Kyoto, Nijo Castle.
Beneath the well-preserved ancient architecture lay a dark tunnel stretching into unfathomable depths.
This was a secret passage built during the Tokugawa shogunate's rule over Japan, leading outside the city.
But to those in the know on the mystic side, this place had another name.
The Chamber of Nue.
As the name suggested, it was Nue's domain—the birthplace of Nue himself.
Now, in the unlit yet relatively dry tunnel, two figures moved effortlessly through the darkness.
Abe no Ariyuki, clad in oversized Taoist robes, led Luo Shu and Suzuka Dairenji deeper into the tunnel towards the Chamber of Nue.
"My, my, I must say Angelene's skills are truly remarkable. She's managed to replicate even these intricate details so perfectly."
Abe no Ariyuki pinched his own cheek with his right thumb and forefinger as he climbed the steps.
Yet the voice that emerged was Kurumi Tokisaki's sweet, elegant tone laced with underlying coquetishness.
Seeing Kurumi Tokisaki speaking in Abe no Ariyuki's form, Luo Shu couldn't help but glance at her and remark:
"Honestly, seeing this appearance while hearing your real voice is quite dissonant."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Kurumi slightly turned her head, casting a playful glance back at Luo Shu before whimpering:
"Wuwuwu... So, even Shu-kun only cares about my appearance?"
"I truly thought you were different from other men, but it seems..."
Watching Kurumi's mischievous antics, Luo Shu sighed helplessly:
"Right now, looking at you feels like seeing an adorable calico cat suddenly wearing a Tibetan mastiff's skin."
Kurumi immediately halted mid-step, her face twisting in disgust:
"Must you use such nauseating analogies?"
Sticking out her tongue, she added:
"Alright, alright, my bad. I'll stop teasing you."
"Shall we get to business?"
"You disgusted me, yet I can't complain?" Luo Shu gave Kurumi a disdainful look and scoffed.
'You two are flirting right in front of me, and I haven't said anything either.'
Suzuka Dairenji, bringing up the rear, silently grumbled to herself.
Just then, Luo Shu abruptly stopped walking. Caught off guard, Suzuka bumped into his back.
"Oof." Suzuka gasped softly, looking up in surprise.
Her gaze travelled past Luo Shu to behold a massive, naturally-formed cavern.
"Are we here?"
Suzuka peered over Luo Shu's shoulder, curiously observing the cavern ahead.
Within the enormous cave, several torch clusters cast flickering light across the surroundings.
At the illuminated centre lay an unfathomably dark, bottomless pool.
Faintly, Suzuka could sense an intensely negative spiritual energy emanating from those black waters.
"This is the Chamber of Nue?"
"Indeed."
Kurumi—still wearing Abe no Ariyuki's face—produced a folding fan with a flourish:
"A dark lake formed by channelling Kyoto's collective negative emotions into Nijo Castle at the city's heart, using the Four Divine Beasts Barrier encompassing all Kyoto."
"This is the Chamber of Nue—the birthplace of Nue."
After this explanation, Kurumi glanced sideways at Luo Shu's grave expression and asked:
"How does it feel seeing it firsthand?"
Luo Shu closed his eyes momentarily. When they reopened, his vision had shifted to spiritual perception.
Observing the wavering flames of essence, energy and spirit above his own shoulders and head, then comparing them to Suzuka's far more unstable, nearly flickering ethereal fires, he frowned:
"Decades—perhaps centuries—of accumulated negativity have turned this place into something resembling the Abyss?"
Kurumi considered this before speculating:
"Perhaps there are similarities? Both the Abyss's emergence and this environment involve massive energy concentrations?"
Luo Shu didn't pursue the matter, simply gazing at the black lake in the distance as he said coolly:
"Still not planning to show yourself?"
As the words fell, ripples spread across the calm surface of the black lake.
Amidst the shimmering waves, a woman's pale, hollow face slowly emerged from beneath the water, creating a scene both eerie and ghostly.
Yet, when the apparition revealed half her body above the surface, the terrifying atmosphere vanished without a trace.
To put it in Luo Shu's words, it seemed this ghost had left in a hurry and, being rather poor, had used her own hair as clothing to barely cover her vital areas.
Upon seeing this, Suzuka Dairenji clicked her tongue, her tone a mix of envy and resentment:
"Tch, shameless woman."
"Children shouldn't look at things like this."
Luo Shu covered Suzuka Dairenji's eyes with one hand while giving Hagoromo Gitsune a once-over, then nodded.
"Next time you take a bath, give me a heads-up so I can avoid it."
"How dull."
Hagoromo Gitsune shot Luo Shu a glance, responding to his remark with nothing more than a cold laugh:
"Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Suzuka." Luo Shu released his hold on Suzuka Dairenji's eyes and called out softly.
Suzuka Dairenji rolled her eyes at him before suddenly tugging at her sleeve.
The fabric transformed into a long, rose-red ribbon under her pull.
Runic symbols lit up along the ribbon, glowing brightly before coiling around Suzuka in a spiralling motion.
As the spiral spun, the symbols blazed with silver light, illuminating the surroundings completely.
When the light faded, a massive rectangular freezer appeared beside Suzuka Dairenji.
Inside the freezer lay a woman who bore Hagoromo Gitsune's face but was several sizes smaller, breathing faintly amidst the cold mist.
Hagoromo Gitsune glanced at Suzuka Dairenji, surprised.
"An Onmyoji skilled in spatial techniques? That's rare."
"Hmph!"
Suzuka puffed up her chest proudly, but the next second, she noticed Hagoromo Gitsune's overwhelming proportions, and her head drooped in defeat.
Unaware of Suzuka's fleeting emotional turmoil, Hagoromo Gitsune merely found it odd how the previously smug girl now looked utterly crushed.
After a brief, puzzled glance at Suzuka, she turned back to Luo Shu.
"I called you here because Kyoto's darkness has exceeded my expectations."
"If we allow Nue to absorb this power, his strength may far surpass even mine."
"This isn't just my assumption. The nun you sent—Sharon—and that girl Angelene reached the same conclusion."
"So I summoned you, hoping for your advice."
As she spoke, Hagoromo Gitsune glanced at Abe no Ariyuki.
She knew this 'Abe no Ariyuki' was actually Kurumi Tokisaki, likely a Demigod Rank existence hidden within the SDS.
Her pointed look was a silent hint to Luo Shu: if Nue—Abe no Seimei—absorbed Kyoto's darkness, he might ascend to Demigod status.
Hearing that Abe no Seimei could potentially reach Demigod Rank by harnessing the darkness accumulated in the Chamber of Nue, Luo Shu frowned.
Though he didn't believe achieving Demigod status would be so easily accomplished, Luo Shu remained uncertain whether Abe no Seimei could genuinely become a Demigod after absorbing the power here.
With this in mind, Luo Shu instinctively turned his gaze towards Kurumi Tokisaki, hoping to hear the opinion of an actual Demigod herself.
Meeting Luo Shu's expectant look, Kurumi Tokisaki pondered for a long while before voicing her doubts:
"...Shu-kun, is there a possibility..."
"That this resurrection is Abe no Seimei's Demigod Ritual?"