In Type-Moon, people create a magic family lineage

Even with endless martial arts training, it was not enough for Watanabe no Tsuna to respond in that instant and muster enough courage to resist the King of Demons.

But in that very second...

An invisible glimmer of light appeared in an instant and rapidly expanded, transforming into a complex circular 'magic circle' that surrounded Ibaraki-dōji, who was flying low in the air, and blocked the long sword falling from his hand and the surging flames.

Ibaraki-dōji's efforts were in vain, and he froze in mid-air, staring wide-eyed at the source of the magic array.

Abe no Seimei raised a finger and simply smiled: "Please calm down, Lord Demon King."

"Shuten-dōji of Mount Ōe is not dead."

"impossible!"

Ibaraki-dōji didn't believe him at all: "I didn't sense Shuten-dōji's presence... Her magic has vanished!"

"That guy lied to me...she's dead!"

Ibaraki-dōji's eyes widened.

Unable to move under the constraints of the complex magic array, she still roared, "That damned guy!"

Logically speaking, Shuten-dōji's death was a good thing for her, the former lord of Mount Ōe. She was able to regain her position as the Demon King. Ibaraki-dōji often put on an arrogant and unruly demeanor in front of Shuten-dōji, seemingly rebellious, but in reality, she would perfectly fulfill every request Shuten-dōji made. In fact, she was also sincerely convinced of the great demon who indulged in pleasure and was above her.

I never say it; I simply disdain it and don't want to express it.

In the demon race, the strong are revered.

Moreover, Shuten-dōji never regarded her as a loser or as a 'trophy'.

Therefore, she did not want anything to happen to Shuten.

She didn't want that either...

"My beloved, respected, and great 'King' should never die here!"

"..."

After the roar, there was an eerie silence.

Not only did Abe no Seimei have a strange look in his eyes and cover his odd expression with a paper fan, but Watanabe no Tsuna and the others also had strange expressions.

Only Minamoto no Yorimitsu's eyes revealed appreciation.

"I don't dislike expressing my passionate feelings face-to-face like this!"

Although they are demons.

But it seems that it's not just 'demonic'.

Ibaraki-dōji, who saw their reaction, froze.

Upon hearing Minamoto no Yorimitsu's words, the true demon king opened his mouth and realized the seriousness of the problem.

Realized...

"Oh my, I never expected Ibaraki to talk like that."

"Shall we say a few more words?"

"I quite like it too!"

A slender 'girl' in a purple kimono appeared behind Ibaraki.

Looking at the Demon King expressing his 'love' to him face to face, he was filled with joy—

"!?"

What does 'social death' mean?

That's probably it.

As Lu Kang, who had broken free of the bounded barrier along with Shuten-dōji who had regained control of his body, watched this scene, a hint of amusement in his heart was not uncommon.

Chapter 134 Abe no Seimei's Plan to Forge a Divine Body

"It seems you've done a perfect job—"

She deftly dodged the sneak attack from Minamoto no Yorimitsu and brushed against that soft, rippling surface.

As Lu Kang watched Ibaraki-dōji being publicly executed by Shuten-dōji with his head bowed after being put down, he heard the old, deep voice again.

Lu Kang withdrew his gaze and looked to the side.

Abe no Seimei strolled over, a smile on his face: "You saved Shuten-dōji, and it seems you also preserved that side of 'Ibuki-dōji'?"

"in this way."

Lu Kang does not deny his actions, nor does he deny that he acted as an 'intermediary' to allow Shuten and Ibuki to occupy the same body and to divide the day and night to occupy different time periods for their activities.

He also said, "Isn't it more beneficial to this era?"

Under the operation of the 'Curse Spirit System', the number of demons is endless—but the total number of mysterious beings is ultimately limited.

The number of great demons is not decreasing.

We should focus more on 'balance'.

While Shuten-dōji, as a great demon, indulged in unrestrained pleasure, the destruction he caused to the world was not as great as later records suggest... Leaving him alive could prevent the birth of other, more destructive demons.

The same applies to Ibuki-dōji, who represents the 'divine' aspect.

of course.

Lu Kang naturally had his own selfish motives for doing this.

"Is it more advantageous...?"

Abe no Seimei saw through Lu Kang's ulterior motives, and without commenting, simply smiled and said, "Very well."

"Anyway, the next era belongs to you—do whatever you want!"

Upon hearing these words, which were almost tantamount to a deathbed statement, Lu Kang's eyes paused slightly. As if remembering something, he said, "So..."

"Lord Seimei, have you really made up your mind?"

"Ha... I knew I couldn't hide it from you after all?" Seimei wasn't surprised that Lu Kang would suddenly say that.

"You didn't intend to hide it, did you?" Lu Kang said, facing the evening breeze. "Compared to Ashiya Dōman, Lord Seimei's aging speed was already unusual. Putting aside the many Yin-Yang arts you have mastered, if I remember correctly, the grand ritual you have mastered, the 'Taishan Fujun Festival,' has the ability to reverse one's lifespan, doesn't it?"

"If you want to live, you can live longer than everyone else—"

"You're thinking this on purpose."

"You might be using your 'death' to seek something."

"Is it right?"

"Correct."

Abe nods, offering no denial.

He also said, "The Taishan Prefecture Lord's Sacrifice...that's a high-level magic spell with the highest authority that I obtained from the 'Thought Disk'."

"It does indeed possess the ability to communicate between Yin and Yang and reverse life and death... But unfortunately, I have already closed most of the advanced permissions of my thought key, leaving only the basic part."

"And we can no longer freely mobilize such great supernatural powers."

Self-sealing—?

Lu Kang, recalling Abe no Seimei's performance in the battle against Ibuki-dōji, suddenly understood. The techniques Abe no Seimei displayed in the battle, though complex, were not advanced. Now it seemed that it wasn't because his authority was insufficient, but rather because he had limited himself.

That's true. No matter how low the level is, it's still 'permissions' after all, and it's impossible for it to only be able to access some basic parts.

Before he finished speaking, Abe no Seimei spoke again.

"All I need is the most basic part of the thought key pattern, the one related to the thought disk."

"The most basic... linking, and sharing?" Lu Kang explained it perfectly.

He stared at the old man beside him. Before this, he had only guessed that Abe no Seimei was deliberately embracing the end of life and seeking something from it, just like Nicolas Flamel, whom he met in the 'afterlife', but he could not guess what he was chasing.

Now, however, it suddenly dawned on me.

"Lord Seimei, do you intend to use your own death to pave a 'path' that is more complete than the cursed spirit system, and that can preserve the mystical in a more perfect way?"

This is precisely what En no Kaku, the creator of the Cursed Spirit system, pursued throughout his life but ultimately failed to achieve.

It is a realm that countless geniuses have failed to reach.

"Why not?" Abe no Seimei said with a smug look on his face, his face showing signs of old age but his demeanor was quite spirited when he mentioned this: "What En no Ozunoka could not do, I may not be unable to do as well."

"And I've already succeeded!"

With demon blood and the innate mystery of the Inari god, Abe no Seimei, being half-human and half-demon, should not have aged so quickly and so drastically, even without using any mystical methods to prolong his life.

This unusual age and aging is itself proof of his success.

This is evidence that he 'reversed' the Taishan Fujun Festival!

"The Taishan Fujun Festival is essentially a grand ritual to communicate with the ancient deity of the Celestial Empire, the Taishan Fujun who governs life and death. It can reverse life and death, and turn yin and yang upside down. But if it is reversed, then it becomes a reversal of life and death—from life to death, from yang to yin."

"Or even, transforming 'human' into 'god'."

Abe no Seimei will become a 'god' after his death.

He will become a secondary spirit of the Lord of Mount Tai.

To become the 'Lord of the Underworld' in the Yamato Kingdom.

And his remaining body will thus become the body of a 'god' left behind on earth.

To become a 'divine body' capable of storing and generating ancient and mysterious things.

A 'divine body' possessing the most basic thought patterns, the ability to share and connect.

With this ability to share and connect, and with its divine body at its core, a continuous and unbroken mystical path can be built.

"Is this the Yin-Yang Dao, a 'starting point' completely independent of the Shugendo and separate from the Yin-Yang Dao?"

The cursed spirit system is declining.

The Yin-Yang principle, however, allows it to remain stable and unshaken.

“That’s right.” Abe no Seimei replied affirmatively in response to Lu Kang’s words.

He suddenly grinned, a cunning and malicious smile: "If in future generations, someone were to divide and transplant the 'divine body' I left behind in pursuit of a more powerful mystery, I might be able to revive in an era long afterward."

"—Perhaps we'll get a second look at the world!" The entrapment tactics employed by law enforcement unmistakably reveal their deeply hidden, vile nature.

"You're testing people's hearts!" Lu Kang was speechless.

"Why not?"

Abe no Seimei asked.

"It's impossible."

Although Lu Kang didn't consider himself a particularly bad person—he was a magician, and magicians were never good people.

Personally speaking, he applauded Abe no Seimei's actions.

After all, utilizing thought patterns naturally comes with its own limitations.

If the mysterious side of Yamato clashes with the Celestial Empire in the future, it will surely suffer a great loss as a result!

Abe no Seimei did this as if on purpose.

"That's good."

He closed his paper fan: "In the world today, apart from Minamoto no Yorimitsu, there are not many living gods. But there are still some."

"They are all heads of various ancient Shinto shrines."

"I have already discussed it with them."

"I will provide them with the sharing and linking techniques derived from thought keys, so that they too can preserve the mystery after death, by imitating my actions."

"Although without thought patterns, the effect will be greatly reduced and it will not be able to connect with many people at the same time as I do, maintaining the inheritance of a family and clan, and the succession of two generations, should probably not be a problem."

"The future of Yamato should not be solely defined by the beauty of 'Onmyōdō' to be considered interesting!"

"My duties are now complete."

"The rest is up to you."

...