Deep in the night of Heian-kyo, atop a five-story pagoda, Minamoto no Yorimasa knelt, clutching his shoulder where a jagged stump remained. Before him lay his right arm, the limb previously severed by Rihyon.
Standing in front of him was the Divine Messenger, clad in tattered armor. He looked down at Yorimasa in silence before slowly drawing a malefic blade from its sheath. Immediately, a purplish-red, sinister power swirled around the steel.
The Divine Messenger thrust the blade directly into the severed arm lying on the ground. He channeled the sword's energy into the limb, causing it to twitch and shudder. Thick veins bulged across the skin, the fingernails lengthened into sharp claws, and the flesh turned a sickly shade of purple. At the stump, countless fleshy tendrils began to writhe and undulate with unnatural speed.
Using the blade to lift the mutated arm, the messenger pressed it against Yorimasa’s shoulder. The wriggling tendrils instantly entangled themselves with the original flesh, stitching the two together. A portion of that sinister power flowed into Yorimasa’s body, and amidst a low groan of agony, the mutated limb successfully fused with his torso.
"I thank you for this gift!" Yorimasa said, bowing deeply to the Divine Messenger as he marveled at his reattached—and now far more powerful—right arm.
"Excessive reliance on this power will gradually erode your sanity, turning you into a mindless beast. I hope you do not become a gibbering monster too quickly," the Divine Messenger said, sheathing his blade. He turned to look out over the horizon, gazing down upon Heian-kyo.
At this moment, a thick, cloying demonic aura blanketed the capital. The silence of the night was shattered by a cacophony of piercing screams and terrifying roars. Along the grand avenues of the city’s districts, torches flickered and surged as fires broke out in various quarters. Heian-kyo was currently under a full-scale assault by yokai rising from the depths below.
"You have done well. Now that the entirety of Heian-kyo is plunged into chaos, the Onmyoryo and the great clans will be too preoccupied to interfere with us. We can begin the next phase of our operation."
"The next phase... Lord Messenger, have you already discovered the method to open the White Tiger Altar?" Yorimasa asked curiously.
"The Four Symbols Seal is more than just a gateway to the array and the Divine Generals; it is a highly complex construct of spells. It contains a vast wealth of knowledge within itself. With just a bit of effort to commune with it, one can learn many things—including the location of the White Tiger Altar and the rites to open it." The Divine Messenger chuckled softly, his gaze shifting toward the west.
"Interestingly... among the knowledge stored within this seal, I have discovered something quite intriguing regarding that altar."
"Something intriguing?" Confusion flickered across Yorimasa’s face.
"Hah. An ancient scourge, buried by the Three Great Clans hundreds of years ago. Perhaps now, it can be made to serve us."
...
Across Heian-kyo, the ground was being torn asunder by burrowing yokai. From these ruptures, countless frenzied monsters poured out, swarming through the main thoroughfares and attacking every living soul they encountered. Regardless of status—be they high-ranking kizoku or commoners—screams of terror echoed through the night. Heian-kyo’s defensive forces were immediately mobilized to meet the crisis.
Faced with this sudden catastrophe, the night watch of the Onmyoryo's Boundary Bureau immediately attempted to exorcise the invaders. However, they soon realized that the number and strength of these yokai far exceeded their expectations. The night watch alone was utterly incapable of handling such a threat.
Fortunately, Kamo no Tadayuki, who was still working late at the Onmyoryo, had sensed the massive surge of demonic energy the moment it appeared. Before the night watch’s request for reinforcements even reached him, Tadayuki had already ordered every available force within the bureau to deploy and sent out emergency alerts to all the great onmyo clans. The night sky became a frantic buzz of activity.
High above the outskirts of the capital, Miketsu approached rapidly, riding atop Makoto. She looked toward the chaotic city in the distance, her brow furrowed in concern.
"It seems we are a step too late. That fellow has already made his move," Miketsu spoke in Owl's stern voice from her position on Makoto’s back.
"Cough, cough... That bastard actually used the Gentian Iron Token to release the yokai imprisoned by my clan. What on earth is he trying to achieve!?" Clutched in Makoto’s talons, Minamoto no Mitsunaka spoke with a pale face after a fit of heavy coughing. It was clear he had already surmised what was happening; the chaotic demonic aura was largely familiar to him—it originated from the depths beneath his own estate.
"How cruel! To think your Minamoto clan kept so many innocent yokai locked away!" the small white fox, Konkiku, said indignantly from Miketsu's side.
"Humans and yokai are mortal enemies. What does it matter how many the Minamoto imprisoned? Besides, those creatures aren't all the 'innocents' you imagine; many are man-eaters and murderers... Judging by the current aura, at least thirty percent of the dungeon’s prisoners have escaped, and that number is rising. Eventually, more than half will likely break free..." Mitsunaka spoke with deep worry. His words caused Miketsu’s expression to harden as she turned to him.
"Why did the Minamoto clan imprison so many yokai? They couldn't possibly all be your shikigami, could they?"
"Of course not. The purpose of the dungeon wasn't just for creating shikigami. It also served as a source of materials for the various onmyo clans in the capital. Furthermore, the shikigami we produced were often supplied to onmyoji from other families. Those yokai weren't just for our use; the dungeon supplied the onmyo clans of the entire capital," Mitsunaka explained grimly.
"Because of that, the number of yokai in those cells is staggering. If even half of them escape, the Onmyoryo will find it nearly impossible to cope..."
After hearing Mitsunaka's explanation, the atmosphere grew even more oppressive. Looking at the chaotic city of Heian-kyo, now directly before them, Miketsu’s heart sank.
She could clearly sense the sinister aura clinging to those monsters. She knew this was the handiwork of that ancient warrior. From previous experience, she knew that anyone tainted by his power would not only grow stronger but also inevitably fall into a state of madness. This meant the escaped yokai would be beyond negotiation, and the pressure on the Onmyoryo would be far greater than Mitsunaka predicted. The disaster facing Heian-kyo was likely to exceed all expectations.
Furthermore, these crazed yokai wouldn't care if others were their own kind. If Heian-kyo fell and these monsters spread to the surrounding areas, ghost markets like Choyo-machi would surely suffer. Therefore... Miketsu had to bring this situation under control before it escalated further.
"Skeletal Bird."
At Miketsu's call, a half-decayed, hawk-like avian yokai with exposed bones flew to Makoto’s side, letting out a cry to signal its readiness.
"Skeletal Bird, take the Senior Secretary of the Minamoto to the Onmyoryo. The rest of you, return to Choyo-machi with me for now... Makoto, Konkiku, Tamamura! Gather as many of the Hundred Demons as possible with the utmost speed. Together... we march upon the capital."
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