Gods exist.
Ordinary people outside might not believe it, but as professional clergy, they knew that gods did indeed exist. It's just that after the great war in the ancient era, basically, no gods were complete anymore. Even the nine-tailed fox had been reduced to a Divine Fragment.
These Divine Fragments naturally wouldn't reside in the shrines enjoying offerings. They would usually slumber in places ordinary people couldn't find, possibly sleeping for hundreds of years at a time. They would only awaken when some major change occurred. All that remained in the shrine was a trace of a divine soul, containing some power but no consciousness. This divine soul was used by the shrine's Shinto priests to communicate with the Divine Fragment.
This ritual was called a Spirit-Summoning Ritual.
When the shrine faced a major decision, it needed to report to the god and let the god decide. This ritual would also unleash the power of the divine soul. This unconscious divine soul was the best nourishment for evil spirits, so every time the Spirit-Summoning Ritual was performed, it would attract countless evil spirits to come and snatch the divine soul.
And if an evil spirit snatched and devoured the divine soul, it would inevitably bring untold crises to the mortal world. After all, the gods were all in deep slumber and wouldn't wake up unless it was a major event. They could only rely on the Onmyōji to exorcise them.
As a pure white halo spread, the entire inner chamber seemed to enter the god's domain.
There were five people, including Lisa.
Like the Kylin, the nine-tailed foxes...
Although not numerous, there were definitely more than just one or two.
Among the four, there were males and females. The oldest was twenty, the other three were two eighteen-year-olds and a seventeen-year-old. The youngest was Lisa, at fourteen.
After the god manifested, the other four, excluding Lisa, all widened their eyes, their faces filled with incomparable shock, unable to hide the ecstasy and excitement in their hearts.
This was a god!!
A real god manifesting!
If they were chosen by the god to become the Divine Child, their status in the future would soar.
Only the youngest, Lisa, remained calm.
She had been through too much in Siracusa. She wasn't like these children who grew up in the city. Even though these kids were generally older than Lisa and their onmyōjutsu skills were much stronger, when it came to a real life-and-death fight, it would only take two minutes for all four of them to have their heads smashed in by the adorable Lisa. Literally, physically smashed in.
Lisa's main disadvantage was that she had no one to teach her onmyōjutsu, so her progress in her core skills was a bit slow.
Her father originally never intended for Lisa to get involved with the Onmyōji, only wanting her to live a safe and peaceful life in Siracusa like an ordinary child. However... plans change. The way Lisa lived now was already getting further and further away from that of an ordinary child. She might as well have stayed in Higashi.
She looked at the white radiance around her and the faint phantom of the nine-tailed fox.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Over a year of life-and-death combat experience had made Lisa's vigilance exceptionally high. Even Lisa's father would never have guessed that his daughter actually had a custom-made pistol from Lucas Reeve tucked in her pocket, one that could easily blow anyone's head off.
The moment the nine-tailed fox phantom appeared.
Lisa had already instinctively moved her hand to the gun holster on her thigh.
A serious question flashed through Lisa's mind.
This is a god?
It feels... inferior to Big Brother Lucas.
After a while.
The god's trial for each person was delivered.
The five of them needed to travel, by their own means, to a mysterious mountain peak located in the middle of the two factions' demarcation line. There would be a specific trial there. Whoever completed the trial first would receive the god's power.
They could bring helpers, but only friends they had made themselves. Elders were not allowed to interfere. After all, making connections and having friends everywhere was also a skill.
From this moment, the assessment had already begun.
As the divine light faded, the other four were already rubbing their palms together, eager to start. They were all relatives, and the four of them had basically grown up together. There was a healthy competition between them. As for Lisa... they didn't take her seriously. After all, Lisa was the weakest among them, and most likely didn't even have a Shikigami. After all, an Onmyōji's main combat power came from their Shikigami. Without one, an Onmyōji's combat effectiveness was greatly reduced.
After walking out of the inner chamber, the other five immediately prepared to head to the mysterious mountain peak mentioned by the god. But how to get there safely was a big problem.
The two factions were fighting almost daily. To reach that mysterious mountain peak, they would have to pass through a warzone under constant artillery fire.
Lisa's father was worried about his daughter, but Lisa insisted on participating in the trial. He finally, reluctantly, agreed after Lucas Reeve gave his guarantee.
The god gave them one day to arrive. Time was tight. This stage tested the candidate's courage and strategy. How to successfully bypass the warzone and reach the mountain peak was a big problem. If they just waited for the war to end, who knows how long that would take. So, being bold and careful was very useful here.
But Lucas and the others were in no hurry. Nian excitedly dragged everyone to a nearby maid café for a meal, and then went to the mall next door to buy several figurines of Dusk's favorite characters to bring back as gifts.
As for the other four, they had set off immediately. Some relied on their reputation and connections to get through the combat zone. Some relied on a friend who was an old pro driver with strong skills to speed through the warzone. Some relied on onmyōjutsu to hide their presence and successfully slip through.
However..
When it was Lisa's turn, she was leisurely eating, leisurely shopping, and then leisurely walking to the outskirts of the city, leisurely boarding [Stardust], and finally, arriving above the mountain peak fifteen minutes later.
Physical cheat-codes are terrifyingly effective.
"This! This!! This is the mountain!!"
Upon arriving above the legendary mysterious mountain peak, Magallan quickly said.
"I was trying to get to this mountain when I crossed the warzone before! And then some XX (bastard) shot a grenade at me and knocked me out. So annoying."
There was a barrier around the mysterious mountain peak to confuse ordinary people. The reason these five candidates could see it wasn't because they were so strong, but because the god had left a trace of its power on them from the start, allowing them to ignore the barrier's interference.
Of course.
This kind of barrier was useless against Lucas and Nian.
The four of Lisa's cousins arrived at the foot of the mountain one after another, not too far apart.
Suddenly, a deafening roar sounded in the sky.
The four cousins, who were still feeling smug, raised their heads. When they saw the giant aircraft in front of them, they all instantly turned to stone, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Other than shock, there was no other way to express what they were feeling.
What the hell!!
They had seen aircraft before.
But...
They had never even dared to imagine one that looked like this. Its perfectly streamlined body was completely different from traditional low-altitude shuttles. Compared to a low-altitude shuttle, this aircraft was practically... a work of art from a museum.
It felt like a modern person seeing a sci-fi movie car come to life.
The aircraft slowly landed.
As the cabin door opened.
Lisa slowly walked out, with Lucas and the others following close behind.
The environment on this mountain peak was relatively primitive. Since no one ever walked here, the ground was overgrown with vegetation, and there was no path for people to walk on.
Just as these cousins were about to say something.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of everyone.
It was a girl, dressed simply, wearing a fox mask that hid her face, but her voice was very pleasant.
"Please follow me. The divine messengers are already waiting."
The group followed the fox-masked girl through the dense grass and forest, walking ever forward. The other four didn't dare to speak, afraid one wrong word would displease the god and cost them their qualification. And then, at the very back.
"So, the god lives here?"
Magallan asked her question without any reservations. She had traveled north and south for so long, she had long since developed a bold and straightforward personality. But she was also a little nervous. Maybe, in a little while, she would get to see the fox god that saved her.
Hmph! And Lucas and the others didn't believe me.
This time, she could finally meet a god face to face. Magallan really wanted to see the expressions on Lucas and Nian's faces when they saw a legendary god. Would they be shocked?
Magallan secretly rejoiced. Angelina, on the other hand, took out her phone and kept taking pictures to mark the occasion. As a modern, proper JK (high school girl), this kind of primitive scenery was too rare. At most, she'd see it on TV. To be able to experience it in person, she definitely had to document it. And... a god?
To be honest.
Angelina never believed in the existence of gods. She was the only atheist in the group. Of course, that was for now; no guarantees about the future.
"That's right."
Originally, Magallan thought the fox-masked girl in front wouldn't respond, but unexpectedly, she had a very nice personality and actually answered.
This time, it wasn't just Magallan who was excited; the four cousins were also thrilled. Maybe they would soon be qualified to meet a real god. Even just seeing one would be enough for ordinary people like them to brag about for a lifetime.
Following behind the fox-masked girl, the group went further and further off the beaten path.
Arriving at the mountainside and passing through a dense forest, the group saw a huge clearing. And in the center of the clearing, four mysterious people were standing respectfully in the center. Their faces were hidden, covered by different cloths, and they wore simple, traditional clothes embroidered with different colored fox patterns.
"Hiss... why does this silly fox have such a grand setup?"
Nian whispered in Lucas's ear.
"Esteemed candidates, welcome to the god's domain."
The fox-masked girl took on the role of commentator. She spoke to the crowd at a steady, unhurried pace, and even sounded a bit ethereal.
"These four divine messengers will each give you a different test. The candidate who completes all four tests first, or the candidate who completes the most tests, will be qualified to accompany me to meet Lord God and receive the god's power. In the future, you may become the fifth divine messenger. In this assessment, for each test, you have one chance to receive help from your companions, but only one chance."
As the girl said this, the four cousins became incredibly excited, rubbing their palms together. They all believed that with their own proud talents, they would definitely pass the assessment.
"First test."
The girl said slowly.
The divine messenger whose robes were embroidered with a red fox pattern stepped forward. His voice wasn't old; he sounded like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.
"Using your Shikigami, survive against my Shikigami for one minute, and you will pass the first assessment."
The middle-aged man waved his hand, and a giant lizard, a full six meters long and two meters high, appeared out of thin air in front of everyone. The lizard's body seemed to be covered in a carapace, looking ferocious and sharp.
"???"
Ten thousand question marks flashed through Angelina's head. As a modern girl, she never expected there to be a summoning-type Originium Art. And... this lizard was so ugly.
The other four looked at Lisa with pity.
After all, she was only fourteen, and had spent most of her life outside Higashi. She never had an elder by her side to teach her onmyōjutsu or how to summon a Shikigami. How could she possibly have her own Shikigami? Even if she did, it was probably pathetically weak.
The oldest cousin went first. His Shikigami was a demon beast that looked like a brown bear, standing three meters tall. However, it barely survived for one minute against the divine messenger's Shikigami.
The second cousin, a girl, had a giant bird as her Shikigami. She used her advantage in the air to barely survive for one minute.
The third cousin, another girl, had a small fox with only two tails. She relied on her agility to barely survive for one minute.
The fourth one wasn't so lucky and was directly eliminated.
When it was Lisa's turn.
Lisa calmly walked forward. Nian, Angelina, Magallan, and the others cheered her on from behind.
Seeing Lisa take the field but still not summon a Shikigami, the divine messenger said sternly.
"Please summon your Shikigami. If you do not have one, please leave. The remaining three will proceed to the next round of assessment."
The middle-aged man's tone was stern, even a bit hoarse.
Everyone's gaze fell on Lisa.
"We're doomed. Don't tell me Little Lisa doesn't have a Shikigami."
Magallan was even more nervous than the person involved. Angelina couldn't help but worry. As for Skadi and Laurentina, they were just curious about what Lisa's Shikigami looked like. Only Nian knew the truth and was secretly trying not to laugh.
"Please summon your Shikigami... last time..."
The assessing messenger's voice grew sterner, seemingly annoyed that Lisa was wasting time.
And just at the last moment, without Lisa even calling, Lucas Reeve stepped out from the crowd.
"I am..."
Everyone: "????"
Laurentina smirked. "I didn't see this coming. So Mr. Reeve is into this kind of thing. A cute master and a powerful Shikigami, and it's even a 'pet-raising' dynamic... Tsk tsk, you really can't judge a book by its cover."
Skadi just stood there dumbly, saying nothing.
As for Nian, she finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
Magallan and Angelina's eyes both went wide.
It blew their minds.
Angelina: "Mr. Reeve, you!!"
Magallan: "Holy sh*t, does Jessica know about this?"
"Mr. Reeve!"
Lisa looked at Lucas Reeve, stunned. She had actually been preparing to forfeit. Lisa had never once thought of Lucas Reeve as her Shikigami. Even though she had summoned him, Lisa knew that Lucas was just using this method to come to her side. He was her elder, her teacher, her brother.
So.
When the examiner said to summon her Shikigami.
Lisa didn't even think of Lucas. She was just going to give up.
She never expected Lucas to actually step forward on his own.
At this moment, Lisa's heart was filled with emotion.
"This is the sacred ground of a god! No disrupters allowed!!"
At this, the expressions of the four divine messengers changed drastically. They thought this group was just messing around, and they released their Originium energy.
"I really am Lisa's Shikigami, you know."
Their pressure had no effect on Lucas. He said casually, and then revealed his Shikigami contract with Lisa.
Honestly, he had no choice. With Lisa's current power, she could only have one Shikigami, and he was occupying Lisa's Shikigami slot. If he didn't step up, it would be hard to justify.
But when the four divine messengers saw the contract, they were too shocked to speak.
A human-form Shikigami?
???
They had never heard of such a thing.
"Since you have a Shikigami, let the assessment begin. Survive for one minute, and you will pass."
The assessor said casually. In reality, he was also eager to try, to test the power of a human-form Shikigami. He had lived for so many years and had never seen one.
"My Shikigami is very strong, you'd better be care... huh?!!"
"Oh..." Lucas Reeve said.
In the next second, his body vanished. Before anyone could react, he had turned into a gale and appeared in front of the lizard. He materialized a small, fiery forging hammer in his hand. Then, he smashed the lizard on the chin with it. Instantly, the giant lizard flew several dozen meters, crashing into the forest far away, breaking countless trees before it finally stopped. Its eyes had already turned into X's.
The four divine messengers: "???"
The four candidates: "???"