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

Because of the respect the people of Arakawa have for the Lord of Arakawa, the locals do not hate monsters. Ōtakemaru's ghost ship simply stopped at the port. As soon as Shimizu Asahi arrived in Arakawa, he saw the enormous ghost ship.

Only a small number of sirens remained on the ship; most of them had left the sails and merged into the Arakawa River.

Shimizu Asahi originally intended to go directly to the Arakawa no Nushi's house to find Ōtakemaru, but considering that Ōtakemaru might not be there, she decided to go down and ask the yokai guarding the ship where Ōtakemaru was.

He was lucky; as soon as he boarded the ghost ship, he encountered Kyūjīra, who was guarding the place.

"Lord Shimizu, it's been a long time. I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

He greeted them first, then said, "Are you looking for Lord Ōtakemaru? That's unfortunate. Lord Ōtakemaru said he's going to visit the owner of this place and won't be back until tonight." (Chapter 458, Section 455: My Little Brother Has Grown Up)

"Going to reminisce with the owner of this place... I understand, thank you for letting me know, Kyūjīra."

After receiving confirmation, Shimizu Asahi led Kamo Tadashi to the secluded place of the Lord of Arakawa.

Because the Lord of Arakawa prefers peace and quiet and does not welcome strangers who suddenly arrive, Shimizu Asahi told his master in advance, hoping that he would not mind. However, to his surprise, his master told him that he knew the Lord of Arakawa's rules.

"Sir...do you know the Lord of Arakawa?"

"Shimizu Asahi asked in surprise."

"Yes, I know him. He's a great youkai from the Arakawa Land. I've met him a few times before when I was carrying out missions."

“Executing the commission... I see... Ah, that makes sense. There are only so many famous great demons and demon kings. With your strength, sir, you must have seen almost all of them.”

The black-haired boy scratched his head, a look of sudden realization on his face.

There is something called "circle" in this world. Whether in the past or present, whether the word itself exists or not, this phenomenon exists in every corner of the world.

Just as Onmyoji (yin-yang masters) become closer to each other, samurai also become closer to each other. So naturally, strong people will also have a sense of mutual respect and appreciation.

A powerful figure like Kamo no Tadayuki, who stands at the pinnacle of both humanity and yokai, has seen other powerful figures of the same level several times.

For example, Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji had several encounters with Kamo no Tadayuki.

The monsters of Black Night Mountain and the forest god of Seven Horns Mountain are no exception.

So naturally, Kamo no Tadayuki and Arakawa no Nushi had also had contact.

Even if you don't, you should at least have a general understanding of Arakawa no Nushi's personality and hobbies.

'I haven't experienced enough...'

Such a thought arose in Qingshui Chaoyang's mind.

However, he quickly turned this idea into motivation.

He's still young and can experience all sorts of things. Maybe one day he'll surpass his teacher?

With this in mind, the two arrived at the residence of the Lord of Arakawa.

"Dong dong dong."

A soft knock sounded on the door, and Shimizu Asahi called out "Lord of Arakawa" to identify herself, but there was no response for a long time after the knocking stopped.

"How could that be? Kyūjīra clearly said that Ōtakemaru came to see Arakawa no Kami, so why isn't he home?"

He blinked, looking puzzled, then turned to Kamo no Tadayuki. "Master, it seems that neither Arakawa no Nushi nor Ōtakemaru are home. What should we do now?"

"Not home...?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man subconsciously looked around as if searching for something, and then suddenly said, "They're fighting in the sea, let's go find them over there."

After saying that, Kamo Tadashi folded a paper crane and stood on it, and Shimizu Asahi immediately followed in his footsteps.

only......

Fighting at sea?

How did the teacher know? Did they use spiritual power to detect it? Or did they sense the direction of demonic energy?

I didn't feel anything at all...

The black-haired boy, riding on the teacher's paper crane, quickly left the vicinity of Arakawa and headed further away. After flying for about ten minutes, Shimizu Asahi finally sensed the flowing demonic energy from a great distance.

"this......"

No wonder he didn't notice anything; it turns out that Ōtakemaru and Arakawa no Kami had gone to fight hundreds of nautical miles away from Arakawa.

About ten minutes later, Shimizu Asahi and Kamo Tadashi arrived not far from the battlefield between the two.

However, watching Shimizu Asahi fight, he widened his eyes in astonishment.

At this moment, what was reflected in his black pupils was an indescribable natural disaster.

Below the sky were dark clouds that covered the entire sky, and within them flashed a thunderous golden light that seemed to want to destroy everything.

Above the sea are raging waves, roaring endlessly, and those surging waves seem capable of swallowing everything.

An overwhelming sense of oppression washed over him. Even just standing to the side, Shimizu Asahi could feel the terrifying, suffocating power!

Amidst the waves and thunder, Ōtakemaru and Arakawa no Kami passed by, but their appearances and figures were unclear. All Shimizu Asahi could see were their constantly flashing black shadows.

"So fast...and so strong."

A crisp clanging sound rang in their ears. Amidst the roar of the giant waves and thunder, the clear sound of the eight-tomoe sword clashing with the sea kingdom was equally powerful, even suppressing the terrifying force at one point.

They are incredibly strong. The power these two have displayed is such that even ten Shimizu Asahi would not be able to withstand them. Even if they merged with Qing Nufang, they would probably only be able to barely save their lives.

Most importantly, none of them showed their true strength!

At least... Ōtakemaru's Yasakani no Magatama has not yet truly shown its power!

"Without realizing it, Ōtakemaru has become so strong..."

Qingshui Chaoyang murmured softly.

Since returning to this era, this was the first time Shimizu Asahi had seen Ōtakemaru temporarily display his power. Looking at his powerful figure, as the older brother, he felt that his younger brother had grown up, and besides this feeling, there was also a faint emotion.

Well... it's basically like this: as an older brother, he used to take care of Ōtakemaru all the time. Now that Ōtakemaru has grown up and doesn't need his care anymore, he can actually take care of him instead... If he were old and frail and unable to move, he would be very gratified. But the key is that he has now returned to being sixteen or seventeen years old, which... makes him feel a little lost and frustrated.

"Let's just wait here until they're done fighting."

"Perfect, you can also observe their battle, which will be beneficial for you."

Kamo Tadashi's voice came from the side, interrupting Shimizu Asahi's thoughts. Shimizu Asahi quickly composed herself, nodded, and smiled, saying, "I understand, teacher."

The battle between Ōtakemaru and Arakawa no Nushi lasted for a very long time, from day to dusk. If the sun hadn't already set, they probably would have continued fighting.

The two who had put away their weapons let out a long sigh of relief and laughed loudly before turning their gaze to Shimizu Asahi and Shimizu.

In fact, they had already sensed the arrival of the two when they were in the middle of the battle, but Kamo Tadashi and Shimizu Asahi chose to wait on the side, so they did not stop fighting and planned to finish the battle first.

However, it can be considered that they held back; after all, based on the intensity of their first encounter, they could fight for three days and three nights without eating or drinking. (Chapter 459: The Alliance of the Sea Kingdom and Heian-kyo)

Inside the house of the Lord of Arakawa, the Lord of Arakawa, who had already removed his armor and changed into robes, was sitting and making tea for the three of them.

He sat in a row with Ōtakemaru, while Kamo no Tadayuki sat in a row with Shimizu Asahi.

The four sat facing each other, separated by a tea set, their distance from one another just right.

"It's been a long time, Lord of Arakawa."

Kamo no Tadashi knelt quietly and greeted him calmly and indifferently.

"It has indeed been a long time. I never expected that we would meet again in this way. Kamo Tadashi."

"I've already heard from Ōtakemaru about the purpose of your visit."

"Evil God... Heian-kyo has encountered another terrible problem."

"It has really been a year of many disasters."

There's an old saying that a name can indicate what something is missing, and the name Heian-kyo (Peaceful Capital) sounds like it lacks peace.

And indeed, this is the case. Over the past century, Heian-kyo has faced countless dangers. If it weren't for the three major families holding the fort, this city might have long since disappeared due to various monster attacks and natural and man-made disasters.

“I told you to change your name a long time ago, but you just wouldn’t listen.”

"This isn't about changing the name."

Kamo no Tadashi responded calmly, but then paused slightly, a hint of contemplation and tentative thought in his eyes, "If I asked you for help now, would you help?"

"Don't you already know the answer in your heart?"

"I won't go."

Without the slightest hesitation or agonizing, Arakawa no Nushi directly rejected Kamo no Tadayuki.

"The people of Arakawa cannot do without me, and I cannot risk my life to help you."

"Indeed, now you also have something you want to protect."

Having anticipated this, Kamo no Tadayuki wasn't too bothered or saddened. He didn't even change his expression, simply accepting the tea offered by Arakawa no Nushi without any apparent change in expression.

"Alright, that's enough of our reminiscing. Now, I should introduce myself."

The black pupils turned to the black-haired siren beside him.

"Nice to meet you, Lord of the Sea Kingdom. My name is Kamo no Tadayuki, and I am currently the head of the Heian-kyo Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang)."

"Nice to meet you, Master of the Onmyodo. My name is Ōtakemaru, the current ruler of the Sea Kingdom. Please take care of me."

The two introduced themselves and exchanged greetings in a very formal manner. However, after speaking, Ōtakemaru glanced at Shimizu Asahi, who was standing next to Kamo Tadashi, and added, "Asahi, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble these past few years."

"No, not at all. This child not only learns things very quickly, but is also very mature and has helped me a lot."

"In fact, I would like to say that I am grateful to you for taking care of this child during my time in Suzuka Mountain."

"..."

Ootakemaru and Kamo Tadashi strangely started a conversation with Shimizu Asahi. Although both of them praised Shimizu Asahi, they both acted as if their junior had caused them trouble. If it were Kamo Tadashi, Shimizu Asahi would not have minded, after all, he was his mentor and had indeed taken care of him. But what was wrong with Ootakemaru?

I am your older brother, I raised you, why do you act like you are older than me?

The black-haired boy's lips twitched imperceptibly. He wanted to say something, but seeing the teacher and Ōtakemaru's natural and casual demeanor, he couldn't say anything.

"..."

Never mind, let's just pretend we didn't hear anything...

With a helpless sigh, Shimizu Asahi chose to remain silent. The two of them did not continue discussing who Shimizu Asahi should trouble or who was Shimizu Asahi's elder. After talking for a while, they got to the point.

"Ahem... Chaoyang should have told you about the previous intelligence and information, but in the time it took for you to arrive, we received new intelligence."