Chapter 91: The Title of Divine General
Japan's situation had grown taut as a drawn bowstring.
Mount Fuji had erupted. Yamata no Orochi had awakened. The Onmyo Agency, the Onmyo Alliance, the Onmyō Academy, and the great families had all suffered losses that could shake the foundation of modern Onmyōdō.
In a time like this, Amami Daizen should have been sitting at the heart of the Onmyo Agency Headquarters, steadying the collapsing order with that old fox-like calm of his.
He was one of the Twelve Divine Generals.
The Divine Fan.
The chief of the Magic Investigation Department.
A man like him had no reason to leave the center of command and personally come to a small office in Shibuya Ward.
That alone was enough to make Gin Tsumugi narrow his eyes.
There had to be a reason.
Sitting on the sofa, Amami Daizen looked up as Gin stepped out of the secret room. The old man froze for a beat, then blinked.
"…Did you get plastic surgery, brat?"
Gin's mouth twitched.
"No. A small condition caused a few changes in my appearance."
"A few changes, he says."
Amami Daizen gave him a long, measuring look. His eyes were old, but not dull. They were still sharp enough to peel skin from bone.
Still, since Gin clearly had no intention of explaining, Amami did not press him.
Instead, he clicked his tongue.
"What, brat? Not happy to see this old man?"
"I wouldn't dare."
Gin walked over with a smile. "Your visit brings honor to my humble White Fox Office. How could I possibly be unhappy?"
"Enough with the empty flattery. This old man has eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. You think I'd fall for that?"
Amami rolled his eyes, then glanced at the table in front of him.
"If you're really so honored, then explain this. I came all the way here, and your office serves guests plain water?"
On the table sat a single cup of hot water.
Clear. Steaming. Painfully simple.
Gin and Iwanaga Kotoko both fell silent for half a second.
The atmosphere turned oddly awkward.
"Our office only has coffee besides water," Gin said after a cough. "Should I have Kotoko make you a cup? It may help clear your head."
"Forget it. That stuff is for you young people. My old bones can't handle it."
Amami picked up the cup and took a slow sip. Afterward, he glanced around the office and asked, "Where's that little spirit girl?"
He meant Kasugano Sora.
As a spirit who had survived a supernatural incident under highly unusual circumstances, Sora's existence had been reported to the Onmyo Agency early on by Kotoko. In a sense, it had given her a legal identity within the Onmyōdō world.
Without that, most wild spirit were treated no differently from yokai by the Onmyo Agency, the Onmyo Alliance, and the various supernatural affairs offices.
"She returned to Kyoto," Gin said. "To say her final farewell to an elder from when she was alive."
Last night, after the Weird Wood Spirit Incident was brought to an end through the joint efforts of the White Fox Office, the authorities, and the Shibuya branch of the Onmyo Agency, Kurazaki Fuko had finally explained why she had come from Kyoto.
Sora's grandmother had fallen gravely ill.
After losing her daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter one after another, the elderly woman's body had finally failed. She had little time left, and her final wish was to see her granddaughter one last time.
So before dawn fully broke, Fuko took Sora onto the first train back to Kyoto.
"It's good that she went," Amami said, lowering his cup. "It fulfills the old woman's last wish. It may also help the girl cut away some lingering attachments."
He paused, his tone growing quieter.
"She is no longer the same as ordinary people, after all."
"Yes."
Gin nodded.
He had felt Sora's sadness when she left.
That old woman had lost her family. But Sora had also lost hers.
Before leaving, Kotoko had also told Gin about Sora's decision. She wanted to remain at the White Fox Office.
After these past few days, Sora had proven herself a capable assistant. She could help Kotoko with investigations, share the workload, and move through places living humans could not easily enter. Since she herself wanted to stay, Gin had no reason to refuse.
At most, her status would change from temporary helper to formal employee.
"Old man," Gin said, sitting down across from Amami, "you didn't come all the way here just to chat, did you?"
"Of course not."
Amami set down his cup and looked at him. His expression lost its teasing edge.
"With such a major incident in Shibuya Ward, Headquarters naturally had to send someone to investigate. Right now, everyone else is still recovering from their injuries. After looking around, it seems this old man is the only one still useful enough to move."
Gin and Kotoko exchanged a glance.
The incident in Shibuya had indeed been severe. It was reasonable for one of the Twelve Divine Generals to conduct a follow-up investigation, in case the White Fox Office had overlooked any hidden danger during the suppression.
But there was another meaning hidden in Amami's words.
The National Level Onmyoji who had participated in the Mount Fuji operation were likely in worse condition than outsiders believed.
Otherwise, they would not still be unable to move.
Gin's gaze sharpened.
"Old man, your spiritual power…"
He could sense it clearly.
The spiritual power inside Amami Daizen's body was extremely weak.
Not depleted. Not exhausted.
Hollow.
There was an unstable emptiness to it, as though the foundation had been shaken and had yet to settle. That kind of spiritual instability would have a severe impact on an Onmyoji's combat ability.
"So you noticed."
Amami did not seem surprised.
"It's the aftereffect of using the Onmyo Alliance's secret rite—the Ritual of the Six Relations."
"The Ritual of the Six Relations?"
Gin's expression changed slightly.
He had heard of that ritual.
It was a secret technique capable of amplifying spiritual power to the extreme in an instant. But its basic requirement alone was terrifying: twelve National Level Onmyoji positioned in twelve specific directions, all acting in concert.
Amami sighed.
"Yamata no Orochi was far more terrifying than we expected. Almost every National Level Onmyoji present had to participate in the Ritu of the Six Relations just to barely trap it within Mount Fuji."
His voice sank.
"For the next month, the spiritual power of everyone involved will remain unstable like this. As for the Twelve Heavenly Generals of the Onmyo Alliance, who stood at the core of the rite… not a single one fell, fortunately. But none of them will return to peak condition within a year."
The office fell quiet.
Even Kotoko stopped breathing for a moment.
That statement revealed too much.
The Twelve Heavenly Generals of the Onmyo Alliance were among the highest combat forces of Kyoto's Onmyōdō world. If all of them would need a year to recover, then the Mount Fuji operation had not merely wounded modern Onmyōdō.
It had gouged out its bones.
"Still…"
Amami suddenly lifted his eyes and looked Gin up and down.
"Your progress is too fast, brat. It's only been a few days, and you've already reach to National Level."
His own spiritual power might have been damaged, but his Spirit Insight Power remained at its peak.
As a National Second-Class Onmyoji, Amami could clearly see Gin's current state.
Dense spiritual power.
Stable foundation.
No disorder, no emptiness, no trace of forcibly relying on external power.
That meant Gin's strength had been genuine.
And that was exactly why Amami found it unbelievable.
It had not even been a week since the last test at Onmyo Bureau Headquarters.
In such a short span of time, this brat had not only completed his Onmyōdō Framework, Myriad Laws, but had also stepped fully into the realm of a National Level Onmyoji.
On top of that, his appearance had changed so drastically that Amami had nearly failed to recognize him.
"It was just luck," Gin said modestly.
"Luck?"
Amami laughed.
"You outlined Myriad Laws by luck. You broke through to National Level by luck. At this point, brat, don't you think you're carrying a little too much luck?"
"It really was luck."
Gin's tone was sincere.
Some things could not be spoken aloud.
The role-playing system.
The Senji Ryakketsu.
The memories and inheritance belonging to Abe no Seimei.
None of these were things he could explain, so all he could offer was a perfunctory answer.
Amami stared at him for a moment, then snorted.
"Fine. Let's call it luck."
He shifted the topic.
"Now, let's talk business."
Gin and Kotoko both straightened slightly.
Amami's tone had changed. This was no longer idle conversation.
"Earlier, I said that a major incident occurred in Shibuya Ward," Amami began. "And not just any incident. This one involved the legendary Great Yokai—the White-Faced, Golden-Haired, Nine-Tailed Fox, Tamamo-no-Mae."
His expression became solemn.
"Even in its current state, Onmyōdō cannot afford to ignore something of that scale."
Gin said nothing.
Kotoko listened quietly beside him.
"I carefully studied the report your White Fox Office submitted. You handled this case very well. Extremely well, in fact. Especially your analysis of the hidden struggle between Tamamo-no-Mae and the Ushi-oni behind the incident. It was thorough."
Amami's eyes narrowed.
"If not for you, we might still be dancing in the palms of those Yokai without even realizing it."
Gin was not surprised that Amami had identified the other party as the Ushi-oni.
After seeing the Nure-onna, he had also reached that conclusion quickly.
Whether in folklore or in the hidden records of Onmyōdō, the Nure-onna was closely tied to the Ushi-oni. She was its follower, assistant, and shadow. Wherever the Ushi-oni appeared, the Nure-onna was never far behind.
To provoke the Nure-onna was, in many ways, to provoke the Ushi-oni itself.
"You stopped the Weird Wood Spirit Incident before it fully erupted," Amami continued. "You prevented Shibuya Ward from becoming cursed ground. For that, the White Fox Office deserves the greatest credit."
Then his gaze settled directly on Gin.
"So the Onmyo Agency has decided to grant you a special reward. Whether or not you accept it is up to you."
Gin and Kotoko glanced at each other.
For Amami Daizen to personally deliver this reward, it clearly could not be ordinary.
"What reward?" Gin asked.
"A title."
Amami's voice grew solemn.
"A glory of Onmyōdō."
He looked at Gin and spoke each word with deliberate weight.
"The title of one of the Twelve Divine Generals."
The air froze.
Gin blinked.
Kotoko's eyes widened.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Gin frowned.
"…Old man, are you mistaken?"
His voice carried genuine surprise.
"I'm not a member of the Onmyo Agency. And isn't the title of Twelve Divine Generals reserved for Onmyo Agency Onmyoji?"
"That's right," Kotoko immediately added. "The Director has no intention of joining the Onmyo Agency."
Both of them knew the internal situation of the Onmyo Agency too well.
The politics. The factions. The rotten infighting hidden beneath the name of public order.
Gin had never intended to step into that swamp.
If accepting the title of Divine General meant joining the Onmyo Agency, he would rather refuse it outright.
"I know this brat hates the idea of joining the Agency."
Amami was not offended. He had expected this reaction.
"But granting you the title of Twelve Divine General does not necessarily mean forcing you to become part of the Agency's internal structure."
Gin raised an eyebrow.
Amami continued, "Think of it like the White Fox Office's current arrangement. In name, it will exist under the Onmyo Agency's banner. In practice, you may ignore the Agency's internal affairs and ordinary orders."
Gin immediately understood.
So it was an arrangement where he answered to the name, but not necessarily to the summons.
"If that is truly the case," Gin said slowly, "then it isn't unacceptable."
Amami was not finished.
"Furthermore, once you hold the title of Twelve Divine General, you will gain full control over the Shibuya Ward Onmyo Agency branch and the corresponding official forces."
He emphasized the next word carefully.
"Control. Not mobilization."
Kotoko's expression changed.
She instantly understood the weight behind that distinction.
"Then… wouldn't the White Fox Office become the direct superior of the Shibuya Ward Onmyo Agency branch and local official forces?"
"That is one way to put it."
Amami closed his slightly withered eyes and spoke slowly.
"As long as Gin accepts the title bestowed by the Onmyo Agency, Shibuya Ward's Onmyōdō forces will effectively split from the Agency's central command and become the private forces of the White Fox Office."
Kotoko was stunned.
Even Gin fell silent.
This was no longer a reward.
It was a transfer of power.
A true handover.
Gin's eyes deepened.
"It seems the reports and notices issued by the Onmyo Agency, the authorities, and the Onmyō Academy still concealed part of the losses."
He looked at Amami.
"The Agency's ability to continue ruling Onmyōdō has already been severed."
Amami sighed.
"There are some differences in the details, but roughly speaking… yes."
He did not try to hide it.
"Rather than waiting for our old forces, already badly weakened, to collapse piece by piece, it is better to choose suitable successors while we still have strength and prestige."
His voice became heavier.
"At the very least, this may prevent a civil war within Onmyōdō later."
Gin said nothing.
Amami continued.
"The creation and recognition of supernatural affairs offices was always one of the Agency and Alliance's reserve plans. A backup force, prepared in case the old system could no longer bear the pressure."
A tired smile crossed the old man's face.
"It would have been best if that plan was never needed."
He looked at Gin.
"But now, everything can only be handed over to you."
The office grew quiet.
The meaning was now clear.
The authority previously granted to supernatural affairs offices had not been the final goal.
It had been a transition.
A bridge.
A way to pave the road for the next era.
Perhaps the Onmyo Agency itself had not expected that day to arrive so quickly. Gin's resolution of the Weird Wood Spirit Incident had simply come at the perfect moment.
Of course, Amami had likely pushed the matter behind the scenes as well.
Otherwise, the Agency would never have handed over the dominance of Shibuya Ward's Onmyōdō world so easily.
More than ten minutes passed.
At last, Amami opened his eyes.
"Brat," he asked, "what is your decision?"
Time passed.
For some, it moved slowly.
For others, a whole day vanished in the blink of an eye.
By the time evening approached, the sun had begun sinking toward the west.
"One of the Twelve Divine Generals…"
Inside the White Fox Office, Gin stood near the window, gazing at the pedestrians hurrying through the street below and the final glow of sunset stretching across the city.
"The White Fox, huh?"
On his desk lay a thick stack of contracts.
Amami Daizen had brought them personally.
The moment Gin signed his name, he would officially accept the title of Twelve Divine General bestowed by the Onmyo Agency.
At the same time, he would gain absolute control over the Onmyōdō forces of Shibuya Ward.
That signature would not merely belong to Gin Tsumugi.
It would mark the end of an era.
The thousand-year legacy of the Onmyoryo, carried through the Onmyo Agency and the old institutions of modern Onmyōdō, had finally reached the point where it could no longer remain whole.
From this moment onward, Onmyōdō would enter an age of competing powers.
Perhaps this was the only way to resist the Supernatural Recovery.
On the Agency's side, power would pass into the hands of supernatural affairs offices.
On the Alliance's side, Kyoto would likely be inherited by the great Onmyoji families. After all, in the region controlled by the Onmyo Alliance, supernatural affairs offices were rare, while ancient Onmyoji clans stood everywhere like old trees with tangled roots.
The old order was ending.
A new one had begun.
.....
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