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

But in the dead of night, at the northern end of Heian-kyo, in the Bureau of Onmyō-ryō... a procession of a hundred demons!

The Yin-Yang Clan and various demons who participated in this war all gathered together.

They each stayed quietly, without saying a word, whether they had relatives or friends beside them or not.

It's so dull it's suffocating!

"Are these... the yokai and onmyoji who participated in this war?"

Ali, who had followed Qingshui Chaoyang here, couldn't help but widen her eyes, revealing deep surprise in her dark pupils.

Every monster and every Onmyoji here exudes a chilling power. Even without revealing a trace of her aura, her intuition clearly tells her that every being here is no weaker than her!

"Hmm... everything here is a major fighting force in this war."

"That is to say... the main force to deal with the evil god and the Origin Foundation!"

The clear water and the rising sun whispered their secrets.

This power, capable of destroying countless Heian-kyo, has gathered to fight against the evil god and Genji. Their mission this time is singular—to seal the evil god and kill Genji at all costs!

"To fight an evil god...is that why they did this?"

Ali clenched her fists. No wonder the atmosphere was so somber; even as they leaned on each other, they remained silent.

Compared to dealing with the Minamoto clan, fighting against the evil god is undoubtedly more terrifying; their mission this time is fraught with peril.

In the face of death, probably no one can laugh.

Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, Ali couldn't help but feel nervous.

She is a great demon, a great demon who can ignite flames in the sea, and one of the forces that participated in the siege of the evil god. So many powerful beings have made the decision to die, so what about herself?

Will she be able to survive this war?

Don't worry, you'll definitely survive.

'You are Shiranui, the Shiranui who tenaciously survives in the sea.'

Believe in our strength.

The crisp sound echoed in my mind, and the gentle, soft flame calmed the panic in my heart.

Ali was taken aback for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

That makes sense... If you don't even believe in your own strength, what else is there to believe in?

She will survive, and he will survive too!

They will never die in this war!

Looking at Ali, who was encouraging herself, Qingshui Chaoyang smiled silently.

Everyone present was a powerful figure who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and had experienced countless battles. They were experienced and intelligent, and could face even an evil god with composure. However, Ali was different.

Before merging with Shiranui, she was just a songstress of the Riren Pavilion, who knew nothing about fighting or life and death. Even after merging with Shiranui, she simply used her demonic power and had never experienced a real battle.

This war was her first real battle.

But facing the evil god Yamata no Orochi in their very first battle, Shimizu Asahi doesn't know if Ari can hold on.

Of the four girls in his family, he was most worried about Ali.

Although if I had persisted a little longer back then, I might have been able to persuade her not to come, but now... it seems I don't need to worry too much.

With her inner tension easing slightly, Shimizu Asahi said to them, "Alright, let's find a place to rest for a bit."

It was the end of midnight, and there was still an hour before dawn. Moreover, not all the participants had arrived yet. Therefore, the five of them casually found a place to sit down and rest, and made some simple adjustments to their condition.

However, not long after they sat down, Kidomaru came out of the Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang).

He looked around and quickly found the spot where the water was clear and the sun was shining.

"Sunrise".

Walking up to his friend, Kidomaru smiled and called out his name in a friendly manner.

"Kidomaru."

"You're here so early?"

Shimizu Asahi looked at him with some surprise. Compared to such a dense crowd, Kidomaru should prefer to be alone. Before coming, he had wondered if Kidomaru would arrive before the war started.

Unexpectedly...

It seems he cares a lot about this war.

"Yes, I came with my teacher. I originally planned to come when the war started, but my teacher said it would be better to act together, so I came."

He gave a casual explanation, and then took out three talismans from his pocket, saying, "These are what my teacher asked me to give you."

"Given to me by your teacher?"

"Yes, these three talismans contain the power of the teacher. Each one can unleash three of the teacher's full-force attacks. If you feel uneasy, use these talismans."

“Your situation is the most dangerous among all of us. We can’t support you in any other way, so this is the only way we can help you.”

"Is that so... I'm really sorry to trouble you, teacher."

The black-haired boy felt a surge of emotion as he accepted the talisman.

Even at this crucial moment, as war approached, Kamo no Tadayuki still found time to prepare these things for him...

Clenching her fists tightly, Shimizu Asahi said earnestly, "Don't worry, I will definitely come back alive!"

"Yes, I always believed you would come back alive."

Kidomaru smiled firmly, reached out and hugged Shimizu Asahi, then said, "Then I'll go back to my teacher first."

"Ah."

After seeing Kidomaru off, Shimizu Asahi sat down again, put the talisman into his robes, and his expression gradually became solemn.

The four girls, sensing his determination, exchanged glances and fell silent.

However... not speaking doesn't mean we can't communicate.

While Ari and Qingnvfang were patiently preparing for the war, Mio started 'communicating' with Ibuki.

'Shouldn't we tell Chaoyang about this beforehand?'

According to Ibuki, she must have reached an agreement with the evil god, making this war impossible. Now, she can tell Shimizu Asahi about this, right?

Seeing her younger brother's deathly expression, Mio thought for a moment and then began to talk to Ibuki.

She wanted to tell Asahi about this in advance... In fact, she had been thinking of telling him the plan the day after Ibuki returned, but then she thought that the peace talks would take some time to process, and what if... what if the talks failed?

That's why she's endured it until now.

But if Ibuki gives a definite answer again, it means that the matter is very likely already completed, or at least nearly completed.

Therefore, we can tell Chaoyang to prepare for peace talks.

However, Ibuki smiled and shook her head.

She stated that now is not the time. (Chapter 461, Section 464)

Ibuki is the son of an evil god, with a wicked personality. Even those he knows well are not spared from being teased.

In her words, it's probably like, "The closer you are, the more you want to tease the other person," and this is the best opportunity to tease Shimizu Asahi, so naturally she can't give it up.

When Shimizu Asahi bravely joins the battle, only to find that both sides are preparing to shake hands and make peace, rendering all his previous preparations futile, his expression will surely be quite something.

As I imagined Shimizu Asahi's surprised, shocked, and incredulous expression, Ibuki narrowed her amethyst-like eyes.

Hehehe... The old man is so cute.

As for whether Shimizu Asahi will blame her afterwards... that's absolutely impossible.

She saved the war, allowing countless people who should have died here to live. Shimizu Asahi would only be happy, and would never blame her.

In fact, this little prank was just an appetizer; the reward she wanted... was much more than that.

Ibuki's perverse sense of humor left Mio speechless for a long while.

Ibuki's personality remained as wicked as ever, just like her father's.

...Well, since the ending is good, she doesn't need to worry about it so much. She'll just wait another hour.

However, thinking about this, a faint sense of curiosity suddenly arose in Mio's heart.

When Ibuki went to find Orochi, she should have already learned her identity from Him, and she should also know that He was the one who put her father on the execution platform and sealed him into the Yin-Yang Rift... The last time they met, neither of them gave an inch, and the intense hostility and hatred made her sense that they were destined to fight to the death.

How did she manage to persuade Orochi to shake hands and make peace with her under such circumstances?

After thinking for a moment, Mio whispered to Ibuki, wanting to know the details of what had happened.

However, as her curiosity grew, the smile on Ibuki's face gradually faded...

"Wait, Mio, didn't you go to see your father?"

"Shouldn't you be the ones handling the aftermath of this matter?"

"???"

"What do you mean I'll handle the aftermath of this? I entrusted this matter to you from the very beginning."

The strange words aroused Mio's doubts and curiosity. She had never said she would get involved in this matter, so why would Ibuki say that she would take care of everything afterward?

That's so strange.

But... wait, that means...

The doubts in her heart were unintentionally suppressed, and a new idea surfaced in her mind.

...Aside from that one meeting with Yamata no Orochi, Ibuki never saw Yamata no Orochi again.

"!!!"

The feud between himself and Orochi has not been resolved!

How could this happen? Wasn't the plan supposed to go smoothly? Why did it suddenly turn out like this?

Mio couldn't help but look at Ibuki, wanting an explanation from her, while Ibuki, who also realized the problem, widened her eyes and showed an incredulous expression.

She also wanted an answer.