-2058- Dominating all spiritual energy

When Kinu manifested as the sun in the sky, the spiritual veins, spiritual phenomena, and spiritual layers, which had already been altered by divine interference, underwent another transformation. It was as if a vortex had been struck by a bomb, causing the spiritual energy and even divine energy to surge violently.

Kinu slowly flapped its wings, hovering in mid-air, surrounded by a blazing halo like a fireball. Waves of heat swept outward, raising the temperature by an immeasurable degree.

All the Onmyoji, as well as the yokai, demons, and spirits, gazed upon this scene with expressions filled with solemnity, shock, and fear.

"Is that... a god...?"

This thought emerged in everyone's minds.

This was not the first time Kinu had appeared in this manner.

Across different worlds, Kinu had manifested several times before.

However, compared to those previous appearances, this one was undoubtedly the most awe-inspiring.

In other worlds, there were neither those with Spirit Sight capable of perceiving spiritual energy nor Onmyoji who could understand the significance of Kinu's arrival.

But here, every single person was an Onmyoji, a being capable of perceiving spiritual energy. Thus, they could witness the overwhelming divine energy in its purest form and be utterly humbled by it.

Even Ashiya Douman was visibly shaken, his black aura fluctuating wildly.

"Is that the real Kinu...?"

In the Onmyodo tradition, which placed great importance on astronomy, Kinu, as the embodiment of the sun, held a unique significance to the Onmyoji.

In other worlds, people might simply be awed by the presence of a god. But in this world, the manifestation of the Onmyodo's solar symbol evoked not only shock but also an almost fanatical reverence and admiration among the Onmyoji.

Kinu was the messenger of Amaterasu Omikami, the highest-ranking sun goddess in mythology, one of the Eight Million Gods—a true solar deity.

For any Onmyoji, witnessing such a divine being in person was an event of profound significance.

At the very least, for Ashiya Douman, being able to lay eyes on one of the most revered deities of Onmyodo meant that his thousand years of wandering on Earth had not been in vain.

Even though, strictly speaking, he himself was a divine being, compared to Kinu, he was far too inferior.

After all, even among gods, there were vast differences in power—something that had been established long ago.

As an Aramitama, Ashiya Douman was by no means weak. Now that he had regained his true form and full strength, he stood at the peak of strategic-level power, surpassing even beings like Hokuto, Ootakemaru, Shuten-douji, and Tamamo-no-Mae.

Yet, he was still far from reaching the Grand level.

Meanwhile, Kinu, in terms of raw power, was already capable of challenging those at the Grand level.

Unlike the gods of Chaldea's world, who wielded Authority as their divine power, Kinu, being a god of this world, did not possess such a concept. Instead, it infused its divine power into Rozen, granting him protection and allowing him to manifest its power. However, despite lacking Authority, Kinu was a natural part of this world. In a realm where spiritual energy was widespread, Kinu could disperse its power across the entire world, controlling all spiritual energy and exerting a truly terrifying level of influence.

In other words, if one were to liken it to Authority, this was Kinu's Authority.

By dominating all spiritual energy, Kinu could continuously absorb and amass it to strengthen itself. It could also transform the world's spiritual energy into the flames of the sun, incinerating everything in existence.

Given enough time to accumulate spiritual energy, Kinu had the power to reduce an entire continent to ashes in an instant.

On the other hand, as an Aramitama, Ashiya Douman had deliberately avoided integrating himself with the world to maintain his consciousness and freedom. He had not allowed his existence to be dispersed throughout the world, nor had he become one with the spiritual energy of all things. As a result, he could not control spiritual energy on a global scale and thus could not unleash the full might of a true god.

Thus, from the moment Kinu manifested, before the battle had even begun, Ashiya Douman could already feel his divine energy being overwhelmingly suppressed by Kinu's divine energy.

Yet, Ashiya Douman was laughing—laughing joyfully.

"A thousand years of wandering the mortal world! To witness the pinnacle of jujutsu in this era! I am already satisfied!"

With his entire being trembling in exhilaration, Ashiya Douman shouted toward the divine presence above.

"Do you see this, Abe no Seimei? I am the one who has witnessed it all! You, who claim to have foreseen everything, are no more than this!"

With that declaration, Ashiya Douman unleashed all his power and charged toward the divine being in the sky.

...

Everyone within the shrine bore witness to the ensuing battle with absolute clarity.

It was not a battle of relentless clashes, yet it was one of unparalleled spectacle.

The twisted divine energy, manifesting as black winds, surged toward the radiant sun above. Laden with powerful curses, the gales stormed upward, challenging the heavens.

Faced with this onslaught, Kinu merely flapped its wings. Instantly, the surrounding spiritual energy erupted into chaos, transforming into flames of the sun. Waves of solar fire spread like an endless tide, engulfing the battlefield below.

The black winds and the solar flames collided, entangling in a fierce struggle. They clashed, exploded, and ground against one another, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The sheer force of their conflict produced searing heat, fierce gales, and turbulent energy that seemed as if they could sweep away the entire shrine.

It was a scene straight out of mythology.

It was a force akin to a calamity.

Everyone could do nothing but stare in stunned silence.

And before long, as the black winds succumbed to the unrelenting blaze, growing weaker and weaker until they were completely consumed, the awe-inspiring battle came to an end.

The sun hanging high in the sky then vanished, as the three-legged Kinu descended, once more transforming into a jet-black cloak. It draped itself over Rozen's shoulders, fluttering as though caught in an unseen breeze before disappearing entirely.

But the minds of all who had witnessed the battle had been utterly seized by the spectacle. None could bring themselves to react for a long time.

...

And thus, the battle came to an end.

Kinu had returned to its form as a black cloak, once again adorning Rozen.

Enforcer Gozu and Mezu had vanished.

Gozu and Mezu were gone.

But while the former had simply retreated after fulfilling their duty on the battlefield, the latter had remained still for a long while—silent, contemplative.

Finally, without a word, they turned and departed.

Rozen did not stop them.

He understood that Gozu and Mezu no longer had any reason to fight.

What they would do next, no one could say.

Perhaps they would vanish into obscurity, or perhaps they would seek a new master and a new purpose.

Perhaps they would even attempt to revive Ashiya Douman and bring him back.

But that was no longer Rozen's concern.

Natsume, Suzuka, and Kurahashi Kyouko looked at Rozen, who remained calm as ever, with complicated expressions.

Rozen simply smiled.

"Alright, let's go."

With those words, Rozen addressed the girls.

"Mm!"

They all nodded in agreement.

And so, the group continued forward, heading toward the heart of the Divine Descent Ritual.