Seigen Amawaka glanced sideways at Gojo Satoru, his face as unreadable as ever. With a faint snort, he leapt down from the rooftop and landed gracefully within the barrier below.
His steps were calm, unhurried, but every strike of his hand destroyed any stray filth in his path.
The cursed creatures shrieked and evaporated under his exorcising power, their bodies dispersing like ash in the wind.
Seigen's feet touched the ground inside the shimmering enchantment. The protective barrier rippled like water as he passed through it, ignoring the terrified whispers of the ordinary people huddled together.
(Note: Enchantment barriers only block filth and dangerous energy—they allow allies to enter.)
His cold voice broke the tense silence:
"…Are you all badly hurt?"
The poker-faced tone was blunt, almost detached, but to the ears of the exhausted Onmyoji and civilians, it carried a strange weight of reassurance.
Umaru and her friends—Kirara Hoshino and Shirakawa Shiroha—stared at the man without recognition. He was unfamiliar, just another adult in strange robes to their young eyes.
But to the battered Onmyoji lying across the ground, his arrival was like a miracle.
"You… you are…!"
A wounded exorcist forced himself upright, clutching the stump of his severed arm. His eyes widened in awe.
"Lord Seigen!"
Another female Onmyoji, blood dripping from her shoulder, quickly knelt despite her pain.
"Seigen-sama!"
"Seigen-sama!"
The name echoed in unison, shouted by over twenty surviving exorcists. Their voices rang with reverence.
The crowd of civilians, though confused, could sense the shift in atmosphere. Even if they didn't know this man, they realized instantly that he held incredible authority in the world of exorcists.
Seigen's gaze, sharp as a blade, swept across the gathered group. He was about to speak further—but his words caught in his throat when his eyes landed on the first exorcist who had addressed him.
The young man's right arm was gone. Torn away at the elbow.
Seigen's frown deepened almost imperceptibly.
An Onmyoji without both hands could no longer weave complex seals nor sustain high-level techniques. Even if he received the best prosthetics in Kyoto, his path as an exorcist was effectively over.
"…Hmm"
He closed his mouth, forcing back the words of reprimand that had risen to his tongue.
"Lord Seigen," the female Onmyoji pressed, her voice trembling but urgent. "Where is the other one? The one who came with you?"
The other one?
Her eyes shone with barely concealed awe. To bicker openly with the Byakko—the White Tiger himself—meant only one thing: that the other man was someone of equal, if not greater, standing.
Seigen's expression remained stone. He didn't bother to look at her. His attention was already fixed forward, past the smoke and miasma.
From within the haze, a massive figure emerged.
A true snake-class filth.
It stepped forth clad in rusted crimson armor, the style unmistakably from the Warring States era. Its body towered unnaturally tall, the mask concealing its grotesque face cracked with age.
Time had corroded its form, but the energy pouring from it was anything but weakened.
This was no ordinary calamity. Its power far surpassed the typical snake-class. It was on the verge of completing a spell power evolution—a leap toward becoming a Basara.
"Basara…" Seigen muttered under his breath, recognizing the name etched into the cursed patterns.
The female Onmyoji stiffened, her blood running cold.
"Basara…? That's…!"
Her thoughts stuttered—then a wild hope flickered.
"…Wait. Does that mean—Gojo-sama is here?!"
Her words slipped out before she could stop herself.
Seigen finally turned his head slightly, his narrowed eyes meeting hers. He didn't need to answer. His silence was confirmation enough.
The female Onmyoji's heart skipped a beat. Her entire body trembled with excitement.
Gojo-sama.Gojo Satoru. The Curse Ceiling.
The strongest Onmyoji since the birth of the Yin-Yang world's new age.
And now, she was about to witness him fight with her own eyes.
...
"The warm-up's over."
A laid-back, mocking voice cut across the battlefield.
Gojo Satoru straightened his tall frame, twisting his neck until it popped. His pale blue Six Eyes gleamed as he stared down at the swarming cursed beasts below.
"Let's start with the appetizers."
Without hesitation, he leapt from the rooftop.
BOOM.
The ground split open under the weight of his landing, collapsing nearly two meters deep. Dust billowed into the air, veiling his form.
Seigen's normally expressionless eyes twitched, ever so slightly. The force alone had drawn his attention.
The Onmyoji around him leaned forward, wide-eyed. The civilians, hundreds of them, collectively held their breath.
The dust cleared.
And there he was—standing tall, his white uniform spotless despite the chaos around him. His back was broad, unwavering.
"…Onii-chan…"
Umaru's voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes.
"Gojo-nii…" Kirara whispered in relief beside her.
Even Natsukawa Kiyomi, though confused, recognized instantly that the man standing there was no ordinary teacher.
Natsukawa Kiyomi, her body still trembling, muttered faintly:
"So… that's my future homeroom teacher?"
.....
Gojo waved his hand, brushing away the last remnants of dust. His grin widened.
"Alright, you filthy pests—"
His cursed energy surged, flowing around his body like a violent storm.
"I'm here for the appetizer."
The roar of filth erupted in answer, shaking the air itself.
The ground split again as a massive serpentine curse burst forth. Its body twisted violently, scales gleaming with venom. Its jaws opened, spraying a torrent of green acid directly at Gojo.
But—
Limitless Technique.
The venom froze a meter away, suspended against an invisible barrier. It splashed like water striking glass, unable to touch him.
"Too slow."
Gojo's hand rose lazily, his eyes glinting. A faint red glow began to pulse in his palm.
The glow expanded, forming into a crackling orb of energy. His voice dropped, calm and merciless.
Reversal Technique: Red.
BOOM!
The blast detonated outward.
In an instant, the colossal serpent's body disintegrated, half of it shredded into residue. Only its head remained, writhing weakly in the air, before collapsing with a guttural hiss.
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.
...
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