Beyond the limits of a demon blade itself? What does that mean?
Fujiwara no Kanehira's words left Toga and Miketsu momentarily bewildered. They didn't know what this human onmyoji and yokai swordsmith were planning, or how the two of them—one yokai, one onmyoji—came to know each other and collaborate.
Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai clearly saw the confusion in Toga's eyes. After a slight smile, they continued.
“Let's go, we can sit and talk properly once we're inside the house.”
With that, Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai led the way into the dilapidated mansion. Miketsu and Toga followed immediately after a brief moment of hesitation.
Although the mansion looked dilapidated on the outside, it was surprisingly neat and clean inside. After everyone found a spacious room and sat down, Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai began to explain the situation.
…
The Fujiwara are one of the three great onmyoji families, skilled in crafting. They are particularly adept at creating various onmyo spiritual tools, and because of this, the Spirit Tool Bureau of the Onmyoryo has always been controlled by the Fujiwara family, making it one of their most stable foundations within the Onmyoryo.
Fujiwara no Kanehira is the brother of the current Kanpaku, Fujiwara no Tadahira. His status within the Fujiwara family is esteemed, and he oversees the Spirit Tool Bureau, which is crucial to the Fujiwara. Furthermore, Fujiwara no Kanehira himself is an exceptionally skilled spiritual tool forger, with craftsmanship that is top-tier even within the Fujiwara family. He is also particularly adept at forging spiritual blades. It is said that the Fujiwara family even has an Onmyo Blade Samurai Corps fully equipped with powerful spiritual swords.
Compared to power or strength, Fujiwara no Kanehira clearly had more interest in forging. To create stronger spiritual blades, he frequently made various attempts and personally traveled to different parts of the country to collect raw materials for forging. It was during a journey to the Eastern Provinces that he met Totosai, the yokai craftsman.
It was in a valley rich in rare minerals that the two craftsmen, both striving to forge stronger blades, met. Although one was an onmyoji and the other a yokai, their shared passion and obsession for forging led them to become friends. They then began to exchange knowledge from their respective fields, hoping to gain inspiration to overcome their individual challenges.
Through continuous in-depth discussions, they discovered that whether it was a demon blade from the demon realm or a spiritual blade from the human realm, if confined to their respective realms, there would always be limits. To surpass these limits, one must first transcend the realms themselves, only then could they forge the ultimate blade they envisioned.
Thus, Fujiwara no Kanehira invited Totosai to Heian-kyo and gave him a deserted Fujiwara residence as a hiding place. The two of them discussed and experimented with forging blades there. Unfortunately, the sound of the forging and hammering was too loud, causing the people of Shizuhara-machi to believe there was a yokai in the mountains, so they submitted a request to the Onmyoryo, which then attracted Yura.
…
“A blade that transcends realms, huh…” Listening to Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai, Toga couldn't help but be stunned. He slowly spoke, his mouth agape.
“Yes… transcending the human realm and the demon realm, fusing demonic power and spiritual power, forging incompatible elements together to obtain this unprecedented weapon.” Looking up at Toga, Fujiwara no Kanehira said seriously.
Listening to the two craftsmen's statements, a surging tide rose in the hearts of everyone present. Forging a demon blade and a spiritual blade together, merging the power of the demon realm and the power of the human realm into one—this idea was simply too audacious, too heretical. No one would have imagined that the people proposing such a plan were not raving madmen, but rather top master craftsmen from both the Human and demon realms.
“So, the main material for such a blade is my fangs?”
“The General's fangs are a crucial factor, or rather, the key on the demon realm side.” Totosai spoke, continuing to explain their plan.
“The demon realm side? So, there's also the human realm?”
“Indeed. Your fangs represent the power of the demon realm, and the power of the human realm will come from Heian-kyo's protective seal, the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array.”
“The Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array!?” As soon as Fujiwara no Kanehira's words left his mouth, a gasp immediately arose from the crowd. It was Yura who spoke.
“Hey, hey, you're going to use the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array just to forge a blade? Are you, are you serious?!” Yura said slowly in astonishment. She knew these two swordsmiths were a bit crazy, but she never expected them to be this crazy.
‘The Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array? Tsuruha, what is that?’
‘Well, Tsuruha doesn't know much about it either. I only roughly know that it's the foundation upon which Heian-kyo was built, a massive spiritual array that protects the human court from incursions by the demon realm. It is said to be arranged in the image of the Four Symbols, and Heian-kyo itself was established on the basis of this grand array. Against the yokai lords from all directions, it is the Onmyoryo's strongest and final trump card.’ Tsuruha slowly spoke in Miketsu's mind. Miketsu could clearly hear the surprise in her tone.
Upon hearing Tsuruha's explanation, Miketsu was also stunned. She hadn't expected these two to want to use something like that just to forge a blade. It sounded like a strategic weapon of the Onmyoryo. You want to use something like this to forge a blade?
“Heh heh, of course, we're not activating the Four Symbols Array; we're merely borrowing a portion of its power. Besides, to fully activate the Four Symbols Array, the Fujiwara alone are far from enough…” Fujiwara no Kanehira chuckled, then patiently explained.
“The Fujiwara family controls the Vermilion Bird Seal within the Four Symbols Corresponding Grand Array. So, I plan to utilize this point, drawing spiritual power from the Four Symbols Array through the Vermilion Bird Seal. Due to the nature of the Vermilion Bird Seal itself, this drawn Four Symbols spiritual power will naturally transform into spiritual flames. We will use this flame to temper the demon fangs in a specific way, allowing them to absorb spiritual power during this process, ultimately forging the ultimate blade that transcends both the Human and demon realms.”
…
Totosai and Fujiwara no Kanehira patiently explained, while Miketsu, who was listening in like she was just there for the fun of it, felt a surge of excitement. Spiritual flames, demon fangs, a blade that transcends realms forged together—this sounds so cool!
Just as Miketsu was about to continue listening, she suddenly felt a sense of being watched.
This feeling was like being scanned by spiritual vision, but somehow different.
‘Tsuruha, did you feel anything?’ Through their contract, Miketsu asked her divine messenger, who was hidden on her person.
‘Feel anything? This… I apologize, Lady Uka, what exactly are you referring to?’ The divine fox in her sleeve spoke with a bewildered tone.
‘Just a feeling of being watched. Didn't you feel it, Tsuruha?’ Miketsu was a bit puzzled. She recalled that Tsuruha had also sensed it when they were previously observed by spiritual vision, but now she didn't?
Could it be that only she felt this sense of being watched?
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