"Abe no Ariyuki is Hao Asakura's subordinate?"
Holding the Chō-Senjiryakketsu, Luo Shu couldn't help but ask Kurumi.
"I wouldn't go that far." Kurumi tilted her head slightly with a smile. "But his soul does contain some troublesome contamination."
"From that perspective, it's more accurate to say Abe no Ariyuki is an Onmyoji corrupted by Hao Asakura's power. At a critical moment, he might even serve as a medium."
"...Can a Demigod's power really do that?"
'Contamination' didn't sound like a positive term.
Frowning, Luo Shu asked:
"I believe my original instruction was to eliminate Abe no Ariyuki, wasn't it?"
"Keeping him alive and deliberately bringing him back unconscious—what's your goal here?"
Crossing her legs and resting her chin on one hand, Kurumi looked at Luo Shu:
"Though I hate to admit it, the corruption Hao left in Abe no Ariyuki, while not high-level, gives me an intense sense of threat."
"You mean..." Luo Shu stared at her in surprise. "Hao has already become a Demigod?"
Kurumi shook her head:
"No, his power level might actually be lower than mine. But his mastery over that power far surpasses me."
"Perhaps he's already grasped the power of Authority fragments. For some reason, though, he seems to be deliberately keeping his Authority at the threshold of Demigodhood without advancing further."
Hearing this, Luo Shu suddenly thought of Mio Takamiya—hanging deep in the Hidden Management Zone, bound by countless chains.
'If the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System's treatment of Mio wasn't an isolated case...'
'Could Hao be suppressing his Authority at the Demigod threshold to avoid being hung up like cured meat by the system?'
The thought made Luo Shu inhale sharply.
Without hesitation, he shared his speculation with Kurumi.
"...That can't possibly be the case, can it~?"
After a stunned pause, Kurumi looked at Luo Shu with deeply mixed emotions.
If Luo Shu's theory were true, wouldn't that mean the Divine Pantheon was the shadowy hand limiting this world's power ceiling? And Luo Shu was the mastermind behind the scenes?
Didn't that mean Luo Shu inherently had a grudge against these rogue demigods, blocking their path?
Thinking this, Luo Shu and Kurumi Tokisaki exchanged glances before speaking in unison:
"Let's just pretend nothing happened!" X2
Having sidestepped the topic, Luo Shu turned back to Kurumi Tokisaki and asked:
"You plan to obtain Hao Asakura's knowledge through Abe no Ariyuki?"
"Is that why you went through the trouble of bringing him back?"
"...Isn't it a good deal?"
Kurumi blinked:
"Using a human filter to acquire a Demigod's lifelong research seems quite cost-effective, doesn't it?"
As for why she kept knocking Abe no Ariyuki unconscious without complaint—it was simply because this method was exceptionally cheap for Kurumi, costing her nothing at all.
After all, why bother with complex arrangements when 24 Kurumi clones working one hour daily could handle the task?
"From that perspective, it is indeed cost-effective..."
Luo Shu didn't argue. While the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System provided broad guidance and practical environments like the Dream Simulation Chamber, the finer details still required personal effort.
This was why Kurumi's true self remained obsessed with the Dream Simulation Chamber.
As a natural Hero Rank and guaranteed Demigod, her foundation was likely among the weakest of Demigods. Her actual combat power might even fall short of some untamed Demigods who stumbled into the Rank without proper rituals and struggled to control their abilities.
In this regard, Kurumi only slightly surpassed Hao Asakura in power level, Authority, and the uniqueness of her fragmented spacetime authority.
But in a real fight, someone like Hao—who painstakingly rose from weakness and created the Shaman Class—could completely suppress Kurumi.
In other words, Kurumi had essentially become the type of ordinary expert in fantasy novels who gets surpassed by prodigies despite their higher rank.
Thus, Luo Shu fully understood Kurumi's desperation to seize every opportunity to grow stronger.
After all, no one wanted to be the weak link among their peers.
"If you need this, I have no objections."
For matters that caused no harm, Luo Shu couldn't be bothered to interfere.
His current priority was completing the ritual to advance to the Hero Rank of Calamity Priest.
This would resolve the Calamity Bringer's lack of offensive and lethal capabilities while allowing him to harness the system's power better.
"I just hope this won't interfere with my ritual."
At this thought, Luo Shu recalled Sharon and mused:
"Perhaps I should find a way to place Sharon near Hagoromo Gitsune."
During childbirth, Hagoromo Gitsune—or rather, the version Luo Shu created using Naraku—would inevitably be weakened, making security a genuine concern.
Though the Gokadoin Family and Hagoromo Group provided assurances, Luo Shu wanted absolute certainty.
In this regard, Sharon—whose defensive capabilities far outstripped her offence—was an ideal bodyguard.
The only challenge was inserting her into Hagoromo Gitsune's inner circle plausibly.
At this thought, Luo Shu suddenly remembered Abe no Ariyuki and looked at Kurumi Tokisaki with a peculiar expression:
"You captured Abe no Ariyuki alive, and it seems you did the right thing."
After saying this, Luo Shu explained:
"I plan to use Abe no Ariyuki's identity as a Familiar Spirit to plant Sharon by Hagoromo Gitsune's side."
Kurumi Tokisaki's eyes flickered as she narrowed them and said:
"That wouldn't be difficult."
"Hehe, I can steal Abe no Ariyuki's time and briefly overlay it onto someone, achieving a short-term impersonation."
"This method is extremely covert. Unless it's an equal Demigod, no one would notice."
"As long as I place the spiritual tags created during my impersonation of Abe no Ariyuki on Sharon, disguising her as a manipulated Familiar Spirit won't be hard."
Luo Shu understood and sighed:
"In that case, things will be much simpler."
"When do you plan to go to Kyoto?" Kurumi Tokisaki finally asked.
Hearing this, Luo Shu smiled:
"Tomorrow. No matter what, we still have to get through today's Qingming Festival, don't we?"
"I'm still waiting for Kisara's feast tonight."
After saying this, Luo Shu grinned at Kurumi Tokisaki, who seemed lost in thought:
"If you come along, Kisara probably won't be happy."
"In that case, I simply must go." Kurumi Tokisaki flashed a mischievous smile.
After all, Miss Kisara needs to learn early that hogging all the food is a very bad habit!