Chapter 138: Ryōyū's Farewell
Nijō Castle.
Also known as Nijō Palace, it had once been the Kyoto residence of the shogun and a symbol of the Edo shogunate's power.
Within its walls stood the Honmaru Palace, Ninomaru Palace, Karamon Gate, Kuroshoin, Shiroshoin, and the inner quarters. The walls and sliding doors of the palaces were decorated with masterpieces by artists of the Kanō School, each painting exquisite enough to be treated as a treasure. Every hall had been built and renovated with meticulous care, from the interior fittings to the smallest decorative detail.
Gold leaf adorned the eaves and bargeboards, shining against dark wooden beams. The luxury of the Edo period remained visible everywhere, fused naturally with centuries of architectural tradition.
Alongside Kiyomizu-dera and Shōkoku-ji, Nijō Castle was one of Kyoto's oldest and most famous historical sites.
But now, beneath the vast Yin energy tornado, this place had become an abyssal demon realm.
Yokai and spirits ran rampant.
The demonic energy released by the Great Yokai hidden within was so dense that it seemed to crawl across the surface of Nijō Castle like giant black pythons. The sight was terrifying enough to make any ordinary Onmyoji retreat at a glance.
On the third floor of the main hall, the highest point of the building, Hagoromo Gitsune stood surrounded by darkness.
"My child..."
Her voice trembled.
"I can feel my child."
A rare trace of maternal tenderness appeared on her cold face. She gently stroked her abdomen, where streams of Yin energy could be clearly seen flowing in, swallowed by the Nue gestating inside her, helping it grow and take shape little by little.
"My child is about to be born."
Her lips parted softly.
"Seimei... Seimei..."
Hagoromo Gitsune knew.
Her long-cherished wish of more than a thousand years was finally about to come true.
Around her, a large number of Yokai had gathered.
Ōjizō.
Kidōji.
Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku.
Rukugumō.
These executives of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons were all filled with excitement.
A thousand years of waiting.
The fruit of a thousand years was finally about to bloom.
As long as Nue was successfully born under the siege of the Onmyoji over the next few days, this era of Supernatural Recovery would change completely.
The mistakes of a thousand years ago would not repeat themselves.
The era that belonged to the Yokai was about to arrive.
At that time, the existence standing at the peak of this era would no longer be human.
It would no longer belong to Onmyōdō.
It would belong entirely to the Yokai.
The new king born from their side, the true Lord of Pandemonium, would rule everything.
At that time, both Onmyōdō and this era would fall under their dominion.
Humans ruled the day.
Yokai ruled the night.
The scene from the Heian Period a thousand years ago would return in full, and perhaps even go one step further. This time, they would invade even the daylight, the realm that belonged to humans.
All they needed to do was wait for Nue to be born.
Thinking of this, many Yokai shouted with abnormal excitement, as if welcoming a new king.
"Nue! Nue! Nue!"
"Lord Seimei! Nue! Our ruler, our sovereign!"
"Lord Seimei! Lord Seimei! Long live, long live!"
Their deafening voices rose and fell in waves, spreading in all directions.
Not only inside Nijō Castle, even the surrounding areas could clearly hear the excited shouts of the Yokai.
The Onmyoji monitoring the area from the shadows, concealing their presence as best they could, all wore grim expressions.
Nue is about to be born.
This news had to be sent back to the Keikain Clan immediately.
Apart from the grim-faced Onmyoji and the excited Yokai, there was another presence watching the scene with disdain.
Tsuchigumo, with his massive body and four arms, sat cross-legged on the roof of the main hall of Nijō Castle, looking down at the chaos below.
If he had not wanted another satisfying battle with Nue, he would never have been bored enough to watch these clowns celebrate.
"I'll rest for a while."
Tsuchigumo stood, his enormous frame rising like a small mountain.
"Nue is almost ready to be born."
Just as he was about to find a side hall in Nijō Castle to rest and wait, he suddenly felt an extremely powerful presence descend.
It even brought him a faint sense of pressure.
Within that presence was a familiar aura.
"That woman?"
A beautiful figure surfaced in Tsuchigumo's mind.
The corners of his mouth lifted into a cold smile.
"Interesting."
Inside the main hall, the Yokai were still chanting.
"Nue! Nue! Nue!"
"Lord Seimei! Nue! Our ruler, our sovereign!"
Their voices filled the air.
Then, without warning, a cold yet elegant voice entered the ears of every Yokai present.
"How noisy."
The voice carried a noble chill.
"You filthy creatures have no right to utter his name."
A terrifying pressure descended from above.
Even Great Yokai like Kidōji, Rukugumō, and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku could not help darkening their expressions.
It felt as though a giant boulder had suddenly been placed on their backs. Even the demonic power inside them was faintly suppressed.
That alone revealed how powerful the newcomer was.
This was an existence whose strength far exceeded theirs.
If Great Yokai like them reacted this way, the remaining Yokai fared even worse. They collapsed to the ground beneath the pressure, unable to move.
The only one unaffected was Hagoromo Gitsune.
"Ryōyū?"
Hagoromo Gitsune was startled at first.
Then a smile appeared on her cold face as she looked toward a certain spot.
"It really is you, Ryōyū."
Her voice softened slightly.
"It has been many years. Your strength has already grown to this level. You are now on par with me and Tsuchigumo, and perhaps even surpass us in certain aspects."
The figure that appeared before the Yokai was a delicate young girl with long golden hair.
Her face was beautiful enough to captivate countless men, and her eyes carried both elegance and nobility. An aura of grace and luxury surrounded her, making her look like a noble princess who had stepped out from a poem or painting.
And that was indeed her identity.
Ryōyū.
At this moment, she was possessing Shiina Mashiro.
Imperial Princess Ryōyū.
The woman who called herself Abe no Ryōyū.
"It's her?!"
Shock filled Kidōji's face.
Although the girl's appearance was unfamiliar, he could never mistake that aura and temperament.
She and another woman who had already cultivated into a deity had once given Nue his new life together.
She was also the woman Nue longed for day and night.
But hadn't she and Nue fallen out a thousand years ago for some unknown reason?
Why had she suddenly appeared here?
Kidōji exchanged glances with Rukugumō and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku nearby.
They all became wary, ready to strike at any moment.
If she made any move that threatened Nue, they would suppress her immediately.
Though Imperial Princess Ryōyū was extremely powerful, strong enough to surpass them individually, it did not mean five Great Yokai working together could not contend with her.
Even if they could not keep her here forever, they could at least stop her from harming Nue.
"Long time no see, Lady Hagoromo Gitsune."
Ryōyū completely ignored the wariness of Kidōji, Rukugumō, and Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku.
She walked straight toward Hagoromo Gitsune and stopped only when there were five or six meters between them.
"Ryōyū."
Hagoromo Gitsune smiled at the daughter-in-law she had acknowledged a thousand years ago.
"Have you come to celebrate and protect Seimei's birth?"
To Hagoromo Gitsune, Imperial Princess Ryōyū was Seimei's fiancée, the woman most suited to become his wife.
The proud, cold little princess of the Imperial family was also a good match for Seimei, but in Hagoromo Gitsune's heart, only Ryōyū truly fit that position.
Her reasonableness.
Her elegant dignity.
Her attitude of placing Seimei at the center of everything.
Even Hagoromo Gitsune, a Great Yokai who had lived for more than a thousand years, could find no fault with her.
"I said long ago that you two are husband and wife."
Hagoromo Gitsune's smile grew gentler.
"There is no misunderstanding that cannot be resolved."
A thousand years ago, because of Nue's rebirth, conflict had broken out between them as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. They had even fought.
But whether then or now, in Hagoromo Gitsune's eyes, that had merely been Ryōyū viewing the matter from a different perspective.
At its core, everything had still revolved around Seimei.
She had never truly been angry about it.
To Hagoromo Gitsune, Ryōyū's arrival at this critical moment was a sign that she had finally seen reason.
A compromise.
An acceptance.
"Husband and wife..."
Hearing those words from Hagoromo Gitsune, Ryōyū could not help shaking her head.
"Lady Hagoromo Gitsune, my husband is Abe no Seimei, the man who ruled and saved an era."
Her gaze lowered toward Hagoromo Gitsune's abdomen.
"Not that fake inside your womb."
"Ryōyū!"
Hagoromo Gitsune's brows furrowed, her tone turning sharp.
After all, no mother would be pleased to hear her child called a fake.
If the woman before her were not the daughter-in-law she had acknowledged, Seimei's wife, Hagoromo Gitsune would have already struck out and taught her a lesson.
Ryōyū ignored Hagoromo Gitsune's anger.
Her gaze remained fixed on that flat abdomen, the place where Yin energy was continuously being swallowed.
Or rather, on the Nue being nurtured within.
"Nue," Ryōyū said calmly. "Your consciousness should have returned from the Underworld by now."
Her voice was cold.
"Do you not plan to come out and see me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a long-haired figure condensed from Yin energy appeared on Hagoromo Gitsune's right.
His appearance was eighty percent similar to Gin Tsumugi's.
However, the twisted and filthy aura surrounding him completely ruined that handsome face. The refined elegance Gin possessed was nowhere to be found.
To strangers, Gin Tsumugi was a mysterious man with a handsome face and a clear, graceful temperament that easily drew goodwill.
But the Nue before them inspired only fear and gloom.
Although their faces were almost identical, the difference in temperament made them feel like completely different beings.
Inside and out, they were worlds apart.
"Lord Seimei!"
Kidōji, Rukugumō, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, and the other Great Yokai became excited the moment they saw this figure. They knelt humbly on the ground.
"Seimei."
Even Hagoromo Gitsune looked at the figure with excitement.
On the roof, Tsuchigumo grinned.
"Just a phantom formed from consciousness and Yin energy. Boring."
Nue ignored everyone else.
His gaze toward Ryōyū was filled with love, though beneath it hid a nearly imperceptible cold possessiveness.
"Mother, Kidōji, all of you withdraw."
His voice was gentle.
"I want to speak with Ryōyū alone."
"All right."
Hagoromo Gitsune nodded.
"I will wait for you outside."
She led Kidōji, Rukugumō, Twenty-Seven Faced Senju Hyakusoku, and the other Yokai away.
Before leaving, she also gave Tsuchigumo on the roof a look.
Tsuchigumo understood.
Already uninterested, he left to find a side hall where he could rest.
A moment later, only Nue and Ryōyū remained on the third floor of Nijō Castle's main hall.
Nue looked at Ryōyū affectionately and softened his voice as much as possible.
"Ryōyū, it has been a long time."
His eyes lingered on her.
"How have you been?"
"Whether I have been well or not has nothing to do with someone like you, who consorts with the Underworld."
Compared with Nue's affection, Ryōyū's face remained icy.
"Ryōyū, listen to me."
Nue's expression tightened slightly.
"You know that if I wish to be fully resurrected, I must cooperate with the Underworld to a certain extent. Otherwise, even with Mother's help, I would only return in an incomplete state."
"Cooperation?"
Ryōyū's eyes lowered.
"Resurrection?"
She closed her eyes in disappointment and laughed at herself.
"As I thought, Shōko and I were wrong from the very beginning."
Her voice became colder.
"You are not him."
"And you can never become him."
"Again and again, you prove that you are nothing more than a fake."
Those words seemed to stab directly into Nue's most sensitive wound.
His expression changed drastically.
"Shut up!"
His voice echoed through the empty floor.
"Ryōyū, you have denied me from the very beginning."
His face twisted.
"But let me tell you clearly one more time."
"I am him."
"He is me."
His voice rose, shaking the hall.
"I am the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, the one the Yokai call the Lord of Myths and Miracles."
His eyes burned as he pointed at Ryōyū.
"And soon, I will become the Lord of Pandemonium!"
Ryōyū opened her eyes.
At that moment, it was as though the last shred of hope in them had finally disappeared.
"You do possess his memories."
Her voice was quiet and cold.
"You also possess many of his Onmyō Arts."
"So what?"
Her gaze pierced through him.
"The real him would never lower himself to beg those defeated wretches in the Underworld for mercy."
"If he needed the Underworld's power, he would seize it directly."
"He would never sell out the entire human world just to unlock the Underworld's shackles, as you have done."
Nue's face darkened.
Ryōyū continued, every word sharp enough to cut.
"The real him would not care about being called the Lord of Myths and Miracles."
"And to someone who once suppressed an entire era, the title Lord of Pandemonium is even more laughable."
She looked at him with undisguised disappointment.
"You are only a fake created by me, Shōko, and Lady Hagoromo Gitsune."
"You can deceive Lady Hagoromo Gitsune with her heavy maternal love."
"But you cannot deceive Shōko."
"And you cannot deceive me."
With every word Ryōyū spoke, Nue's expression grew uglier.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and said word by word, "Ryōyū, do not push me."
"Push you?"
Ryōyū chuckled self-mockingly and shook her head.
"I did not come here today to push you into anything."
Her voice softened, but only slightly.
"I came to say a final farewell."
After a pause, she added, "After all, you are my sin."
"Farewell?"
Nue's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"I do not believe you have failed to sense his presence."
Ryōyū looked at him.
"There is no need to bury your head in the sand."
Her gaze turned distant.
"I wonder whether you will still be so self-righteous when you stand before the real him."
Nue's face instantly turned ugly.
How could he not have sensed that familiar aura?
Especially after Seiryu and Tensei of the Twelve Divine Generals had appeared one after another.
Great Yokai like Kidōji and Hagoromo Gitsune might believe this was the result of some secret technique used by Onmyōdō, but Nue knew better.
He had once personally gone to the resting place of the Twelve Divine Generals and called upon them, trying to prove that he was the true Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei and not a fake.
Yet the Twelve Divine Generals had not responded at all.
Now that the Twelve Divine Generals had emerged from their resting place, it proved one thing.
That man.
The origin of his soul.
Had truly reincarnated and returned.
"So what if he has returned?"
Nue looked at Ryōyū coldly.
"As long as I devour him, I will become the true Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei."
"Devour him?"
Ryōyū shook her head.
"Then there is nothing more to say."
Her figure began to dissipate.
Since her goal had been achieved, she had no intention of staying any longer.
"Damn it..."
After Ryōyū vanished completely, Nue's face became terrifyingly gloomy.
"Seimei, what happened?"
Hagoromo Gitsune, who had been waiting outside, had naturally sensed Ryōyū's aura disappear and could not help asking.
"Mother."
Nue's voice was calm again.
"Ryōyū has completely betrayed me."
His figure also began to dissipate.
"The next time we meet, we will be enemies."
"Ryōyū... an enemy?"
Hagoromo Gitsune looked at him in disbelief.
"She would never...!"
Unfortunately, Nue had no intention of answering Hagoromo Gitsune's question.
Right now, he still needed her to give birth to him.
If he said too much and made her suspicious, that would be disastrous.
.....
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