After his meeting with Gōki, Yugen boarded a commuter and headed straight for Shirayama Hime Shrine, the destination, without detours. Nestled at the foot of the sacred Mount Haku, the shrine was the head of all Shirayama shrines nationwide, renowned for its prestige.
Its historical weight was evident in tales of Minamoto no Yoritomo's donations and Minamoto no Yoshitsune's visits. Though its influence waned during the Kaga Ikko-ikki uprising, Maeda Toshiie restored it—a tidbit from Yugen's past-life knowledge. He'd visited once during a long holiday, not out of desperation but to pray for familial bonds and lasting connections.
In this world, history diverged. Records showed Nagao Kagetora—later Uesugi Kenshin—donated during his march to Kyoto, with relics tied to him preserved here. For a devotee of Bishamonten, a Seven Lucky Gods and Buddhist guardian deity, this wasn't surprising. Kagetora's actions made Etchu and Noto warlords wary, halting their eastern expansion and allowing the Uesugi and Nagao to focus on Kai Takeda, Kanto, and Tohoku.
In the original timeline, the Ikko sect was nearly annihilated fighting the Ikko-ikki, but here, Mount Haku's eruption decimated both, a tragic twist for fellow Tendai sect members. The Asakura of Echizen swiftly conquered Kaga, but the eruption's deep scars forced extensive rebuilding, which the Oda exploited to absorb the region.
But that was a digression.
Climbing the long stairs to the main hall, Yugen sensed a gaze from the moment he stepped foot on them. Lacking hostility, he ignored it and pressed on. At the top, two shadows lunged from hiding, their presence cloaked by spirit magic. Yugen raised both hands, then, as the threat closed in, swiftly grabbed and hurled them upward.
Two male voices yelped briefly. As the first fell, Yugen struck his abdomen with a twisting left palm strike; the second took a spinning right flying kick to the ribs.
"(A test… no, a prank?) Hmph!" Yugen muttered.
A water-based spirit spell, Reisuihō, launched a water mass at him. Yugen raised his right hand, halting it, then seized control with focused intent, hurling it back toward the main hall. A woman's scream followed its impact.
With a wry expression, Yugen approached the source—a woman in a miko outfit, soaked by Reisuihō, her clothes clinging to reveal her figure, with parts of her upper body faintly visible through the wet fabric.
"Care to explain why you did this, Tsukiko?" Yugen asked.
"Ugh… I told them I was against it…" Tsukiko groaned.
Yugen quickly dried her clothes with magic and helped her stand. Tsukiko, blushing, avoided his gaze.
"Why so embarrassed?" he asked.
"I made a fool of myself in front of my fiancé… Don't make me say it!" she snapped.
"You self-destructed, that's all," Yugen teased.
"Ugh…" Tsukiko wilted.
Guided by Tsukiko, Yugen walked the shrine grounds. Normally, visitors would be present, but a warding spell kept them away—necessary for the earlier ambush, which felt more like a test. Tsukiko explained that her relatives, eager to gauge Yugen's skill, had assigned shrine practitioners—akin to Kyūchōji's warrior monks, a Tendai sect remnant—to challenge him, with Minako, the head, approving under Tsukiko's supervision.
"Three years ago, I thrashed them without Grandpa," Yugen said. "Forgotten already?"
"You called it Ura Renge, right?" Tsukiko said. "Compound fractures were a bit much."
Provoked by cousins jealous of her bond with Yugen, he'd neutralized their spirit magic—already versed in Tenjin Magic—and used Ura Renge, a technique that launched opponents skyward with unrestricted event modification, followed by high-speed strikes and kicks to incapacitate them. He'd limited damage to limbs, treatable by magic, avoiding fatal harm.
"When they kept fighting, I thought they were zombies," Yugen said. "Knocked them out with mild concussions. By the way, after visiting the Kagurazakas at New Year's, did Airi or Shiori ask anything?"
"I brushed it off," Tsukiko said. "Couldn't talk about Tatsuya or Miyuki."
As fiancées, they'd exchanged greetings, but distance limited them to occasional contact. Airi had probed about "something good," but Tsukiko deflected with her usual nonchalance. Shiori sensed she was hiding something but dropped it, deeming it risky to pursue.
"Tatsuya, Miyuki, and the others are in the guest room," Tsukiko said. "Sorry, but…"
"I can guess," Yugen interrupted. "Just lead the way."
Despite the Yotsukuin's circumstances, attacking a former Ten Master Clan member and Kagurazaka heir like Yugen—part of the Nine-Headed Dragon—demanded explanation from Minako. Reflecting on New Year's and his shifting status, Yugen noted parallels with the Saegusa.
Deep within the shrine's main hall, Yugen sat seiza-style, facing Minako Yotsukuin, the family head. Instead of taking the upper seat, she sat level with him, bowing deeply with a solemn expression.
"Kagurazaka-dono, please forgive this folly," Minako said.
"Raise your head, Minako-dono," Yugen replied. "As a Kagurazaka by blood ties, I expected some pushback. This won't dissolve my engagement to your daughter, so rest assured."
Each time adults groveled, Yugen felt the Kagurazaka name's weight. Mentioning the engagement was deliberate; Chikahime, who arranged it, likely foresaw such incidents. She'd called his six fiancées "still too few," a comment Yugen took lightly, avoiding her recorded footage of that night out of fear it'd feel like watching a stranger, prompting escapism.
As Minako raised her head, Yugen cleared his throat and asked, "What exactly happened? Mother only said the Yotsukuin sought Kagurazaka aid."
"I'll explain," Minako said.
Her story traced back to February 19. The Mizukagami Ritual, a Yotsukuin tradition since their Shirakawa roots, used the sacred Reisuikyō mirror to commune with large-scale independent information entities. Unlike summoning or evocation, it involved "dialogue"—not language but resonance to extract spirit information. Historically, the Yotsukuin, tasked with imperial rituals, sought to foresee crises, developing a near-prescient ability to protect royalty.
Over time, this role shifted to the Kagurazaka's astrology, and the ritual became a test to preserve clan strength, selecting the next generation's leaders.
"Tsukiko excelled this generation," Minako said. "But since that day, she's heard a 'voice' in her dreams."
"A voice…" Yugen echoed.
Coincidentally, that day aligned with First High's luring and sealing of a Parasite at their training ground. Both involved inhuman entities, suggesting the Parasite incident triggered Tsukiko's dreams. If the voice didn't disrupt daily life, it likely wasn't hostile.
"What did Tsukiko commune with?" Yugen asked.
"The Water Dragon, a high-ranking spirit in our family," Minako said. "It's less potent than the light dragon or Dragon God you evoked at the Nine Schools Competition."
Yugen's intuition ruled out the Water Dragon as the voice's source. Chikahime's claim it wasn't malevolent or demonic left them with scant leads—a near-dead end.
It was a risky gamble, but with limited time, hesitation wasn't an option. Yugen faced Minako with a serious expression.
"Minako-dono, I have a request," he said. "Let me use the Reisuikyō."
"That's fine, but activating it requires a year's worth of spiritual energy," she cautioned.
"I have a solution," Yugen assured.
Activating the Reisuikyō typically needed multiple skilled practitioners to fill the area with water spirits, hence the February ritual during heavy snowfall. Yugen, having observed the ritual three years ago—permitted via Gōzō's influence—had prepared a method to supply the necessary spiritual energy.
"Can you save Tsukiko?" Minako asked.
"I can't promise," Yugen admitted. "But since the Mizukagami Ritual triggered it, that's our best lead."
"I see… Kagurazaka-dono, please take care of my daughter," Minako said.
Her words carried a double meaning, as if entrusting Tsukiko's future. Unable to ignore it, Yugen bowed silently.
After the meeting, Yugen joined the others in the guest room, explaining the situation and his plan to activate the Reisuikyō. Those versed in ancient magic reacted first.
"Activate a sacred artifact?" Leo asked. "Can you do that?"
"It needs spiritual energy—psions from water spirits to activate the area," Yugen said. "I've got the means."
By channeling psions through dragon veins, Yugen could activate the Reisuikyō to connect the physical and information dimensions. He'd repurpose a barrier spell from school, and Tenshō Kenran would trigger the activation.
"Having seen the Mizukagami Ritual, I can say physical attacks will be nearly nullified once the dimensions connect," Yugen explained.
"Will modern magic work?" Tatsuya asked.
"Yes, no issue there," Yugen said. "But since Tsukiko's voice coincided with the Parasite sealing, we must consider spiritual interference."
The absence of demons only meant they hadn't crossed dimensional barriers. Connecting dimensions could invite ghosts or devils, and Yugen was prepared to use Alice publicly if needed. Standing, he retrieved two devices from his suitcase and tossed them to Tatsuya and Mikihiko.
"Tatsuya, Mikihiko, catch," he said.
"What's this?" Tatsuya asked.
"A CAD?" Mikihiko said, catching it.
"Something like that," Yugen replied.
The wristband CADs, embedded with magic crystals, were brought anticipating Parasite-like issues. Activation would be impromptu, but they were ready. Shizuka and Himeri, wielding Heavenly Blade Regalia, would support Honoka; Mikihiko and Sana would back Mizuki, Leo, and Erika; Miyuki would cover Tatsuya and Minami, who'd mastered Piercing Psion Bullets; Yugen would guard Tsukiko.
What would emerge? Even after facing Parasites, none could've predicted such an encounter in the modern world.
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