Dare not move.
Almost everyone dared not move even a little.
Even blinking had to be done carefully. It was as if they were afraid of disturbing the owner of the courtyard—the "God" who was immersed in tasting his tea.
Seiran Mizunotsuki, who was currently playing the role of the legendary Abe no Seimei, seemed relaxed and at ease.
Not bad.
Sitting under the blooming cherry blossom tree with white clouds drifting lazily overhead, this illusionary space really looked like the perfect retirement retreat.
He took a sip of the tea he had conjured.
Compared to Reiko, Eri Kisaki's tea-making skills are not bad at all. She is indeed talented in other areas. It's a pity she's mostly just a "hot weapon" right now.
But Seiran's… no, Abe no Seimei's leisurely attitude made everyone present feel an immense, crushing pressure.
Yukino and the intruders who had been on the mountain.
The Metropolitan Police Department officers who had been charging up the path.
In just a moment, they had all arrived in this unknown world.
What kind of means is this?
How terrifying is this!?
This was different from the dramatic weather changes that usually accompanied a supernatural boss. In the eyes of mortals, this was a literal "Change of Heaven and Earth"!
In the eyes of practitioners like the Yagyu Sisters, this was a Domain (Bounded Field) that could not be understood. Such things were only recorded in a few words in the most ancient, mythical texts.
Therefore, the Yagyu sisters knelt down with a pop.
They knelt very honestly. They buried their heads tightly against the dirt. Even when they smelled the real, damp scent of the earth, they didn't feel disgusted.
Rather, the sheer "reality" of the dirt in this illusionary world made them feel creepy and frightened.
What kind of method is this?
Who is this person!?
Is he… still a human?
They crawled on the ground with blank minds, not daring to think, not daring to do anything.
Including the dried corpse that was still hanging on to a single breath: Michiko Nishikiori.
Michiko didn't even dare to use a healing spell to keep herself alive. The "God" named Abe no Seimei gave off a sense of ethereal vastness. It felt as if he wasn't a real person, but a concept. There was a confusing aura about him—if you reached out your hand to touch him, it felt like you would simply cease to exist.
The world can be changed in the blink of an eye. If this person wants us to completely disappear, we will. Michiko dared not move an inch.
There was only one person who dared to speak.
Kyoaki Hashimoto staggered a few steps forward, rushed to the front of the courtyard with tears streaming down his face, and knelt down with a heavy thump.
Ancestor!
My Ancestor of the Onmyoryo!!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Without saying anything else, Hashimoto kowtowed three times. He didn't care at all that his forehead was broken and bleeding on the stone path. Instead, he sobbed loudly.
"I, the 136th Head of the Onmyoryo, Kyoaki Hashimoto, respectfully request to see the Great Master Seimei!"
"I am a wicked person! I allowed outsiders to disturb the resting place of our Ancestor! I am a wicked person——!!"
The noise of his desperate kowtowing and loud crying shocked the "Outsiders" who had disturbed the site even more.
It was as if they had accidentally poked the nest of the Gods and Buddhas…
Behind Hashimoto, the disciples of the Onmyoryo who had run up the mountain were either fanatically praying or dazed in shock. But without exception, they all showed absolute reverence to the Great Master in front of them.
Just like the police officers of the Metropolitan Police Department behind them.
They were also kneeling.
Who were they worshiping?
They were worshiping "God."
No matter if the entity under the tree was a literal God or not, the title "Master Seimei" carried the weight of one.
At this moment, no one could understand the pain in Hashimoto's heart. He cried out in agony about the unfilial future generations, and his wailing was genuine.
However, after kowtowing for a while, he found he could not kowtow anymore.
It seemed that a gentle, invisible force supported the miserable old man, lifting his head.
Hashimoto sobbed. His heart was broken. He only hoped that the blasphemous ritual performed by the Evil Cultivator had not damaged Master Seimei.
But...
[After all… I am the better chess player… Seimei.]
A deep, ancient sigh echoed from the sky.
Only the voice was heard; no one was seen.
The hoarse sound, which reverberated like clanging iron, made everyone feel a sense of primal panic.
The sky above the courtyard rippled like a water mirror. The world seemed to part, taking the initiative to present an old, shadowy back in the sky.
That was another world.
On the other side of the mirror, a world that looked like a desolate Hell collided with the peaceful courtyard.
[A millennium of planning scattered in one day. And it was your own creation that broke the chess game. How do you feel… Seimei?]
The voice belonged to the phantom of Ashiya Douman.
As soon as these words came out, the sky changed again.
It was as if the rules of Heaven and Earth were just toys in the hands of these two ancient beings, played with at will. The words carried the weight of an absolute decree, commanding the attention of everyone present.
They collapsed in a daze, their worldviews completely shattered by the sheer scale of the power displayed.
A "Person" (Seimei) stood up from the tea table, stepping into the void.
His shape blurred, becoming gigantic. With a push of his palm, a magnificent world gradually evolved within his hand.
It was an ancient world.
There were cultivation methods. There were low-level monsters, practicing magicians, and warriors with weapons.
Michiko Nishikiori couldn't help but look up.
Just one look, and her mind broke!
That World!
That was the world she and the Yagyu sisters had lived in since childhood!
Within the palm of the Great Onmyoji, she saw generations of "tyrannical" practitioners improving their cultivation methods.
She saw "Herself" struggling to survive in the Jiuju Sect.
She saw the life trajectory of the Yagyu sisters from childhood to adulthood.
Michiko sobbed, forcing her bleeding eyes to stay open.
God!
True God!
He is the True God who created our world!
Her home dimension wasn't a parallel universe. It was a terrarium! A chess piece created by Abe no Seimei!
The last bit of air in her chest finally dissipated.
Michiko Nishikiori died, her eyes wide open in absolute awe and terror. It was unknown whether the enslaved Little Ghosts wrapped around her body died with her or escaped into the void.
[Hehehe… Both sides win and lose. This is common sense in a game.]
Seimei's voice echoed gently. The scene changed again.
The sky projected the events of the "Sobu High School Incident," showing the moment when the two modern Extraordinary beings (Grandma Mitsue and Seiran) had attacked the shadow of Master Douman.
[Ah… As expected. You are the son of a fox. You are never short of tricks,] Douman's phantom sneered from the Hellscape. [So, how long can you endure the seal? And then… how many chess pieces do you have left?...]
The words gradually became unclear, muffled by the crushing atmospheric pressure. But everyone had a vague feeling that the two ancients were still talking.
The content of the subsequent conversation was likely not something that mortal minds could bear without going insane.
The scene in front of them—the courtyard, the giant Seimei, the Hellscape—began to fade away.
The scenes that played out like "History" scared Heizo Hattori so much that he dared not twist his head to look away.
The sky fell.
This time, it was really falling.
Secrets. Secrets that should never be known by mortals had just been casually discussed by two "Gods."
Moreover, a terrifying guess formed in Heizo's mind—a guess he wanted to die to forget. His heart beat wildly, out of control.
Maybe… we are not in Reality right now.
Are we in another time and space?
Were they in the Past, planning the Present (which was the "Future" to them)?
The "History" that flashed by around us is enough to prove it! Abe no Seimei created pocket dimensions to breed warriors and magic just to use them as chess pieces against Ashiya Douman!
This guess made Heizo's body stiffen. He was completely motionless.
Fake!
It has to be fake!
I can't think! I can't think like this!
Heizo slammed his forehead into the dirt like a madman.
He wanted to use physical pain to force himself to forget his deduction. This was not something that ordinary people could understand! This was definitely not something that a mortal police chief should know!
Forget Him!
Forget Him!!
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