The Great Master of Gensokyo

This plot.

"I'm just an Onmyoji who wants to live a peaceful life." Becoming an Onmyoji means having enough power to deal with the Saigyou Ayakashi.

He didn't want to get involved in any inexplicable conflicts.

That's what I thought, but things don't always go as planned. Saigyouji Hanyu was somewhat prepared for that.

Abe no Seimei, the most talented Onmyoji of this era. Now, his senior brother is also his enemy. It's obvious which side Saigyouji Habu will side with, given who is closest to him.

Thinking about it, it really is a sad story.

"Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it." Saigyouji Hanyu, who was secretly grieved, naturally didn't express any emotions.

However, he was also curious about the connection between his teacher and his senior brother.

Although he didn't want to get involved, he inevitably became involved once he became Kamo no Tadayuki's disciple.

The undercurrents in Heian-kyo have been stirred up by him, and the entire Onmyōryō (Bureau of Yin and Yang) has been affected.

"Reporting to Lord Seimei, it can be concluded that the Karasu Tengu has failed." Right beside Abe no Seimei, the young man knelt respectfully on one knee and said to Abe no Seimei, "All of its Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) have perished, and Kamo no Yasunori has led a large number of Onmyoji (yin-yang masters) out of the city."

Suzaku, the fire general of the Twelve Divine Generals, is a shikigami of Abe no Seimei. His most distinctive feature is his fiery red hair. He wears a white scarf tied around his head, and his most striking features are his red eyes, like transparent gemstones.

"So be it, it failed. I knew that idiot wouldn't be able to do it." Abe no Seimei shook his head slightly and sighed. "Then, you'll have to handle things with the Tengu, Suzaku."

"You and Tengshe, Gouchen are my most important forces."

"I need to master more demonic power, so you and they should work together to gather more demons to submit."

Abe no Seimei gave the order, and Suzaku naturally dared not neglect it.

Bearing Abe no Seimei's orders, they disappeared into Abe no Seimei's courtyard.

“Teacher, you’re lucky this time. But I’ve already discovered your secret.” Seimei looked up and gazed at the sky. “Why did you take my mother’s life?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Abe no Haruhiko looked disappointed and melancholy.

"Lord Seimei, it is Fujiwara no Kazuhito who has come to visit." A servant's voice came from not far away. Abe no Seimei closed his folding fan and revealed a gentle smile. "Please let Lord Fujiwara wait in the living room."

When the entire court becomes a force dependent on him, and with the help of the prevailing human forces, what kind of trouble can a few Onmyoji possibly stir up?

-

Suwa Daijin Shrine, located on one side of Mount Nara, enshrines Suwa Daimyojin, the god of harvest and grain.

Originally, Suwa Daimyojin still had some worshippers, but as Buddhism and Taoism flourished, the worship of the indigenous deity gradually ceased.

"I think I can sense a faint divine aura here in this shrine," Midori said, unsure if it was just her imagination.

As a shrine maiden, she is most attuned to the spirits.

“A faint aura of divine power?” Saigyouji Yuusuke’s brow twitched, his expression turning somewhat strange. “Could it be that the gods still exist here?”

When the Age of Gods ended, countless gods had long since perished, and those that did not mostly degenerate into monsters.

"You mustn't tell anyone about this," Saigyouji Yuuki reminded Midori, worried that something might happen at the shrine.

"Yes, I understand, Master Yuzuru." Although she didn't know why, Midori still obediently listened to Saigyouji Yuzuru.

Saigyouji Hanyu was like an older brother to Midori, making her feel a sense of warmth and care. The girl who had lost her family inevitably developed a sense of dependence on Saigyouji Hanyu.

However, Saigyouji Habu was somewhat unaware of this. He simply cared for Midori as he would Yuyuko, while pondering the possible presence of deities here.

"Suwa Daimyojin, that must be Suwako Moriya. If Suwako is here, then is Kanako Yasaka here?" Saigyouji Hanyu thought of the gods of Gensokyo.

He had the deepest impression of these two deities.

If there are gods, perhaps Midori could become the priestess of those two gods. That way, Midori could not only use her spiritual power to eliminate monsters, but also draw upon the power of the gods.

When he encountered a deity, Saigyouji Hanyu's thoughts were no longer about faith, but rather about using the deity's power to help Midori. Influenced by his previous materialism, he had no reverence or fear for gods or monsters.

Indeed, statues of two deities are enshrined at Suwa Daishin Shrine.

However, the statues of the two deities were quite dilapidated, and hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Deities exist in the world only through faith; without human faith, even if they can still exist, their power will gradually weaken, and they will eventually fall into slumber.

Suwako was an ancient god of eight million people, the god of abundant harvests.

One of them, Kanako Yasaka, is the embodiment of hills and lakes, and is in charge of wind and rain, thus she is the goddess of agriculture. For some reason, she can also be considered a mountain goddess.

However, as times changed, the gods gradually lost their mysterious aura, and the old gods were replaced by new ones.

The era of new gods has come to an end, and the tales of gods have now turned into the tales of monsters and demons.

Whether this is good or bad for humanity is unknown.

The group settled down at Suwa Daishin Shrine, not in a hurry to return to Heian-kyo. Kamo no Yasunori still had matters to discuss with Kamo no Tadayuki, the most important being the changing situation in Heian-kyo.

The Yin-Yang Bureau gradually lost the influence of the Kamo family.

Author's message:

P.S.: First update, second update tonight. Please vote! _(:зゝ∠)_

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Tales of the Gods

The loss of influence angered him, but that wasn't the root cause. The main reason was that Abe no Seimei had discovered a secret from the past.

In that case, he might not be the Onmyoji who dedicated himself to the Way of Yin and Yang.

Kamo no Yasunori was helpless; Abe no Seimei had reached the pinnacle of power as an Onmyoji (yin-yang master), and who could shake his position?

"..." Kamo no Tadayuki listened quietly to Kamo no Yasunori's story, his feelings becoming particularly complicated. "Seimei, after all, has grown up."

As Seimei grew up, he was no longer the good disciple he once was.

"Father, if he really discovers the secrets of the past, our Kamo family will be annihilated," Kamo Yasunori said, hoping that Kamo Tadayuki could make a decision as soon as possible.

Abe no Seimei's mother was a legendary nine-tailed fox.

Kamo no Tadayuki possessed the special ability of 'future vision' and judged that Abe no Seimei would be the one to carry forward the Way of Yin and Yang in the future.

However, his mother, the white fox Kuzuha, would become Abe no Seimei's biggest obstacle, and neither his grandfather nor the Abe clan liked Kuzuha.

Monsters are terrifying beings.

"I'll be all packed up before I go back to Heian-kyo." If Kamo no Yasunori is telling the truth, and Abe no Seimei has discovered the secret of the past.

Given his half-demon identity and the things Kamo no Tadayuki did in the past, he might not acknowledge him as his teacher.

His mood sank.

"Then, Father, the disciple you brought back?" Returning to Heian-kyo will inevitably draw him into the struggles of Heian-kyo.

The matter of Saigyouji Hanyu inevitably became a concern for Kamo no Tadayuki.

"Yuusuke... let him not accompany me for now. He is the last disciple I have recognized since Seimei." Closing his eyes, Kamo Tadashi considered the next steps. "If I die, you must teach him all of the Kamo family's Yin-Yang techniques."

Kamo no Tadayuki, the only disciple he recognized, naturally held Saigyouji Habu in particularly high regard.

"The Kamo family's Yin-Yang techniques?!" Kamo Yasunori was astonished by these words, as he had taught Saigyouji Habu the family's Yin-Yang techniques.

Does one's own father really think so highly of that disciple? He's actually willing to hand over the family's Yin-Yang techniques.

“I understand, Father.” Kamo nods in agreement.

Inside the Suwa Daishin Shrine, their conversations were kept secret from outsiders.

Verbal barriers can interfere with a person's vision and hearing.

The Kamo family was once the dominant Onmyoji family in the Onmyo Bureau, but it has now been replaced by the Abe clan, represented by Abe no Seimei.

It's not just a struggle for power, but also a feud between apprentice and teacher.

Upon returning to Heian-kyo, Kamo no Tadayuki's goal is to resolve the old grudges with his disciple.

...

"Kanako, what should we do? How much longer will those people stay?"

A faint voice rang out from the shrine.

The shrine's owner, Suwako Moriya, appeared listless and weak, clearly afraid of being discovered by the Onmyoji.

The present era is not the past era.

In the past, gods appeared in the world, and humans believed in and worshipped them. However, the era of gods has ended. Who still remembers the eight million ancient gods like Suwako?

The god of the harvest and grains of the past has become a weak god, not even as good as a weak monster.

The weakening of power is actually a sign that humanity has lost its faith and has been forgotten.

The forgotten god was worried that one day he would be treated as a monster.

In a world where people's hearts are treacherous, there is no such thing as goodness.

"Who knows? But don't worry, those humans won't find us. Besides, our meager divine power is nothing to us." Kanako Yasaka, her expression a mix of laughter and tears, comforted the uneasy Suwako. "The myths of the gods are long gone. The world is a paradise now, and there's nothing we can do about it."

This is the truth, and it's an unavoidable reality.

Once upon a time, Kanako was also a deity of Yamato, but when the goddess Amaterasu of the past departed, Takamagahara fell apart.

Kanako Yasaka was simply repeating the fate of Suwako.

Even after the Age of Gods ended, their lives were still relatively comfortable. However, during the Asuka period, Prince Shotoku promoted Buddhism, which led to a conflict between the native Shinto and Buddhism. The native Shinto suffered a major defeat, which meant that there was no longer a place for these former Takamagahara gods in human society.

It's quite pitiful to think about.

The relationship between the two is quite interesting. In the distant Age of Gods, they were rival gods. Suwako was the native god, while Kanako was the god of Yamato Province, the true god of Takamagahara, the original god of the country of Japan.

The gods expanded in their struggle for faith, and Kanako, representing the gods of Takamagahara, acquired Suwako's kingdom, making Suwako her subordinate god.

After the Asuka era, Kanako had become as weak as Suwako, and the great prosperity of Buddhism and Taoism was just a huge blow to her.

"Ugh~" Suwako looked a little unwell, but after thinking for a moment, she could only sigh weakly, "By the way, why can't we get the new humans to believe in us?"

"Idiot, what are you thinking? How could we possibly expect humans to willingly worship us? Not even a priestess..."

Kanako cursed, then seemed to have thought of something.

"There seems to be a shrine maiden in the shrine right now."

"Can we trick that witch into believing in us?"

Kanako seems to be genuinely considering this matter.

“With the power of the priestess, we can gather those uncontrollable faiths and restore the true form of the gods.” Apart from the reason of the severing of faith, the main reason is that they do not have a priestess.

For the gods, shrine maidens are the most important missionaries.

"Huh, is that even possible?" Suwako was a little skeptical of Kanako's idea, thinking that Kanako was just daydreaming.

"Hmph, why not? That priestess is eager for power, the power to destroy monsters and become a true, qualified priestess."

"Don't forget what kind of god I am."

Kanako Yasaka is the goddess of wind and rain. Because she can control the wind and rain, she is worshipped as the goddess of agriculture.

In fact, her greatest strength lies in harnessing the omnipresent power of nature.

For Midori, who aspires to become a qualified shrine maiden, Kanako can grant her this ability, provided that she worships the two deities at Suwa Grand Shrine.

Author's message:

P.S.: I was a little sleepy, so the update is late. Here's the second update, please vote!

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Myth of Yasaka

The shrine maiden worships a god, and the god grants the shrine maiden the ability to spread the god's faith.

The meaning of the existence of ancient gods is perhaps something they themselves did not realize, as they existed because of humanity.

When humanity ceases to have faith, the existence of gods becomes worthless, meaningless, and powerless.

The existence of gods is simply humanity's imagination of the unknown, as well as its expectations for the future.

The myths of the gods have faded into the past, and the age of monsters has arrived, further exacerbating the decline of the old deities.

"I remember that shrine maiden, her name should be Midori, right?" Kanako thought to herself, considering how to persuade Midori to become her shrine maiden.

But speaking of which, how could a god do something like fooling a priestess?

If they didn't deceive people, would they still be called gods?

It is precisely because people are fooled into believing that gods have a reason to exist. For the sake of faith, Kanako has decided to abandon her own morals.