-2050- Humbly reports to the ancestral spirit

As Kanda Myojin Shrine transformed into a battlefield and the Hyakki Yagyō clashed with the onmyoji, an unknown yet history-making ritual was about to take place deep beneath the shrine, behind the sanctuary.

There, a spacious underground chamber lay hidden.

The underground chamber was vast, rivaling the shrine grounds in size. Bonfires burned within, illuminating the entire space, revealing evenly spaced pillars along the walls. The lower half of the walls was coated with cement, while the upper half exposed soil or rock. Several beams supported the ceiling, making the structure resemble a cavern.

However, at the very center of this expansive underground chamber stood an altar.

It was a stone platform encircled by torii gates:

- A black torii in the north,

- A blue torii in the east,

- A red torii in the south,

- A white torii in the west.

The altar was composed of multiple tiers, upon which offerings to the gods were arranged, alongside ritual implements such as taiko drums, horagai conch shells, heihaku streamers, and the Sun and Moon bells. Bonfires burned at each of the four corners of the stone platform, their flickering flames casting dancing shadows.

If someone from the Tsuchimikado family were here, they would recognize this altar instantly.

After all, it was nearly identical to the celestial altar used in the Taizan Fukun Ritual.

But of course, that was only natural.

The spell ritual known as Tenso Jifu Ritual was a higher-grade version of the Taizan Fukun Ritual—a reinforced, enhanced variant. Given that, it was only logical for the two rituals to share the same altar structure.

However, merely having an altar of the same scale as the Taizan Fukun Ritual was insufficient to ensure the success of the Tenso Jifu Ritual.

That was precisely why Kurahashi Genji had gone to great lengths to establish the Early-Stage Spiritual Disaster Detection Network, turning all of Tokyo into a giant altar.

And now…

"Preparations are complete. The appointed hour has arrived."

Before the altar, Kurahashi Genji solemnly declared.

Beside him, Yashamaru and Kumomaru, the Yase Dōji, had also appeared. Their expressions carried both unprecedented solemnity and overwhelming excitement, their hands trembling in anticipation.

And in front of them stood Souma Takiko.

A closer look revealed that Takiko was dressed in a black miko outfit—a stark contrast to her usual white uniform, altering her usual noble and dignified aura by adding an almost bewitching elegance.

Takiko raised her head, gazing at the altar before her.

Everyone's eyes gathered upon her, as if they were pilgrims in the presence of divinity.

Soon, this miko would offer herself as a sacrifice to the gods, becoming the vessel for a divine descent—the manifestation of her ancestor, the great deity Taira no Masakado.

The thousand-year-old wish of the Souma Clan, along with the hopes of the Kurahashi family, would be entrusted to her.

Regarding this…

"In the end, I still couldn't bring Akikan here."

Takiko sighed, as though letting go of her final attachment.

However, upon closer inspection, the emotions that once surfaced so clearly upon her face were now absent. She bore an expression of transcendence, as if she had cast aside her humanity.

Even so, waves of divine presence emanated from Takiko, filling the space with an awe-inspiring, reverent atmosphere.

This was proof that Takiko had successfully entered the state of divine descent, establishing a connection with the god and communicating with it.

Thus, preparations were now truly complete.

At this moment, Takiko had already become a vessel in which a part of the god had begun to dwell. That it inspired a sense of worship in those around her was only natural.

Observing their mistress in this state, Yashamaru fought back the overwhelming emotion surging within him. Speaking with an even more reverent tone than usual, he addressed Takiko.

"It is indeed regrettable that Tsuchimikado Akikan could not be here. However, Princess, you need not worry. Once you successfully become a divine being by descending Masakado-no-Kami, even that great one will no longer be able to ignore you."

Hearing this, a flicker of human emotion returned to Takiko's eyes as she turned toward Yashamaru.

"Really?" Takiko asked. "If I succeed in the divine descent, will Akikan listen to me?"

"Without a doubt." Yashamaru's smile remained unwavering.

"That person is someone who has already revived the Hyakki Yagyō and turned countless mythical demons and spirits into his shikigami—one who has achieved the miracle of divine descent ahead of us. He exists on an entirely different level, standing in a realm beyond our understanding. To truly hold a conversation with him, to understand him, we must stand at the same height."

Yashamaru stated his belief fervently.

In truth, he truly believed it.

He was convinced that Rozen stood at an elevation beyond the mundane world, in a realm of unfathomable depths, perceiving things that no ordinary human could ever comprehend.

To converse with him on equal footing, to understand one another, one must rise to his level.

Yashamaru yearned for this—to glimpse the heights at which Rozen stood and witness the same scenery that he beheld.

Thus…

"If you wish to establish a mutual understanding with that great one, Princess, then you must also successfully undergo divine descent and reach his realm. Only then will it be possible."

Yashamaru's voice was full of passion.

"Is that so…?"

Takiko murmured as she turned to Kumomaru.

Kumomaru immediately responded with utmost reverence.

"I believe so as well, Princess."

Both Yashamaru and Kumomaru held perspectives vastly different from modern onmyoji.

Rather, their views aligned more with ancient onmyoji, who adhered strictly to the path of yin and yang and the principles of the five elements. They believed that communing with the gods was the true duty and mission of onmyoji, holding a nearly blind reverence toward matters of spiritual hierarchy and divinity.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that they had been chosen as the protectors of the Souma Clan's direct bloodline for generations, becoming Yase Dōji, the attendants who served the divine.

Even Kurahashi Genji shared this view.

"For the world of jujutsu, Princess is a miracle. So is Tsuchimikado Akikan. If the Princess successfully achieves divine descent and explores the highest realm of jujutsu alongside Tsuchimikado Akikan, it will surely mark a historic milestone—one that will bring onmyoji onto the world stage."

Kurahashi Genji always viewed things from the perspective of the jujutsu world.

For that, he was willing to utilize Rozen.

He was even willing to worship Rozen.

There was no room for personal emotion or resentment in his judgment.

"Hearing you all say this puts me at ease."

Takiko nodded, an obsessive light flashing in her eyes.

"The only one who can walk alongside me is Akikan."

"The only ones who can comprehend the divine realm are Akikan and me."

"To stand at Akikan's level, this divine descent must succeed."

With this declaration, Takiko stepped forward toward the altar, lifting the round bamboo box at its center.

Opening the lid, she retrieved a folded sheet of washi paper from within.

It was the ritual document that recorded the sacred incantations.

"Now, I shall commence the Tensō Jifu Ritual and summon the divine spirit."

Her voice reverberated throughout the chamber.

"Uuuuuuu!"

At her side, Kumomaru raised the horagai conch shell and blew into it.

"Doooom!"

Yashamaru lifted the drumsticks and struck the taiko drum.

"Finally…"

A glimmer of excitement flashed in Kurahashi Genji's eyes.

And then…

"—Souma Takiko, Head of the Souma Clan, humbly reports to the ancestral spirit, Taira no Masakado—"

Takiko began chanting the incantation.

At this moment, the divine descent ritual had begun.