In Type-Moon, people create a magic family lineage

Chapter 124 Minamoto no Yorimitsu and the Three Heavenly Kings

Yamato, in the depths of the mountains of Izumo Province.

The lush forest was eerily silent, as if no birds or beasts had been seen. The gloomy sky cast a hazy, dim light, and the cold wind rippled like a lament, as if telling a tragic story.

The sound of the metal plates of the armor rubbing together quickly drowned out the gusts of wind. A tall, thin man with neatly short hair walked at the front, pushing aside the thickets of the jungle and thorns as he made his way up the mountainside. He wore plate armor that covered his vitals, a long sword at his waist, and long boots that pierced through the vegetation, leaving a straight path forward like an ice blade cutting through a furnace.

Along this road, someone was following closely behind.

A tall, robust man, unarmored and simply draped in a half-length robe, cast a shadow as large as a small mountain on the ground. He was roughly estimated to be over seven feet two and a half meters tall, with thick, messy, short brown hair covered in thorns that stood up like a hedgehog, contrasting with his wild and untamed face. The muscles on his exposed shoulder rippled with his breath like a mountain rock, giving him the impression of a wild man.

A girl hiding behind the seven-foot-tall man wore a short armored battle skirt that swayed to her knees. Her red hair, which fell to her shoulders, was as fiery as a flame. Her face, which was not stunningly beautiful but was exquisite, had a cold air about it, set against her fair skin and indifferent expression. The sword at her waist and its scabbard were engraved with countless yin-yang spell patterns. Her wooden clogs moved with a neat and swift step.

Behind these three, a tall figure appeared, tightly wrapped in armor, exuding the air of a great general guarding the battlefield.

"It's been so long, why haven't we arrived yet? Did that old woman trick us?"

The tallest and strongest wild man in the second position walked and shouted as he went, looking impatient.

“Urabe Suetake, if you’re impatient, you can go back directly. We won’t stop you—I don’t think Lord Raimitsu will blame you.”

The tall, thin man with a mushroom haircut at the front glanced back with a forced, insincere smile.

The wild man known as Urabe Suetake scratched his head and chuckled, "I was just worried that everyone would get tired from walking."

"Besides, what that old woman said might not even be true!"

Despite his wild appearance, his decisive act of admitting defeat suggests he's not as brainless as he seems.

Watanabe Tsuna, who was walking at the front, sighed helplessly. He knew this guy's character very well—most people would be deceived by his appearance, but in reality, he was a cunning and deceitful fellow. Despite his big size and good skills, he was cowardly and unreliable.

Watanabe Tsuna hadn't even had a chance to speak yet.

The girl's calm voice came from behind Urabe Takeshi.

"Lady Asai is a famous priestess in this area, and even the governor of Izumo Province respects her greatly—if you continue to be disrespectful, I will ensure that you never leave this mountain again."

His calm demeanor was tinged with discontent, and even more so with murderous intent.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, I won't say it!" Even when faced with a petite girl who barely reached his waist, Urabe Takeshi still decisively backed down.

Watanabe no Tsuna was surprised by the scene. He looked at the girl who had spoken and asked, "Sadamitsu, how much further?"

The girl, known as 'Sadamitsu', held the patterned scabbard at her waist, closed her eyes slightly, then opened them again, and raised her finger to point in a direction.

"There."

"The aura of demons is the strongest there."

The girl's full name is Usui Sadamitsu. She is the most skilled in 'magic' in the group. She was once a shrine maiden of a large shrine and has mastered the art of Shugendo spirit incantation and the method of perception. She is also the 'eyes' of their group.

He is a more important figure than Watanabe no Tsuna, the 'left arm', and Urabe no Suetake, the 'right arm'.

“Then let’s continue,” Watanabe Tsuna said. “What does Lord Semitsu think?”

The last 'general', fully armored, nodded slightly.

"Hmm." The man, sparing with words, nodded slightly.

The four continued their journey through the mountains, passing through shady trees and hazy light and shadow—but if an outsider were here, they would immediately recognize the four as the strongest exorcism team that had risen to fame and roamed the world over the past ten years.

It is Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the 'Demon Slayer General' who was born into the Kiyohara clan, possessed imperial blood, and was noble and arrogant, along with his three demon-slaying kings.

They began wandering around during the reign of Emperor Reizei.

Over the years, he has vanquished countless demons.

They also eliminated the great monsters that had plagued the area for many years, such as "Kyoto's Great Spider" and "Asakusa Temple's Gyuki".

And now.

Their target is deep within Izumo Province, where a great serpentine demon, said to have recently appeared, is said to have emerged.

Although they were seasoned veterans, they were still wary.

The land of Izumo has a long history. It is said that in the ancient mythological era, Susanoo, the king of monsters, killed the evil god Yamata no Orochi here. Afterwards, the Yamata no Orochi transformed into eight mountain peaks standing here, with its head emerging from the clouds, hence the name "Izumo".

Throughout the entire Yamato Kingdom, the number of demons here is extremely large, second only to Kyoto, which has Rashomon.

Boom!

At this very moment, before they even got close, thunder roared down, covering the gloomy sky.

Watanabe Tsuna, who was walking at the front, instinctively wanted to go forward, but was pulled back by Urabe Suetake.

"Wait, something's wrong up ahead."

The tall man spoke in a deep voice.

"What's wrong..." Watanabe Tsuna paused, looked in the direction of the voice, and was stunned himself.

Usui Sadamitsu's usually indifferent face showed a hint of surprise that he could no longer suppress.

They had crossed a mountain range and climbed to the very top.

What came into view, however, was another 'mountain'.

A 'mountain' that has been cut off.

A massive, winding snake, as large as a mountain, now dead.

That was clearly their goal for this trip.

However, that goal is now dead.

Above its head, eight dark clouds gradually took shape... as if they were about to transform into eight giant snakes that would burst forth from them.

Yakumo, Yasusa.

"Yama no Orochi——"

In this land of Izumo, it's hard for them not to make such associations.

"Lord Semitsu..."

The three of them looked at Minamoto no Yorimitsu at the very back.

Beneath his armor, a flash of dark purple lightning appeared in Minamoto no Yorimitsu's eyes.

Close your eyes briefly, then open them again.

He made a decision immediately.

“We will return to Kyoto immediately and report this matter to His Majesty the Emperor and the Regent Dazai.”

If it is indeed related to 'Yamata no Orochi'.

That's definitely beyond their ability to handle!

...

The second year of Kuan-ho.

The Yamata no Orochi has appeared in Izumo.

With Minamoto no Yorimitsu's return to Kyoto, the news spread rapidly throughout the court and the public.

Emperor Ichijo and Fujiwara no Kaneie swiftly convened a meeting of ministers from both the court and the provinces, especially the highest-ranking officials of the Bureau of Yin and Yang.

As the 'Yin-Yang Assistant' and 'Shonagon', you are naturally among those summoned.

"Yamata no Orochi... It's the middle of the night, it's really causing us a lot of trouble."

At the top of the Yin-Yang Bureau, Lu Kang put down the wine bowl in his hand. The seventeen-year-old boy stood up leisurely, his posture upright and his face handsome. His hunting clothes and black hat made him look like a banished immortal.

He glanced at Shuten-dōji, who was still drinking across from him, and asked, "Does this concern you?"

"Well...who knows?"

Shuten-dōji remained noncommittal.

Lu Kang smiled smugly, then turned and left.

To go and 'follow the summons'.

Regardless of whether he had anything to do with Shuten-dōji, he couldn't possibly pass up this opportunity to expand his influence.

And after Lu Kang left.

Shuten-dōji simply stood up unsteadily.

A long, melodious sigh.

"Orochi..."

"Hmph, even though that guy Ennosaku already gave him a chance."

"That guy still seems unwilling to give up?"

That one truly...

Ibukiyama Daimyojin, Ibuki Doji.

Chapter 125 Orochi's Resurrection, Minamoto no Hikaru: Are you a god too?

Night had fallen, but the Heian Palace, the deepest part of the Heian-kyo imperial palace, was still brightly lit. Countless servants holding lanterns stood on both sides of the hall, and the linked lanterns hung up, down, left, and right, making the already magnificent Tang-style palace even more exquisite with light and shadow.

In the meantime.

The figures were seated in order of their official rank, with the steps at the very head of the table slightly arched. Before the screens on both sides were slightly closed, a figure knelt upright on the main seat. He was not tall and could even be described as quite 'childish,' at most seven or eight years old. He wore a black ribbon on his head, which pulled up his full head of black hair, revealing only his thick sideburns. His loose straight robe was dyed crimson, and from a distance, he looked like a ball of flame hanging high in the sky.

This is Emperor Ichijo, the newest emperor to ascend the throne in the Yamato Kingdom, following Emperor Enryū and Emperor Kazan—he is even younger than Emperor Enryū when he first ascended the throne, only seven or eight years old.

At this moment, this child, facing a court full of officials, tried his best to keep a straight face, but his head couldn't help but doze off little by little.

The numerous nobles and officials seated below seemed completely unconcerned.

They were discussing it amongst themselves—

After the Fujiwara clan held the positions of Regent and Grand Minister for a long time, power was firmly in their hands, and the Emperor's existence was less a holder of supreme power and more a symbol of supreme authority.

As for symbols, as long as they exist, that's enough!

"Hasn't he arrived yet? Lord Seimei, and that 'Sugawara no Hajime'—"

One of the high-ranking officials couldn't help but speak up. He was dressed in red, his figure was slightly bloated and fat, and his hair and beard were white, indicating that he was not young. He was sitting in a position near the front of the crowd and his official rank was not low.

"Master Gao, please calm down."

As he spoke, the other figure sitting next to him, slightly younger but also old, simply smiled and said, "Lord Seimei has his own things to attend to. When the time comes, he will naturally come!"

"Such a big thing has happened, and your Fujiwara family is just sitting there!"

The old man, known as "Lord Takaaki," snorted coldly, clearly displeased. His name was "Minamoto no Takaaki," and he held the high-ranking position of Minister of the Right, a second-rank official. He was also the only non-Fujiwara official among the top three officials in the court—a representative of the "non-Fujiwara" bureaucrats and a long-standing political enemy of the Fujiwara family.

For so many years, he has been fighting against the Fujiwara clan, who control the government... Even now, at over seventy years old, he still enjoys it.

Faced with his verbal attacks, the old man of the Fujiwara family sitting next to him was not bothered at all. He was of similar but slightly higher rank than Minamoto no Takaaki. He was the Left Minister of the Yamato Dynasty, second only to the Chief Minister of State and Grand Minister of State. He could remain relaxed even though he still had an absolute advantage: "Everything depends on Lord Kaneie's decision, doesn't it?"

Following his gaze to the figure sitting alone in the front row, below the steps where the Emperor sat, still infinitely close to the 'throne', Minamoto no Takaaki, though displeased, could only lower his head.

He sneered, "The Jian family elder? How dare you, a cousin and older than him, say such a thing?"

"Han Yu said, 'There is no order of precedence in learning; the one who achieves mastery is a teacher.' Although I am older, my skills are inferior to others—but I will not deny it!" Fujiwara Saneyoshi said.

The two second-rank officials in the front row were arguing.

Even the Grand Minister of State, a first-rank official, in the very front row seemed to be resting with his eyes closed.

The numerous nobles in the back row naturally kept silent, not daring to speak.

Amidst the dim, flickering lights, a figure finally arrived, seemingly after much anticipation.

"Your Majesty the Emperor—My lords, we have been waiting for you."

An elderly man with gray hair and beard, dressed in an Onmyoji hunting robe and wearing a black hat, arrived with elegant steps as if stepping to the rhythm of a drum. The nobles who had been sitting for a long time stood up to make way for him, their eyes showing no dissatisfaction, only expectation and reliance.

"Lord Seimei, you are too kind."

Left Minister Fujiwara no Saneyori stepped forward to express his gratitude: "At this critical moment, we need your help the most."

With flowing hair and a gentle smile, Abe no Seimei, though old, still possessed an air of elegance that captivated all. The old man first bowed to Emperor Ichijo, who was dozing at the head of the table, then exchanged a few pleasantries with Fujiwara no Saneyori, and then exchanged a few simple polite words with Minamoto no Takaaki, who, though his face was pale, still forced a smile. Only then did he turn his head to look at the figure at the very front.

"Kaneya-sama."

Fujiwara Kenie's back swayed slightly, and the old man, who was also over sixty-five years old, seemed to only then come to his senses—he opened his eyes.