Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 943

"In short, it seems that Suzuka Mountain still intends to use the same surprise attack tactic as before... I'll go and inform everyone to prepare."

Without saying anything more, Minamoto no Hiromasa quickly jumped off the city wall to find the commander stationed at Qinglong Gate.

Kyosuke Kosaka, on the other hand, continued to ponder the rhythm of Suzuka Mountain.

"They shouldn't be here so soon. It's inevitable that they'll arrive before dawn, during the dim and hazy hours. The question is how many of them will actually come."

There are too many of them; he might really have to stay here and defend first.

No, in most cases, it's impossible to hold on!

Indeed, the combined power of a group of sirens was no less than that of any other group.

Even if the demonic waves that previously submerged Mount Ooe were unleashed again, they still wouldn't be able to completely withstand it.

Even if multiple protective barriers are set up in advance, the portion that leaks out is probably not something that can be taken seriously.

"We also need to be careful around the Xuanwu Gate in the north, which isn't far from the palace. They might launch a feint attack, and then we'll all be ordered to go there," Yaobikuni warned.

Kyosuke Kosaka unconsciously stroked his chin: "In this regard, we can only hope that those adults are optimistic and continue playing music and dancing, continuing their romantic pursuits."

He didn't have much control over political matters.

He could only continue to follow any instructions given from above.

Otherwise, a reckoning will be inevitable afterward.

However, Kyosuke Kosaka believed that the Taoist priest would handle it well.

A layman teaching an expert how to do things?

That's a huge no-no!

Moreover, the commander of all the combat personnel in Kyoto this time was Minamoto no Yorimitsu.

As a representative of the royal family, and being an outstanding individual himself, he would never allow anyone to get involved in such a war.

"What should we do if that situation really happens?" Yaobikuni asked with a smile.

Kyosuke Kosaka said, "Just throw a paper doll over there to follow the instructions."

If one were to foolishly follow orders and cause the battle to turn against them, their reputation would likely be extremely poor.

Ultimately, he left this place, and any negative situations that followed could be attributed to him.

Even if you follow the instructions, you can't just shut other people up, can you?

They'll continue to say bad things as they always have.

Human hearts cannot be tested.

"Mr. Kyosuke is really cunning."

"You'll have a better life if you're a little cunning in Kyoto. But you make it sound like you're not cunning at all?"

"hehe."

"So what should we do now?" Kagura asked after watching Kousaka Kyosuke finish his conversation with Yaobikuni.

Kyosuke Kosaka shook his head: "Just wait quietly, because taking the initiative to attack will encounter all sorts of variables, while being prepared to defend will allow us to wait for their troops to tire themselves out and reduce their numbers as much as possible, which will make it easier for us to win later."

He woke people up in the hope that those who were taking a nap could immediately perk up so that they wouldn't be in a bad state when they had to deal with things hastily.

Not everyone has good on-the-spot response skills.

Therefore, it would be better to let them prepare from the beginning.

“That’s true, this way the number of casualties can be reduced…” White Wolf nodded seriously in agreement.

She understands perfectly.

The number of deaths in the upcoming battles will be much higher than before.

Therefore, every decision must be made with utmost care.

"We're sure to win this time," Kagura said softly.

Yaobikuni smiled slightly: "Yes, we will win."

Kyosuke Kosaka suppressed the urge to retort, "If you keep talking, it'll sound like you're setting a flag for the future."

Even so, he still didn't say it.

Soon after, Minamoto no Hiromasa returned.

He said with a strange expression, "The vanguard of Suzuka Mountain appeared in large numbers at the location of the Suzaku Gate barrier."

Kyosuke Kosaka said, "Let's launch a feint attack. That area is completely inland and not suitable for them to attack."

"That's what I think too. The chances of this area being attacked are higher. I just don't know where Ōtakemaru will appear?"

"The probability of them being on the White Tiger Gate side is not low, just like ours. The Black Tortoise Gate side has a lot of heavy troops. Ōtakemaru shouldn't be so ungrateful. Even if he is, it doesn't matter..."

"Yes."

Minamoto no Hiromasa laughed.

Kousaka Kyosuke also smiled.

Perhaps Ootengu's appearance at the Xuanwu Gate, not far from the palace, would indeed frighten those nobles and officials, but what happens after that? Ootengu probably doesn't know that he will soon fall into the illusionary barrier set up by Yunwaijing.

Back then, even if the sky and earth collapsed, it wouldn't be a problem.

It's just unknown how long the barrier of the Cloud Mirror can last.

Once the barrier can no longer be maintained, the battlefield will completely transform into the real Kyoto. At that point, even a slight skirmish could nearly destroy the capital city, requiring massive reconstruction... I'll definitely be incredibly busy.

Just as I was thinking this, a black hole slowly appeared in the eastern night sky.

The white wolf, immediately noticing, hurriedly warned, "Lord Kyosuke, there's a ghost ship in sight!"

Kyosuke Kosaka nodded. "Here I come. After this battle, I'll pretend to be seriously injured, go home, take a shower, and go to sleep."

at the same time.

The location of the White Tiger Gate barrier in the west, at the location of Ukyo, also saw ghost ships emerging one after another.

Seimei, perched atop the high wall, watched silently, thinking to himself, "Once Ōtakemaru enters the barrier, Ungaikyo will be able to completely isolate his Yasakani no Magatama power within it. The five blood sacrifice formations at Arakawa, Shichikakuyama, Omahara, Kuroyayama, and Ōeyama will then appear, and we'll need everyone to stop them..."

Seimei had considered it carefully.

Arakawa has Princess Goldfish and a group of aquatic creatures, as well as a powerful demon entrusted by Kyosuke Kousaka. Mount Shichikaku has the wind god Ichimokuren and the forest lord Yama-kaze. Omahara has the peerless demon Tamamo-no-Mae. Mount Kuroya has another version of himself and Ōtengu, Mount Ōe has Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji… everything is going smoothly.

So, all we need to do is stall Ōtakemaru and wait for everyone to gather and surround him.

At that final moment, it's uncertain whether Ōtakemaru will give up entirely and drag everyone else down with him in a destructive manner. If that happens, Seimei will likely only be able to try to persuade them and work together with everyone to resolve the situation.

Ghost ships appeared in the sky. Seimei frowned as he looked at Kyūjīra, a vanguard leader from Mount Suzuka: "Not here?"

The four gates and eight directions form a protective barrier, located at the Azure Dragon Gate.

Kousaka Kyosuke looked at Ōtakemaru, who had grown horns on his head and inexplicably had an extra arm, with a toothache in his eyes, feeling utterly helpless. "Don't push yourself too hard, at least wait until everyone on my side is here..."

235. Ōtakemaru's trump card / Seimei's arrival / Five directions gather

"They really came here."

As he spoke, Minamoto no Hiromasa raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to command the demon soldiers who were poised to attack.

Next, the Cloud Mirror should be setting up a barrier.

Once Ōtakemaru fully enters the barrier, his divine weapon's power can be temporarily isolated.

At that time, the magic arrays at the five locations where the blood sacrifice was performed will appear, and then the others who are waiting will destroy them, and Kyoto will be completely safe.

"Only Ōtakemaru's Yasakani no Tama can activate such a massive magic array. He will surely do everything in his power to reach the center of the array and activate it. We must not let him get close."

Minamoto no Hiromasa nocked an arrow to his bow, ready for battle, while secretly keeping an eye on Yaobikuni.

Beforehand, everyone had prepared a plan.

No matter where Ōtakemaru goes, the core Onmyoji from all directions will contact Yūgaikō to keep a close eye on the barrier's condition.

The barrier set up by the Cloud Mirror covers the entire city of Kyoto.

It's a complete copy; I doubt many people in the world could spot the flaw.

Even if Ōtakemaru does see through the flaw, it doesn't matter; as long as we keep him pinned down, that's fine.

When the people gathered after the blood sacrifice was destroyed, the situation would change completely.

be honest.

Minamoto no Hiromasa wanted the staff to be in Kyoto from the beginning.

Unfortunately, even if the blood sacrifice array appeared, it was extremely difficult to break, so the other combat personnel had to be dispersed.

The immediate task is to guide Ōtakemaru into the barrier set up by the Ungaikyo, and then entangle him to prevent him from destroying the real Kyoto.

As for those ordinary sirens?

That's easy to solve.

It wouldn't be difficult for Yunwaijing to influence them secretly, especially given the large number of combat personnel in Kyoto, making this aspect relatively easy to handle...

"Let's go, let's go together."