blocked the corrosive gases from approaching him.

For Hanakaiin Haru, that was enough.

Sometimes, his paper dolls were more useful than his own eyes.

For instance, at this moment–

Sitting on the ground with half-closed eyes, Hanakaiin Haru suddenly opened them wide and rolled to the side.

BOOM!

Just as Hanakaiin Haru moved four or five meters away, an explosion erupted abruptly.

Rocks and dirt flew everywhere, stones scattering in all directions.

Before Hanakaiin Haru could fully stand, he rolled again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of explosions ensued.

Not giving Hanakaiin Haru a single moment to catch his breath.

After nine consecutive blasts, the chaos finally ceased.

By this point, Hanakaiin Haru’s clothes were in tatters, with bloodstains smeared all over him. His left arm, in particular, was a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

He was injured!

Hanakaiin Haru glanced quickly at his left arm, then raised his other hand to wipe it.

A faint glow shimmered.

When Hanakaiin Haru lowered his right hand, the left arm had already healed, as good as new.

Clap, clap!

The sound of crisp applause echoed.

A tall man emerged from the swirling mist.

“Not bad.”

“Haru, your onmyodo is even more impressive than I imagined.”

The man praised him in this way.

Yet the young onmyoji felt no joy at all.

He stared at the tall man, his face dark with anger.

“Why?”

“Why are you doing this?”

Hanakaiin Haru demanded.

“You mean all this?”

The tall man seemed surprised by Hanakaiin Haru’s questioning, as if perplexed, and gestured vaguely to the surroundings.

The pitch-black mist churned, retreating from the area under the tall man’s direction.

Moonlight poured down, its silvery glow illuminating the figure of the tall man.

He was not dressed like a traditional onmyoji, but instead wore a black cloak draped over a white inner robe. His hair was bound with a bluish-green silk band, and his face was scholarly and refined, with a long beard adorning his chin.

Graceful and unassuming, even exuding an aura of transcendence.

Had it been only based on this appearance, Hanakaiin Haru would never have believed that this man was the one orchestrating the recent series of events.

Events that included blowing up his family’s territory.

And even now, he showed not the slightest hint of remorse.

Instead, his demeanor seemed to suggest this was entirely justified.

Fury!

The rage burned like flames within Hanakaiin Haru’s heart.

He glared fiercely at the tall man before him and shouted loudly.

“Hanakaiin Ro!”

“No!”

“You’re not even worthy of the Hanakaiin name!”

As he spoke, Hanakaiin Haru hurled the talismans in his hand toward the head of his own main family.

Hanakaiin Ro made no effort to evade, allowing the deadly talismans to strike his body directly.

Clap, crackle!

They fizzled like sparks sizzling in the air.

The talismans, upon touching Hanakaiin Ro, charred to ash and fell to the ground.

Hanakaiin Ro didn’t even glance at them, steadily walking toward Hanakaiin Haru.

“Hah!”

Hanakaiin Haru cast another handful of talismans.

This time, the talismans weren’t aimed at Hanakaiin Ro.

Instead, they adhered to Hanakaiin Haru himself.

A radiant light burst forth.

Hanakaiin Haru charged straight ahead.

Left straight punch, right hook, backhand punch, right elbow strike, left roundhouse kick, right high kick–a dazzling combination of attacks accompanied by the sound of rushing wind. Each punch and kick carried immense force.

This was power that went beyond mere physical strength.

It also channeled the force of onmyodo.

Every strike could easily pierce through a tree trunk as thick as a person’s waist.

Every blow was so swift that the human eye could barely follow.

Yet these were not his true killing moves.

In the distance!

Within the mist, a sword bearer held their breath.

It resembled a swordsman.

That is, if not for the massive, somewhat endearing dog head it bore.

At this moment, the dog head–normally so silly and lovable–was filled with solemnity. Clutching its blade, it stood as immovable as a mountain, with a ‘Sparrow’ and ‘House Guardian’ plaque hanging from its back, resembling a lone cabin atop a peak.

Both a burden.

And a source of strength.

“Impressive strength!”

“Blending combat techniques with onmyodo, eh?”

“Yet still just a little short!”

Hanakaiin Ro endured the young onmyoji’s flurry of punches and kicks. Even within the protection of the Great Barrier, Hanakaiin Ro could not help but acknowledge that Hanakaiin Haru’s strength surpassed what was usual for his age, reaching the level of the older generation.

Truly praiseworthy!

But…

For the sake of his plan!

Apologies must be made!

With that thought, Hanakaiin Ro raised his hand.

He was ready to counterattack.

And just then–

Schwing!

The sound of a blade unsheathing.

A figure rushed forward at incredible speed, plunging into the battlefield like a doppelganger phantom.

“Where the heart points, there the blade follows!”

“Draw

“Cut!”

With a resounding cry, the sword light flashed.

Splat!

The hand Hanakaiin Ro had raised was severed cleanly.

“Inugami?”

“You’ve already obtained your own shikigami, even before joining the main family?”

“Truly an unexpected talent.”

Hanakaiin Ro gazed at the sword-wielding dog-headed swordsman standing protectively in front of Hanakaiin Haru, unable to conceal his amazement.

Branch family members were not given shikigami before joining the main family.

Of course, nothing prevented them from seeking out shikigami themselves.

But most shikigami were far inferior to those passed down in the main family.

After all, forming a contract with a shikigami was no simple matter. For an onmyoji, every shikigami they contracted with placed a heavy burden on them. As such, most onmyoji would only choose a single shikigami.