Inside the Inner Citadel Palace.
Abe no Yoshihira placed a black pill into Abe no Orochi's mouth before helping her onto the back of a fox familiar.
After finishing these tasks, he stood up and glared coldly at Luo Shu on the opposite side:
"Where did you hear about the... ritual?"
Abe no Yoshihira's low, heavy voice betrayed his inner turmoil.
The Demigod Ascension Ritual that Nue Abe no Seimei had prepared for years was unexpectedly leaked at the final moment, attracting formidable enemies. This made Abe no Yoshihira sense a dangerous signal.
At first, he suspected whether the head of Gokadoin House had a traitor in their midst, but he quickly dismissed the thought, as that would only make everyone a suspect.
The top priority now should be to uncover the source of Luo Shu's intelligence.
"Where did you hear it?"
Luo Shu let out a derisive snort, eyeing Abe no Yoshihira with undisguised contempt as he said:
"Isn't this obvious at first glance?"
"What do you mean?" Abe no Yoshihira frowned, looking at Luo Shu in confusion.
At this, Luo Shu smiled and countered:
"To fully step into Demigod Rank, isn't a ritual an absolute necessity? Why would you need to hear about it to suspect this?"
"So that's how it is!"
Understanding dawned on Abe no Yoshihira's face. Becoming a Demigod actually required conducting a ritual - this was information he hadn't been privy to.
If Heroes advancing to Demigod Rank inevitably required rituals, then when the SDS, which internally was highly suspected to contain Demigods, discovered the Hagoromo Group and Gokadoin House's activities, suspecting that the resurrection was part of Abe no Seimei's advancement ritual wouldn't be surprising at all.
Because they knew how to become Demigods, they would naturally be highly sensitive to similar paths.
As for why Luo Shu came to question him about the ritual's origins, perhaps he suspected an internal leak within the SDS? That someone had disclosed the method of achieving Demigod status to his father?
Regarding this, Abe no Yoshihira smiled and tentatively responded:
"The ritual to become a Demigod isn't exclusive to your SDS."
Facing this probe, Luo Shu instead said meaningfully:
"But Nue's abilities alone shouldn't meet the requirements for advancement, should they?"
Abe no Yoshihira paused at these words, visibly unsettled by Luo Shu's assertion.
It was then that Luo Shu continued with certainty:
"In the current world, the only one who could meet the standard would be Hao Asakura, who established the Shaman system."
"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that Nue studied Hao Asakura's theories and improved upon them to develop his own method of becoming a Demigod."
The investigative abilities of Luo Shu's Demigod Rank Abyss Artefact, the Mysticism Encyclopaedia, weren't omnipotent.
At the very least, Demigods and beings approaching that level possessed means to shield themselves from its searches.
Yet Luo Shu could still divine information about Nue, currently deep in Hell awaiting resurrection, through the Mysticism Encyclopaedia.
This proved Nue wasn't among those infinitely close to Demigod status.
And yet, Nue had already begun preparations for his Demigod advancement ritual.
According to all the information Luo Shu had gathered, in this world where no clear path forward existed, the only way to become a Demigod was first to possess Demigod Rank Authority, then work backwards to deduce the method.
Kurumi Tokisaki had done exactly this, and Hao Asakura was likely no exception.
Under these circumstances, for Nue - who lacked Demigod Authority and was merely at peak Hero Rank - to attempt a ritual for Demigod ascension was highly suspicious.
While peak Hero Rank met the minimum requirements for Demigod advancement, that was only under circumstances where a complete path existed.
Currently, no such complete path existed in this world. If any did, it would be within the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System - information even Luo Shu couldn't access.
Therefore, the advancement method Nue obtained must have been experimental, created by some native being with Demigod Authority.
Which raised the question: exactly which entity provided Nue with this information?
Facing Luo Shu's challenge, Abe no Yoshihira's expression darkened abruptly.
Observing this reaction, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes, studying Abe no Yoshihira carefully before finally smiling:
"It seems we're looking at the second scenario."
"By studying Hao Asakura's theories, you independently deduced a method for ascension?"
"Did Nue draw inspiration from the Chō-Senjiryakketsu?"
"How utterly mad..."
To take the perilous path Hao Asakura theorised and then attempt to modify it recklessly?
Luo Shu didn't know whether to call Nue innovative or suicidal.
But one thing Luo Shu could confirm:
Nue, or rather Abe no Seimei's actions, undoubtedly bore the fingerprints of Hao Asakura.
A vanguard for the king?
Luo Shu shook his head slightly before sheathing So'unga and turning his back on Abe no Yoshihira:
"Thank you for your answers. I've obtained what I sought."
"Now, if you'll excuse me."
As the words faded,
Luo Shu raised his right foot to depart when he suddenly sidestepped to the right.
A crimson lightning bolt grazed past him, striking the tatami beside him and blasting a crater.
BOOM!
The delayed thunderclap arrived.
Glancing at the massive fiery fox tail before him, Luo Shu followed its trajectory to see Abe no Yoshihira with nine flaming tails unfurled, raising an eyebrow:
"Somewhat unexpected. It seems you don't intend to let me leave?"
Abe no Yoshihira didn't refute, merely tightening his grip on his greatsword as he declared:
"Allowing your passage now would only hinder Father's resurrection."
"You're too dangerous, Luo Shu!"
"Oh?" Luo Shu regarded Abe no Yoshihira with surprise before smiling: "You plan to stop me here?"
Slowly drawing So'unga once more, Luo Shu smiled:
"To obstruct someone as ruthless as myself—have you truly prepared your resolve?"
In response, Abe no Yoshihira silently retracted his tails, the nine appendages undulating midair:
"My task is merely to delay you for minutes."
His expression hardened as he added:
"After all... the time has come!"
As his words fell,
WAAAAH!
A piercing infant's cry pierced through all barriers, reaching every ear within Nijo Castle.
Hagoromo Gitsune had begun childbirth!