Beneath Seimei Shrine, Kyoto.
In the dim underground shrine, illuminated only by candlelight.
With the exception of those guarding Nijo Castle, all the current heads of the Gokadoin House had gathered here to exchange intelligence.
"So, you encountered that half-yokai from the Nura Clan, Orochi?"
Abe no Yoshihira, his stern face framed by a blank metal headband, looked down at his daughter, Abe no Orochi, clad in the white robes of the Gokadoin.
"Yes, Second Head."
Abe no Orochi, the bewitching beauty with white hair and slender eyes, bowed her head slightly, her expression grave:
"As the rumours say, he's an exceptionally troublesome opponent. Had he not been without his Hyakki Yagyō and unable to use his famed Matoi technique, I wouldn't have been able to hold him off for so long."
"Oh~ The Nura Clan's second leader, Nura Rihan? Truly a formidable individual indeed."
The fourth-generation head, Abe no Ariyuki, dressed in white hunting robes with a boyish face, smiled cheerfully:
"To think even Lady Orochi finds him challenging? Does this mean the only one in our clan capable of opposing Nura Rihan is the Second Head himself?"
At this, Abe no Yoshihira turned his gaze slightly towards Abe no Ariyuki before stating:
"If Nura Rihan interferes with the resurrection ritual, I shall deal with him personally. However, more pressing matters require attention. Fourth Head, why wasn't I informed about the recent intrusion at Nijo Castle?"
"Did I not assign you to monitor the major factions in Tokyo?"
"And what was the result?"
"The Bujin-shū, the Council, the Nura Clan, and even the Cabinet's direct forces jointly launched a surprise attack on Nijo Castle?!"
"Now, would you care to explain exactly what you were monitoring?"
"Oh my, so something this big happened? Is Grandmother Hagoromo Gitsune alright?" Abe no Ariyuki responded with a chuckle.
Hearing this, the heads of the Gokadoin House below immediately held their breath.
The atmosphere grew heavy in an instant.
"The Second Head is reprimanding the Fourth Head again," Hiruko Gokadoin, the Ninth Head, couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
The tall, droopy-eyed young man, Nagachika Gokadoin, the Tenth Head of Gokadoin, responded: "There's no helping it. The Fourth Head is too lax."
At these words, none of the Gokadoin present dared to continue the conversation.
After all, while Abe no Ariyuki might be lax, his strength was among the very top of the Gokadoin House.
Within the Gokadoin family, there was a widely acknowledged hierarchy: black-robed Gokadoin, white-robed Abe.
This signified that among the Gokadoin clan, only the truly powerful could wear white robes and bear the Abe surname.
And among these, only the first four heads—starting from Abe no Seimei—truly bore the Abe name.
Even Hiruko Gokadoin, the strongest in the Gokadoin House, was merely the closest to the Abe lineage.
With the big shots clashing, the juniors naturally didn't dare make a sound, fearing they'd become punching bags for the elders.
Thus, when Abe no Yoshihira reprimanded Abe no Ariyuki, hardly anyone below dared to speak up.
At this moment, hearing Abe no Ariyuki's playful "oh my," Abe no Yoshihira said coldly:
"Do you think speaking like this is humorous?"
"Ariyuki, you've disappointed me."
Abe no Yoshihira's expression turned icy as he continued:
"It makes me doubt whether you're still fit to bear the Abe name."
'Is the Second Head going to strip him of the name?! Surely he wouldn't go that far?!'
The Gokadoin heads below were stunned. They hadn't expected Abe no Yoshihira to be this angry. The Fourth Head had caused trouble before, but it had never escalated like this.
Perhaps because Abe no Yoshihira had even mentioned expulsion from the family, Abe no Ariyuki finally reined in his casual demeanour and said calmly:
"Actually, the surveillance mission wasn't entirely fruitless. I did pick up some information from Tokyo."
"Oh? What did you find?" Abe no Yoshihira's expression softened slightly at this.
Seeing this, Yuiyui Gokadoin below immediately understood: Abe no Yoshihira had been disciplining Abe no Ariyuki all along.
But then again, given the Second Head's temperament, Abe no Ariyuki's usual laxness wasn't a big deal. Even if he caused some commotion, as long as he cleaned up after himself, it wasn't a major issue.
The problem was that Abe no Ariyuki had been slacking off in the Gokadoin family's most crucial project—the revival of Nue. That crossed Abe no Yoshihira's bottom line.
After all, the one to be revived this time was Abe no Yoshihira's own father, the origin of all the Gokadoin clan's glory. Abe no Ariyuki couldn't be allowed to mess around.
Now, on the high platform, Abe no Yoshihira coldly looked down at Abe no Ariyuki, waiting for his explanation—or excuse.
At this, Abe no Ariyuki dropped his smile and said calmly:
"While monitoring various factions in Tokyo, I stumbled upon some news."
Abe no Yoshihira raised an eyebrow. "Speak."
Abe no Ariyuki replied coolly:
"The SDS is deploying a Demigod to deal with Hagoromo Gitsune."
The words fell, leaving a deathly silence in the underground space.
No one had expected Abe no Ariyuki to reveal such news.
After a full dozen seconds, Yuiyui Gokadoin was the first to speak:
"I recall that the so-called 'Demigod' is an internal strength evaluation used by the SDS?"
"That is to say, those who have touched upon and mastered fragments of Divine Authority, transcending human limits yet not reaching the realm of true deities."
Upon hearing this description—mastering fragments of Divine Authority, transcending humanity yet not attaining godhood—the assembled Gokadoin clan leaders visibly flinched.
Although they had recently heard about the SDS attempting to establish an evaluation standard for the world's current powerhouses, wasn't the description of this standard somewhat exaggerated?
Beings who wield fragments of Divine Power? Did such monsters truly exist in this world?
Oh... it seemed they actually did!!
The ageless immortals immediately recalled the nightmare from over a decade ago that had swept across Japan, forcing even the Cabinet to swallow their pride - that young progenitor who emerged from the Asakura family only to be betrayed by them.
If someone of that calibre qualified as a Demigod...
The expressions of the Gokadoin House heads visibly stiffened.
Yuiyui Gokadoin voiced everyone's concerns:
"Fourth Head, are you certain the SDS truly possesses such power? Moreover, would they really deploy a Demigod against us?"
Though her words sounded sceptical, Yuiyui privately believed the SDS might indeed have Demigod Rank fighters.
According to intelligence purchased from Akihabara information dealers, Hao Asakura had already been confirmed as one such Demigod.
Additional reports indicated the SDS's American headquarters had clashed with Hao Asakura before, only for the matter to be quietly dropped.
Given this, Yuiyui didn't actually doubt the SDS's capacity to field Demigods.
Her real question was whether they would deploy one against the Gokadoin clan.
Shouldn't such powerhouses be reserved for monitoring monsters like Hao Asakura? Why divert them here?
Facing Yuiyui's scepticism, Abe no Ariyuki merely smiled:
"Whether the SDS will send a Demigod against us - surely the Second Head knows best?"
At these words, Abe no Yoshihira's expression finally changed.