Under the night sky of Heian-kyo, along the straight thoroughfares between market blocks, two bright lights streaked through the darkness in succession. Mokou led the way, while Fujiwara no Saneyori, possessed by Prince Nagaya, trailed behind. Driven by an intense thirst for vengeance, Prince Nagaya closely pursued Mokou, whose blood carried the potent scent of his enemies.
Possessing Saneyori's body, Prince Nagaya could use many of the spells known to the onmyoji to a certain extent. At this moment, he used these arts to levitate and fly at incredible speeds. Mokou, on the other hand, possessed few supernatural abilities beyond her immortality and hyper-regeneration; she could only burn her own flesh. Unable to fly, she maintained her lead by continuously detonating the flesh of her feet, using the concussive force of the explosions to leap forward in great bounds.
"Turn left at the next intersection, then continue until the one after that and turn right. Once you reach the wide avenue, go straight and turn left again. That will lead you out of Heian-kyo..." Miketsu's voice drifted from a paper shikigami hidden on Mokou. Following Miketsu’s guidance, Mokou successfully lured Prince Nagaya toward the city's exit.
"Hey, hey... slow down! You're talking too fast, I can't remember all that!"
"There's not much further to go, just hurry. Either way, lead him outside the city first; it would be disastrous if a fire broke out here."
"Tsk... I know, I know!"
Faced with Prince Nagaya’s relentless pursuit, Mokou had a clear destination in mind. Once she leaped onto Suzaku Avenue, she raced south, hurtling toward Rajomon, the gateway out of Heian-kyo. Their passage caught the attention of numerous night-patrolling samurai and onmyoji, some of whom even attempted to give chase.
During the pursuit, Prince Nagaya occasionally controlled Saneyori to cast incantations, firing spirit strikes and flames at Mokou. She dodged some and took hits from others, but nothing could slow her down. The wounds from the strikes healed almost instantly. Conversely, many of the stray spiritual flames struck the houses lining the streets, setting them ablaze. This forced the ordinary soldiers and samurai who were preparing to join the pursuit to cry out in alarm and rush to extinguish the fires, knowing all too well how quickly a blaze could spread through the capital.
High above, Miketsu flew through the sky, looking down upon the dark sprawl of Heian-kyo. From her vantage point, she tracked the two streaks of light below, constantly providing Mokou with directions to guide the spirit away from the city.
Earlier that day, when Miketsu encountered Mokou, she had begun reconsidering her strategy for dealing with Prince Nagaya. Searching for him would have taken too long; it was better to wait for the prince or his controller to show themselves. Since the mastermind's objective seemed to be weakening and suppressing the Fujiwara rather than outright slaughter, it proved the clan still held some special significance to them.
Weakening the Fujiwara was likely a precursor to a larger operation. What was their next move? Perhaps looting the Fujiwara treasury, kidnapping key members, or even seizing control of high-ranking officials to manipulate the court... Regardless of the goal, the masterminds would eventually have to appear. Thus, Miketsu chose to wait for them to come to her.
Now, her plan was to use Mokou's extreme 'aggro' and sheer durability to lure Prince Nagaya out of Heian-kyo, where she could deal with him in a desolate area with minimal collateral damage. So far, the plan was proceeding smoothly.
"Now then... the next step is solving the possession..." Miketsu murmured to herself as she watched the two lights race through Rajomon. She then spoke through the paper shikigami attached to Mokou.
"Mokou, once you're out of the city, find an open, uninhabited area and keep him busy. Hold him as long as you can; just don't let him escape. Oh, and try not to hurt him too badly—he is your descendant, after all."
Having just cleared the city gates, Mokou was sprinting across the open ground when she heard Miketsu’s words. A metaphorical vein popped on her forehead as she roared back in frustration.
"That's my brother's descendant! I don't have any children of my own, get your facts straight!"
"Alright, alright... this isn't the time for semantics. Turn left and keep running. You'll see a river soon. Hold him there on the bank. Did you catch all that?" Miketsu's voice continued through the paper shikigami.
"Sigh... it's so easy for the one just giving orders..."
Despite her grumbling, Mokou followed the instructions, turning left and sprinting ahead. Amidst the constant barrage of spells from behind, she led Prince Nagaya all the way to the banks of the Kamo River.
"Fu... ji... wa... ra..."
Possessed by Prince Nagaya, Fujiwara no Saneyori’s face was contorted in a hideous snarl. He shook several talismans from his sleeve, which transformed into flaming arrows that streaked toward Mokou. The arrows tore several large holes in her body, but she did not fall. Instead, she ignited the flesh of her hands, grasping the flames as she spun around with a fierce look, finally ceasing her flight.
"Well then... I suppose it's time I taught you a lesson, descendant..."
……
Thousands of miles away from Heian-kyo, deep in the forest, Minamoto no Yorimasa was still struggling to regain control over Prince Nagaya. The Divine Messenger standing beside him was becoming visibly impatient.
"Can you control Prince Nagaya yet?"
"I can't... Divine Messenger, Lord Nagaya's rage is simply too great. It is extremely difficult to exert full control. Right now, he is obsessed with killing that girl who intruded!" Yorimasa said, sweat pouring down his face from the strain.
"He hasn't killed her yet? It takes Prince Nagaya this long to kill one person while possessing Fujiwara no Saneyori?"
"No, Divine Messenger. That girl is bizarre. Curses have no effect on her at all. No matter what strike hits her or how much damage she takes, she recovers instantly... That regeneration is more monstrous than a yokai's. It's as if she's immortal!" Yorimasa described the strange sights he saw through the spirit's eyes. Upon hearing this, the Divine Messenger froze.
"Immortal... girl... Fujiwara... So it is her..." As if recalling something, the Divine Messenger gripped his sword hilt, his expression turning grave. After a long silence, he spoke slowly.
"What is the situation now?"
"Prince Nagaya is still possessing Fujiwara no Saneyori, chasing that strange girl. They have left the city and are currently fighting on the banks of the Kamo River," Yorimasa responded earnestly.
"How much control do you have over him?"
"Prince Nagaya only wants to kill that girl, so he only accepts orders directed at attacking her... I can barely manage to direct how he targets her. Divine Messenger, I plan to have him use Saneyori’s body to unleash a high-level Senior Secretary rank onmyojutsu to kill her in one blow," Yorimasa suggested, assessing the battlefield.
"It's useless... she cannot be killed under any circumstances..."
"Cannot be killed? That..." Yorimasa’s face showed a hint of shock. He had never heard of a human who was truly immortal.
"Yes, she won't die. Fighting her is a never-ending waste of time. We need to activate the Vermilion Bird Seal as quickly as possible. The longer this drags on, the more variables will arise!" the Divine Messenger said, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
"We cannot waste time on her. Since she can't be killed, we will find a way to contain her. Control Prince Nagaya now. Have him switch hosts. Force him to possess that immortal Fujiwara girl! You can do that, can't you?"
"That... since it is a hostile act directed at the girl, Prince Nagaya should obey such a command. However, if he possesses her, won't we lose the ability to activate the Vermilion Bird Seal within Fujiwara no Saneyori?" Yorimasa asked, confused. The Divine Messenger gave a meaningful smirk.
"Then strip the Vermilion Bird Seal away and bring it with him. As long as the seal can be activated, it doesn't matter which body serves as the vessel—even that immortal Fujiwara will do..."
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