How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

How could he be tricked by such a simple scheme? How could he forget that smiling, smug guy who had betrayed him?!

Experiencing betrayal once again, the evil god clenched his teeth.

I was so stupid to fall for his trap so easily... Fine... Bullhead, from this moment on, our friendship is severed!

Looking at her father, who was bowing his head and gritting his teeth, his face filled with deep anger, Ibuki blinked, and then... grinned, taking a sip of strong liquor as if she hadn't seen anything.

"Hehehe, his father's feelings for him haven't changed at all... as dishonest as ever."

Ibuki was already used to seeing her father like this.

In the past, whenever He was mentioned, He would always make no attempt to hide His anger, saying that He would no longer trust Him or care about Him, and even that He had long forgotten the days when He was with Him. However, no matter how stubborn He was, He could not forget the past when He drank and fought with Susanoo.

Even when he is alone, he will recall the past and sigh that he should have never betrayed him.

Just as the Asura Demon King, who finds pleasure in killing, has a lover and a son, the evil god, who treats humans and gods as actors, also has a friend he cares about and a beloved daughter.

No matter how terrible his best friend was to him, he could never forget him.

"But speaking of which, Father, with that expression, has he seen him again?"

From her father's angry expression, Ibuki sensed something else.

For example, the anger is stronger now than before, and the resentment in my eyes is heavier than before...

It's like... being betrayed a second time.

"Hmm...it seems Father has indeed been betrayed a second time."

Did you go to see your father first, and then come to find me...? But why did you let me move into your house directly?

Ultimately, if Susanoo betrayed his father again, why didn't he just take action against her directly instead of creating opportunities for himself through roundabout means?

A hint of thought appeared in Ibuki's eyes. Instead of falling into anger, she subconsciously felt that something was a little strange about the matter.

It's not that it's strange, it's just... somewhat contradictory.

Having just learned of Mio's and the big man's identities, she felt a little suspicious of the big man's actions.

When Susanoo revealed his identity to Mio, it was seen as a betrayal by his father, but not by her.

Ultimately, knowing her identity yet not harming her, and instead treating her as a friend, even actively encouraging her to get close to the master, seems highly illogical no matter how you look at it.

"Hmm...why?"

Without realizing it, Ibuki fell into deep thought.

But suddenly, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, a somewhat whimsical yet perfectly reasonable idea surfaced in her mind.

"What if... Susanoo-no-Mikoto had never betrayed his father?"

A small hypothesis emerged in the petite girl's mind, and when this hypothesis proved true, everything made sense.

"Hehehe...I see..."

"They started planning so early in order to prevent a conflict between Mio and her father."

"As expected of a cunning god who can even make one's father suffer losses, he really thinks a lot."

Ibuki couldn't help but laugh when she guessed the Great Han's plan. Perhaps this guess was hard to accept at first glance, but after careful consideration and deliberation, one would feel that this guess... seemed to be the most reasonable.

At this point, Ibuki had no reason to stay any longer.

After all, someone had already helped her achieve what she wanted.

then......

“Father, I have said all I need to say, so it is time for me to go back.”

"After this war ends, I will come with my husband to visit my father."

"Oh, right, let me remind Father again, Susanoo has never betrayed you."

With that, Ibuki stood up with a smile, gave her father a meaningful look, and then turned and left without hesitation.

Stunned by the sudden farewell, the evil god stared blankly as his daughter departed. Only when her figure was almost out of sight did he react, calling out in confusion, "Wait, Ibuki..."

Before the words were finished, Ibuki's figure disappeared into the passage. The evil god stopped speaking and slowly lowered his raised hand.

"What did you mean by that last sentence?"

"Bullhead...he didn't betray me?"

The evil god frowned at his daughter's words. He, who should have stopped his daughter and asked her to stay, subconsciously clenched his fist and pondered the meaning of his daughter's words.

The bull didn't betray me? How is that possible?

He got drunk, forced himself onto the execution platform, and chopped off his own head—wasn't that blatant betrayal? Ibuki knew this all too well, and she knew that Bull Head had no way to clear his name, so why... is she now saying that he didn't betray Him?

Although he occasionally wondered if the bull-headed creature had some other reason, or if it was being forced by the Great God, the overwhelming facts before him mercilessly shattered these thoughts.

What unspeakable secret could have led him to choose to put his only close friend on the execution platform and personally carry out his execution?

If it weren't for good luck, He would have died millions of years ago...

"!?"

Wait, what luck...?

His calm mind faltered for a moment, and the evil god, as if grasping something crucial, opened his mouth in a daze.

"My luck... is really good?" Chapter 457, Section 454: As expected of you, Mio.

"Speaking of which... Mio came to see me probably because she wanted to use me to say this to Father."

Looking at the silent Minamoto clan territory, Ibuki inadvertently recalled the conversation he had with Mio that morning.

At the time, Mio said she had other ideas, but after hearing her plan, she felt that her idea was better, so she agreed to her plan and rejected her own idea. But now it seems that Mio had wanted her to stop the war from the very beginning.

Mio once put her father on the execution platform because of a so-called prophecy, but now, like her father, she has developed a longing for the human world and for her younger brother. As such, she no longer has any reason to be an enemy of Yamata no Orochi.

Furthermore, given her current relationship with the master, no matter what she did, she was unwilling to see the two families fight to the death again.

Peace talks naturally came to fruition.

However, while Mio could easily let go of the past grievances, her father could not. If she took the initiative to make peace, her father would definitely not agree. So, what about Ibuki?

Sending His daughter to negotiate peace with Him was undoubtedly the best option.

...Although Mio didn't say anything, she provided enough information and intelligence for her to understand.

Although such information needs to be combined with her identity, she probably had a guess as to what the evil god would say after the father and daughter met.

As expected of the lord of Takamagahara... His wit is no less than that of his father and Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

And Ibuki did not disappoint her, accurately relaying the matter to the evil god. The evil god also reorganized the events of that year, and it is believed that before long, He will also understand what exactly happened back then.

At this point, things have reached the final stage, and she no longer needs to worry about them.

How to get the father to let go of his past hatred was the only problem troubling the peace talks after everything had become clear.

To be honest, Ibuki didn't think her father would be so magnanimous as to forgive Mio, who had tried to kill her. After all, even an ordinary person wouldn't forgive someone so easily, let alone a father who was extremely vengeful.

However, this matter can be left to Susanoo-no-Mikoto; my father's only close friend will surely be able to solve this problem perfectly.

"The rest is up to you, Lord Susanoo..."

"I really hope to see you two reconcile."

......

Meanwhile, in the Izumo Kingdom, surrounded by mountains, inside the Izumo Grand Shrine, which symbolizes the faith of the Izumo Kingdom, a burly and imposing deity sits quietly under the eaves.

He looked at the bright moon in the sky, and a faint smile appeared on his weathered face.

"Although it's a bit early, the timing is right. It's time to... understand this feud that has lasted for millions of years."

......

Time slipped by little by little, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Over the past two weeks, Shimizu Asahi has been making preparations for war. The atmosphere between the three major families has become increasingly tense. Although the common people have not noticed anything, the Onmyoji and the samurai all have a sense that a storm is brewing.

And naturally, the Shimizu family was also enveloped by this atmosphere.

However, the Shimizu family members were not greatly affected.

Having returned from the evil god, Ibuki gave Mio a satisfactory answer. Convinced that there was nothing wrong with the incident, she was no longer worried. Therefore, the two of them remained calm throughout.

Meanwhile, the unsuspecting Shimizu Asahi did not want to put pressure on them, so she did not show it.

Well, most importantly, we have the help of the God of Fate.

In this war that has almost swept across the entire Heian-kyo, anyone with a little strength can sense the oppressive atmosphere. However, this simple-minded god, who clearly possesses divine power, cannot read the atmosphere and remains carefree to this day.

It's unclear whether she genuinely couldn't read the atmosphere or was so focused on Kidomaru that she ignored her surroundings.

Of course, this is a good thing. With such a kind and honest deity around, Qingshui Chaoyang can relax a little.

And then one day, a paper crane flew over from the distant sky.

The paper crane landed under the eaves of the courtyard corridor, next to Shimizu Asahi, who was staying at home, quietly waiting for the decisive battle to begin.

He looked at the paper crane that had suddenly fallen and reached out to pick it up, somewhat puzzled.

Then, in the next second, the doubt turned into joy.

"This is... news from Ōtakemaru?"

"They've arrived? That's great!"

Since sending Ōtakemaru with the sea demons, Shimizu Asahi had not contacted Ōtakemaru again. After all, the other party had already set off, and it was inconvenient to contact him while sailing at sea. However, he guessed that they would arrive in a month, but he did not expect that they would arrive in just over half a month!

Overjoyed, he told his sister he was going out for a while and then rushed to the Yin-Yang Bureau immediately.

After informing the gentleman of this, he thought about it for a moment and then prepared to go to Arakawa with him.

Since it was not convenient to dock the ghost ship in Heian-kyo, and Arakawa happened to be not far from Heian-kyo, Ōtakemaru stayed in Arakawa. It was also a good opportunity for him to visit his friend, the Lord of Arakawa, whom he had not seen for a hundred years.

After a brief chat, the master and apprentice quickly set off.

It takes seven days to travel from Heian-kyo to Arakawa by boat, but only one day by paper crane. If one has enough spiritual energy to fly quickly, it can take about half a day.

Shimizu Asahi doesn't have that kind of strength; he can't fly there in half a day. But Kamo no Tadayuki can. As the strongest Onmyoji in Heian-kyo, he certainly has that kind of ability.

With endless blue skies and seas as their backdrop, the master and apprentice quickly arrived at the Arakawa Plain.