The Great Master of Gensokyo

However, two tigers cannot share one mountain. The leopard cat clan is not strong enough at present, so they chose to seek refuge with the great Onmyoji of Heian-kyo, making the leopard cats serve Abe no Seimei in exchange for Abe no Seimei's support.

However, the cat demon girl's defection was a huge blow to the prestige of the leopard cat clan within Abe no Seimei's camp.

"Those bastards are catching up again..." The cat demon girl gritted her teeth, clutching her wound. She had only escaped for a short while when several leopard cats from the leopard cat clan caught up with her.

"Run away! Why aren't you running away?"

The sight of the figure blocking her way filled the cat demon girl with despair.

“Those who betray the Leopard Cat clan, you know the price, don’t you, Hishimi?”

The ones speaking were the other two leopard cats that had caught up; all of these leopard cats possessed the strength of a mid-level monster.

Compared to the weak Himari, she is much stronger.

"Are you going to come back with us and accept your punishment, or are you going to die here?"

The lead leopard cat made a questioning sound, but the cat demon called Himari simply shook its head.

"No, I'm not going back."

"If that's the case, then go die!"

Seeing this, the leopard cat said nothing more and directly turned its paws into sharp claws to pounce on Himari. Himari closed her eyes, as if waiting for death to come.

The sudden musket shot pierced through the leopard cat's body.

"I can't stand seeing anyone being bullied," said Saigyouji Hanyu, who had just arrived.

...

"Humanity!?"

"How could there be humans here...?"

"Big brother."

The two leopard cats behind Himari couldn't help but let out a mournful cry. They never expected that the strongest leopard cat among them would die right before their eyes.

Just as they were about to make their move, the two leopard cats felt a chill on their necks and collapsed to the ground.

"Cough, cough." The cat demon girl, coughing up blood, collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way. "Now I can die, right..."

There was no longing for life in the cat demon girl's eyes.

"My lord, what should we do about her?" At this moment, the Demon Blade Princess hesitated as she looked at the injured cat demon girl.

"Let's treat her first; she's probably the culprit behind this," Saigyouji Yuusuke said, looking at the cat demon before him. Unexpectedly, the [Yokai Race Diary] appeared.

[Himari: From the Western Lands, born into the Leopard Cat Clan. Originally raised by humans, she accidentally injured humans due to the activation of her demon blood. Later, she was captured by the Leopard Cat Clan and, along with other cat demons of the Leopard Cat Clan, became a demon under the Leopard Cat Group of Abe no Seimei's faction.]

[The blood of a demon is easily out of control, and it contains one-third human blood.]

"A half-demon?" This really surprised Saigyouji Yuusuke, because he had only encountered pure-blooded demons, and there was no such thing as a half-demon.

"Born into the Leopard Cat clan, from the Western Lands." Saigyouji Yuzuru took a deep breath, hoping to learn more about the world of yokai from her.

"You noticed it too?" Hagoromo-Gitsune asked in surprise. "This cat demon is a half-demon."

"She doesn't seem too willing to become a yokai." Although Midori didn't intervene, she overheard the yokai's earlier argument. "She seems rather pitiful."

"Yingcao, help her heal," Saigyouji Yuzuru called out. Yingcao, who had been standing by, responded, and a bright green light enveloped the cat demon girl. "Let's ask her what we need to say when she wakes up."

Before long, the cat demon's complexion gradually returned to normal, and it opened its eyes.

"I'm not dead yet...?"

She froze, looking somewhat bewildered.

“We saved you,” Saigyouji Hanyu said to the awakened Himari. “My name is Saigyouji Hanyu, an Onmyoji.”

"I originally came here to find the monster that was harming the villagers at their request, but now that I have saved you, your life is mine now. Would you be willing to follow me?"

Saigyouji Hanyu's words silenced the cat demon girl.

"Onmyoji, aren't you going to kill me?"

"No, I want you to become my shikigami."

Recruiting a half-demon to become a shikigami would be quite interesting; this was a spur-of-the-moment idea of ​​Saigyouji Habu.

"I am just a half-demon." At this moment, Himari lowered her head. "I am not a powerful demon. Please defeat me."

“Half-demons are easier to cultivate into shikigami than monsters. If you are very powerful, I still won’t be able to control you.” Saigyouji Habu smiled. “Besides, there are things about you that I want to know.”

"I'll ask you one more time, do you want to be my shikigami?" Saigyouji Hanyu said, knowing he wouldn't give a second chance if you refused. "I think you're just afraid of this demon blood."

Saigyouji Hanyu's words immediately revealed the reason for her hesitation: she was afraid that her power would become uncontrollable.

Author's message:

P.S.: It's past midnight.

Chapter Ninety-One: Spell Deduction

"Can you help Himari control the demon blood within her..."

Himari's expression froze. If she could do that, that would be perfect.

However, Himari still had some hesitation in her heart.

"Your name?"

"Himari." The frail and powerless cat-demon girl responded to Saigyouji Hanyu.

"From the West?"

"Eh, how did the Onmyoji know...?"

Himari was a little confused; how did Saigyouji Hanyu know?

"Ahem." Saigyouji Yuzuru didn't bother explaining this. "You stole the village's food, didn't you?"

“That’s right…” The blushing girl looked embarrassed.

After some questioning, Saigyouji Hanyu finally understood Himari's experience.

Originally, Himari grew up in a human family and was unaware that she was a half-demon. It was only under the moonlight that her demon blood was activated, causing her to transform into a demon.

The cat demon's blood pressure surpassed that of humans.

Later, due to some unexpected events, he joined the leopard cat clan and became a member of the leopard cat group.

However, weaker yokai do not have yokai rights, and Himari had had enough of life in the Leopard Cat Squad.

They escaped from the Leopard Cat Group just as the battle at Yoshino Mountain was about to begin, but were later discovered and caught up by the Leopard Cat Group.

And so, it became what Saigyouji Hanyu had just seen.

"Master Yuzuru won't harm you. With Master Yuzuru around, neither the Leopard Cat Group nor the Demon Cat Group can beat him," Midori comforted Hishimi, which made Hishimi's mind waver.

"I hope this won't cause you any trouble." Hishimari seemed to have made up her mind.

"Just call me the same way you call Midori," Saigyouji Hanyu said to Himari. Seeing that she agreed, Saigyouji Hanyu felt relieved.

He was quite worried that Hishimari would refuse.

“I am Saigyouji Hanyu, this is Midori, and this is Hagoromo Gitsune, Yaodao-hime, and Yingcao. They are both my shikigami.” Saigyouji Hanyu introduced the people around him to Hishimi.

Himari appeared somewhat reserved, but she still bowed to each of them.

Since this is my first time being a shikigami in an Onmyoji, I don't have much experience. Which one is my master?

After hesitating for a moment, Himari didn't say anything, otherwise the atmosphere would have become awkward.

And so, this time when he went to the west of the mountain, Hanyu gained another shikigami.

He knew about the village of Bai Lian and her brother, and left behind a barrier that allowed the villagers to survive the Night of the Demon.

...

The Night of the Demon is when demons and monsters are most active.

Heian-kyo is relatively close to this place, and Tengshe, leading more than 10,000 demons and monsters, gradually approached Yoshino Mountain.

Although the death of Aobozu delayed the risk of Yoshino Mountain being breached, a major battle between the two sides was inevitable sooner or later.

Through Himari, Saigyouji Hanyu learned a great deal about the Western Country and the Leopard Cat Clan, which gave him a more direct understanding of the world.

The lord of the Leopard Cat clan desires to unify the Western Kingdom, and the Dog Demons, a powerful force of monsters in the Western Kingdom, have become a thorn in the side of the Leopard Cat clan.

However, the two sides were evenly matched and in a stalemate. She asked Himari, but she had never heard of the name Inu no Taisho before.

The one who rules over the dog demons is the dog demon leader.

In terms of the lifespan of a demon, the Dog General of this era should be as young as his future eldest son, Sesshomaru.

During the Heian period, countless outstanding individuals gathered, and the human world was filled not only with figures like Abe no Seimei, Ashiya Dōman, and Minamoto no Yorimitsu...

The world of yokai is also home to Shuten-dōji, Ōtengu, and other powerful yokai of unknown origin.

Meanwhile, the Abe Seimei camp.

"Three thousand demons and monsters couldn't even take down a small temple. It's good that that good-for-nothing Aobozu is dead." Tengshe had learned of the news from Mount Yoshino.

I originally thought this trip would be a smooth one to take over Yoshino Mountain, but it turns out there will be some trouble.

"Great Tengu, don't you have any news from your side?" The task of monitoring and transmitting messages was assigned to the Great Tengu's group by Tengshe.

The Ōtengu group and the Ōeyama group are competitors within Seimei's camp.

"I failed in my duties." The Great Tengu was covered in sweat and didn't know how to explain.

You can't very well say that you asked the monster mountain where you came from to help you, and almost caused an important member of your clan to be unable to return, thus delaying the delivery of the message.

"Let the Great Tengu Group atone for their mistakes by attacking Yoshino Mountain this time," Suzaku said, trying to smooth things over for the Great Tengu. "Only by setting up camp on Yoshino Mountain first and seizing the initiative can we guarantee victory in this battle."

"We made a promise to Lord Seimei." Suzaku's words made Tengshe give Ōtengu a cold look. "This time, we'll give the Ōtengu group a chance, otherwise..."

His tone became stern.

"Yes, Lord Tengshe." The imposing presence of the twelve divine generals made Da Tengu breathless.

...

Temple, night.

"The upgrade was finally successful." With the system notification in my mind, the long-absent system underwent another change.

The original Yin-Yang technique had an option to enhance and upgrade it.

The updated system now includes an additional spell deduction function.

That is, Saigyouji Hanyu was considering how to simplify spells, or how to maintain the power of simplified spells, and he could use this spell practice function.

"No risk?" Saigyouji Yuzuru's eyes lit up.

【none】

Having received an affirmative reply, Saigyouji Hanyu showed a satisfied expression.

Of all the spells he has mastered, excluding his original main skills, the Fire Realm Spell is indeed the most powerful.

However, compared to a great Onmyoji like Ashiya Dōman, he is truly far inferior.

While the power of a shikigami may be strong for a time, one should not neglect the practice of incantations.

Aside from the Fire Realm Curse, the Taishan Lord's Sacrifice Curse is the most unique curse of Saigyouji Hanyu.

The preparation ritual for one of the incantations is complex, but it has the power to communicate with the Lord of Mount Tai to bring the dead back to life.

However, Saigyouji Hanyu did not want to use it solely for reviving the dead, because there was still room for further development of this spell.

This ritual can also invoke spirits!

The Taishan Fujun Festival is like a certain Type-Moon Heroic Spirit Summoning Array, capable of directly linking with beings like gods.

The gods are not the Japanese gods who can be made gods simply by being believed in, but those beings from ancient times who truly deserve to be called gods.

—The true gods.

This is the method that Saigyouji Habu intends to use to deal with the false god's rebellion.

Before receiving the Taishan Fujun Festival, Saigyouji Hanyu might not have had any ideas, but now that he has, he understands.

The ability to deduce incantations was just what he needed to perfect the incantation for the Taishan Fujun Sacrifice.