Mt. Nikkou
echoed with the chanting of a great many voices.
It had started around an hour ago. The preliminary prayers and austerities were being performed within the Sanbutsudou Hall of Rinnou Temple.
Several hundred policemen possessed by Houjou vassals had ascended the mountain earlier and now stood guard. Every cedar tree had a human soul bound to it, their faces stark against the trunks. They numbered in the thousands—perhaps even tens of thousands...
Dressed in a priest’s garb, Ujimasa watched over the solemn rite of cedar stick burning within the Hall. This ‘sacred fire’ would later be used to set the sacred tree alight. Night had fallen completely, and the mountain was cloaked in darkness.
Rinnou, one of the three head temples of the Tendai sect, had at one time been supervised by High Priest Tenkai himself. The two hundred or so monks taking part in the prayers were all nue of the Houjou. Even this great temple rarely saw ceremonies on such scale anymore.
When these preliminary rites were complete, the monks would take up the sacred fire and torch the mountain: this was the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire.’
The tribute, meanwhile, was being bound to the sacred tree at Futarasan Shrine. It would become the core of Mt. Nikkou’s spiritual fusion.
(At last...)
A household shrine especially prepared for the ceremony had been installed in front of the inner sanctuary. A late middle-aged man stood before it in priestly vestments of white silk kimono and ancient head-dress: the Houjou elder, Gen’an, who at one time had served as the head of Hakone Shrine. He was here to witness the tree-binding.
(Now all the ingredients are gathered...)
Narita Yuzuru would be the master tree’s sacrifice. His temporarily-sealed powers would be released at the instant of fire-setting. His body had been left behind; his severed soul resided now in the tsutsuga which had devoured it, and waited only to be tree-bound.
The bonfire swayed and flickered.
Ropes to ward away evil encircled the sacred tree. The platform of plain wood which enshrined the god was hung with offerings of paper and rope charms.
Fuuma Kotarou had brought the so-called Great Tsutsuga, first-born of the Tsutsuga Mirrors. In the light of the bonfire, it crawled out of what looked like a giant kettle.
Though still unsettled by its experience at Hakone, the four-hundred-year-old tsutsuga approached the master tree in obedience to Kotarou’s command.
The tension mounted as everyone waited with bated breath.
Security was, of course, air-tight—almost literally so, for not even an ant could draw nigh. This was especially true of the ten-meter radius within the rope cordon, where a special barrier allowed entrance to only Gen’an, Kotarou, and this tsutsuga.
It gave a great roar.
The sound reverberated across the entire mountain, and its younger siblings pricked up their ears wherever they had been positioned.
The tsutsuga opened its mouth wide towards the gigantic trunk of the master tree.
With a deep growl, it spat out a gushing mass of golden light which permeated into the master tree’s trunk, setting it aglow. A line of bright gold shot from the roots up toward the branches, splitting apart and racing to the leaf-tips in the blink of an eye. The sacred trees to either side, one of which contained Shinya, began to glow faintly in response.
“Ooooooo!”
There was an unconscious release of sound from the crowd at the grandeur of the moment.
“Magnificent...truly magnificent beyond words!” Gen’an breathed, overcome by the spectacle.
Once the golden mass settled completely, the entire body of the master tree glowed with a dazzling golden light. The shape of Narita Yuzuru appeared in the glowing trunk. Still the tree continued to emit that intense glow, so strong that a tiny sun seemed to reside within, illuminating the surrounding area as brightly as noon.
Narita Yuzuru’s tree-binding was complete.
Shivering with deep emotion as he watched, Gen‘an said, “All that remains is to set fire to the ’sacred trees,’ I believe.”
“Soon all these souls will be fused with the god,” Kotarou responded confidently. “We are past all interference. This power without equal will be his.”
“Everything built by man within Mt. Nikkou will be destroyed.”
“There is no other way. No one will miss these relics of conquerors past.” Kotarou smiled faintly as he looked up at the branch-tips aglow with holy light. “Once the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire’ is complete, we will no longer need the tsutsuga. Our roles will come to an end. Shall we return to Lord Ujiyasu’s side, then?”
“What! Ujiyasu!” Gen’an’s eyes narrowed. “What did you say? What did you just say? Is Ujiyasu in Hakone? Has he been resurrected?”
Kotarou only stood silently gazing at the glowing master tree with his arms crossed, an enigmatic smile on his face.
The overwhelming level of spiritual power within the barrier, along with the thick mantle of obstruction against scrying the Houjou had spread over Mt. Nikkou, combined to shield the mountain from outside view. Even through the eyes of the Gohou Douji all he could see was a thick white fog.
(Guess it’s not gonna work...) Takaya broke off his synchronization with the Gohou Douji. He was still at Asaoka Inn, the curtains drawn tight so that his room was dark as night. Time for Plan B.
(All right, then...)
He breathed in measured rhythm, slowly relaxing and refocusing once more.
He called to mind the sensation of being trapped within the mirror. This was delicate, precise, subtle work requiring a great deal of concentration. He gradually matched his own spiritual wavelength to that of the tsutsuga cub he had pulled into Tooyama’s mirror, which eventually overlapped that of the female Tsutsuga Mirror...and synchronized with it.
Raising his mental voice, he called: “Children!”
Not words, but sensation.
“Listen to me now, my children! Tell me what you see. Be my eyes!”
“Naoe, Nagahide’s reached Nikkou.” Ayako hurried back to Naoe where he (and Kousaka, who had left with them) waited for her near the vicinity of the Nikkou Lakeside Hotel at Chuuzenji. National Highway 120, which ran along the shore, would soon reach a bridge-crossing. It was crawling with a gigantic line of traffic likely caused by the blockades or checkpoints.
The possibility that a barrier had also been erected over Chuuguushi was high, for spirit-sensing revealed a spot of utter darkness at the foot of Mt. Nantai right where the shrine was located, though the area was brilliantly lit otherwise.
It was time to refine their plan of attack.
“Is he all right?”
“Yeah. He said he’s going to break into the barrier and take Ieyasu’s skull. We’ll be able to perform the revival if he succeeds. Kagetora’s synchronized with the tsutsuga, and he’s going to create a diversion.”
“How is Nagahide going to penetrate into the mountain? It’s too dangerous to attempt alone.”
“As if any of us could stop him once he’s made up his mind. We’ll just have to believe he’ll make it. It looks like the ‘Ritual of Unification by Fire’ has started, though. It’s gonna be hard to stop them.”
“What about the ‘Tsutsuga Mirror’?” Kousaka asked. “If we can release the tree-bindings before the Ritual begins, we would no longer need to worry about the spell.”
Naoe frowned. That was true, as far as it went, but it was much easier said than done. If, as Takaya had stated, the Tsutsuga Mirrors were in Nikkou, they would be accompanied by Fuuma Kotarou. There was perhaps no greater obstacle to the Mirrors.
(What should we do...?)
They were still locked in debate when Katakura found them ten minutes later.
“Katakura-san, I’m so glad you’re all right!”
“Thank you.” Katakura, in a wrinkled and dirty business shirt, abandoned the stolen red off-road motorcycle on which he had managed to slip through the gridlock on Iroha Hill.
“What news?”
“There is a barrier of considerable strength around Mt. Nikkou which bars all approach. Nearby residents have been ordered to evacuate,” Katakura reported urgently. “What of Chuuguushi?”
“According to Kagetora, the Houjou have taken it as their headquarters and will be controlling the Great Kantou Triangle from there. We have to recover it. The problem is, I don’t know if we can break through with the numbers we have.”
“Very well. I will call upon soldiers of the Date to join your attack. If we move before Ujimasa’s main forces arrive, I believe we can win through. Let us make the attempt, in any case. Also of urgency, Naoe-dono,” Katakura added, “is the state of the city below. It is in a panic, especially the areas ordered to evacuate: under the influence of that enormous spiritual power, the weather system has collapsed, and we are poised on the edge of a catastrophe. There is a large hospital nearby, and under such circumstances the patients cannot be moved.”
Shinya was in that hospital. Naoe turned a sharpened gaze in its direction.
“To do nothing is to invite disaster...”
“I will go down. Haruie, you have command here. Take Chuuguushi back from the Houjou occupiers. You are our vanguard. With Date reinforcements you have the advantage.”
“Got it.”
“What of the Tsutsuga Mirror, Naoe?” Kousaka demanded. “Surely you’re not so afraid of the Fuuma that you’re just going to leave it in their hands?”
“I will break the Tsutsuga Mirror with my own two hands.” Naoe glared at Takeda’s strategist with unconcealed animosity. “Does that satisfy you? You’ll owe me, Kousaka. Tell that to Shingen.”
“Hmph. Do try not to let your stupidity get you killed.”
Naoe shot a last acrimonious glare over his shoulder at Kousaka before hurrying to the Windom.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. Ayako rushed forward and tapped on his window just before he drove off. He rolled it down.
“Be careful. Don’t do anything reckless. We managed to get through the barrier at Hakone because we had Kagetora with us, but we don’t know what kinds of traps the Fuuma might have set. Don’t let your guard down.”
“I won’t. I’m worried about Nagahide, though. We can’t send him reinforcements, but please back him up as you can.”
“Nagahide will be all right. Naoe... There’s something else I wanted to say...” her voice was grave.
“What is it?”
“I’m glad you didn’t break the Tsutsuga Mirror with Kagetora inside. It was the right decision. But...” All expression vanished from Naoe’s face as Ayako pressed, “I’m asking you to stop hurting that kid. He’s in despair, and you’re much more important to him than you think. I don’t think you realize how scared he is of your every word and move. That boy is...no—Kagetora is—”
“Haruie,” Naoe interrupted, his gaze fixed straight ahead. “I’m...done.”
“Naoe, what—”
“I didn’t choose death’s happiness. I chose life, and it was most definitely not for his sake. I don’t want to die,” he said, forcefully disengaging the handbrake.
(It was not for his sake...) he muttered again just to hear the words. He stomped on the accelerator and set the Windom racing toward the highway paralleling the Lakeshore Hotel with uncharacteristic violence.
The rite of cedar burning at Rinnou Temple had just reached completion when Mt. Nikkou’s tsutsuga sentinels began acting strangely.
More than two hundred monks emerged from Sanbutsudou Hall with torches lit from the sacred fire to form a line on the dim gravel path outside. An uncertain-looking aide-de-camp approached Ujimasa in his priestly robes as he watched over the procession.
“We’ve lost control of the tsutsuga? Explain!”
“The rising spiritual power within the mountain may have thrown their minds into disorder. They are agitated, and could soon pose a danger to our people.”
“Their spiritual power is not so weak as to be shaken by something like this. There’s something else at work: find it. The tsutsuga can be sent to sleep soon in any case. The fire-unification is about to begin. Half an hour more, and I will order the evacuation.”
“But...”
“The ritual’s completion is at hand. This is the critical moment: do you understand? Now return to your position.”
“... Yes, my lord.”
The tsutsuga were no longer important. It was the forest itself which filled Ujimasa with tension, and he glared resolutely into a darkness crowded with cedar trees rustling in the still air. Spiritual energy roiled like a heat haze around the giant trees of the cryptomeria forest soaring beyond the gigantic roof of Sanbutsudou Hall.
Chanting the names of the Buddhas, the line of monks carried their torches down the broad stone steps in front of Sanbutsudou Hall and wended onto the rear shrine path through the Black Gate.
The unnatural rustling sounded to the Houjou vassals like the last protest of the tree-bound souls.
But Ujimasa was not afraid. At this moment, the instant before thousands—before tens of thousands of souls were merged into one massive wellspring of energy, a proud smile stretched his thin cheeks wide.
(Look, Father!) he said to the father whose existence he was still unable to verify, (This is the moment of our victory.)
The line of torches proceeded down the shrine path toward Toushou Shrine and Futarasan Shrine. Mt. Nikkou was large enough that it could not be properly appreciated without a whole day of sightseeing. To send a sea of fire blazing across the vast face of it was no trivial matter. When it went up in flames, its dazzling structures, many of them designated National Treasures, would be burned to ash. This, too, Ujimasa accepted.
(This country has always risen again from the raging flames.)
Risen again, with its culture, its government, its economy evolved to a greater height.
(These are the flames of resurrection, and we will set them with our own hands.)
The relics of the past, along with the crimes of tyrants and the hate of the people, all of it would be burned away...
(Tokugawa, conqueror of the Sengoku, will kneel at our feet!)
Just as the torchlit progression crossed from the rear to the ascending shrine road, a large shadow leapt out from the darkness of the forest: a tsutsuga. The monks screamed, and the line immediately broke as it began to attack.
“What is the meaning of this!”
The crazed and raging tsutsuga cut a swath through the progression. Then another and another appeared. The monks scattered.
“It’s the tsutsuga...! The tsutsuga are—!”
“Don’t drop the torches! Drive them away!”
Angry roars filled the night. Torches littered the ground. Tsutsuga which touched the holy fire howled and went up in flames. Monks waved their torches around frantically in an attempt to drive the spirit beasts away. Guard-soldiers joined the fray, and chaos reigned.
“Subdue the tsutsuga! They’re out of control!”
“We have a problem!” Ujimasa’s aide-de-camp rushed over from Futarasan Shrine. “We’ve lost control of the tsutsuga! The first-born turned on us and escaped!”
“What?!”
The barrier at Mt. Nikkou was bounded by two rivers: Daiya River and the west bank of its tributary, Inari River. Traveling north along Inari River’s east bank, Chiaki stopped at a dry river bed suitable for crossing. In the darkness, there was no sound but the whisper of water. Chiaki stood in stillness for a moment, scowling into the Mt. Nikkou forest. The tsutsuga cub curled against his feet.
“That’s a pretty darn impressive barrier, I gotta say...”
On the other side of the river, the barrier formed a wall of «power» several layers deep. It covered the mountain completely. To break through on a moment’s notice was an utter impossibility. Compared to this, the barrier at the Houjou estate had been fragile as paper. Even the god of lightning would find it a tough nut to crack.
(Well, it would be impossible, if I didn’t have this tsutsuga.)
Chiaki crouched and stroked the tsutsuga’s head. “All right, monseigneur spirit beast. We’re gonna tunnel a hole in that wall and sneak in.”
The tsutsuga shook its head at Chiaki. On the other side of the river was a small cliff overgrown with long grass—a challenging climb. He considered a map against the terrain. He couldn’t be sure in the darkness, but further up there should be a small power plant which would present a easier ascent and place him within Mt. Nikkou. The barrier wall seemed to be erected right against a road along the river. If he penetrated the barrier there, he would come out near Kaizandou and the grave of Holy Priest Shoudou. The straight-line distance from that point to the rear shrine of Toushou Shrine was manageable. So if he could clamber up straight cliff faces in the sheer darkness, he would hit the back of the rear shrine.
(There’s a pretty good chance I’ll get attacked in the meantime, though,) Chiaki thought, gritting his teeth as he folded the map. He thrust it into the waistband of his pants and began crossing the river with the tsutsuga and a flashlight in hand.
“Ieyasu’s skull, huh? We’re probably gonna have another messy destruction of a cultural artifact on our hands.”
On the other side, he began scaling the cliff from the rear of the power plant, pushing the tall grass out of the way as he climbed.
While thus engaged, his sixth sense pinged against an extraordinary presence approaching overhead. Woah, he thought, turning and looking up to see the ‘Gohou Douji of the Sword’ soaring through the dark sky over the river toward him.
(Kagetora must have sent it.)
At Chiaki’s call, the golden-skinned Douji folded the wing-like thousand swords at his back.
His programming had brought him here. Ayako had said that the Gohou Douji would meet up with him before he went into Mt. Nikkou during their planning session via mind-speech.
“I guess Kagetora said to bring him inside. All right, all right, I’ll take you along.”
Chiaki carefully withdrew a ‘humanoid’ figure made of paper. As a temporary representation of spirits, gods, and buddhas, it would operate on the same principle as the koppashin. He wrote the seed syllable of Bishamonten while chanting his mantra. The ‘humanoid’ glowed. He held it up toward the Douji.
“Gohou of the Sword, come!”
It swallowed the Gohou Douji and glowed dazzlingly bright before settling into the palm of Chiaki’s hand.
“Ooookay...”
Placing the Douji ‘humanoid’ with care into his pocket, he glared into the thick wall of the barrier sitting directly at the top of the cliff.
“Time to attack, partner,” he announced, clapping the tsutsuga on the back. It gave a roar of excitement and paced toward the glittering barrier.
Steam swirled and whispered on the barrier’s surface, hinting at its scorching temperature. Chiaki wrapped a «goshinha» tightly around himself and followed the tsutsuga as it forced its way through, scattering water vapor in all directions. It drank in the miasma and slowly advanced. The barrier wall was about ten meters thick, and the way ahead was completely obscured. Being inside was indescribable, like trying to walk through a volcanic eruption. With the tsutsuga forging the way, there was less resistance against Chiaki, but to lose his focus for a single moment meant his «goshinha» shattering and his body burning to ash in a second. To get out of this alive, his only option was to move forward, following on the tsutsuga’s tail.
The tsutsuga ate away at the barrier steadily. He could finally see beyond it.
And the two of them tumbled through at last.
Chiaki huffed a sigh.
The solid wall of steam had closed behind him. But he was through.
“Next up: this cliff...”
Yet another stupidly tall cliff towered in front of him. It looked way steeper than the version on the map.
Repressing the sharp pain from his ribs, Chiaki looked over the cedar forest. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but the glow of his flashlight found a face in the trunk of every cedar tree. The aural surge was massive enough to be suffocating, and unless he guarded his mind, it would be enough to drive him unconsciousness.
Chiaki took a deep breath in front of Kaizandou.
Something was happening in the direction of the forest. Kagetora must have begun mobilizing the tsutsuga, disrupting the ceremony, throwing the vassals into chaos, and generally raising mayhem. The tsutsuga nestled at Chiaki’s feet began turning its head this way and that in agitation.
“All right, aaaall right there. You just listen to me, ignore everything else,” Chiaki crooned, stroking its head, before frowning. This area was relatively lightly guarded, but what of the path ahead? He couldn’t use «choubuku». Which meant he had no choice but to rely on the tsutsuga.
“Let’s go.”
Chiaki chose his path and attacked the steep climb, the tsutsuga at his side. Around him, the tree-bound souls cried out for help.
(Wait a bit longer.)
I’m not gonna let them set fire to you, Chiaki vowed silently, cradling his aching body as he scaled the bare rock face toward the rear shrine.
“Quiet! Stay still! Quiet down!” Gen’an rebuked the flustered vassals panicked by the sudden insurrection of the tsutsuga.
Chaos reigned within Futarasan Shrine.
“Use the sacred fire! Burn the tsutsuga with the sacred fire! Calm down!”
Still grappling with the tsutsuga, the vassals gathered the holy fire. One by one the spirit beasts howled as they went up in flames.
“Where did the Great Tsutsuga go?!”
“My lord! It appears to have penetrated into the grounds of Toushou Shrine! The other tsutsuga are heading in the same direction!”
“What is it doing? Take it down immediately!” Gen’an, taking command of the mélange at the front shrine, promptly ordered, before turning to Kotarou. “Kotarou! What is happening here? Why have we lost control of the tsutsuga?”
(It couldn’t be...!) Kotarou’s eyes were wide with astonishment. He had deduced the reason for the tsutsuga’s rebellion—from Tooyama’s betrayal to the tsutsuga dispossessed by Tooyama’s mirror, and finally to the agitation of the entire pride.
(Saburou-dono?)
He had to be manipulating them using the Tsutsuga Mirror as a medium. The use of tsutsuga as escort and guard had backfired on them. There were close to fifty of the spirit beasts within the mountain, and it was too late to attempt to put them to sleep.
“Gen’an-sama! The tsutsuga must not be allowed near Toushou Shrine! They are being controlled!”
“What?”
The tsutsuga moved toward Toushou Shrine as a pride. Smashing through the rear gate, the Great Tsutsuga led his siblings forward with ground-eating leaps and bounds. Even the crowd of vassals could not block their advance. Ujimasa’s assisting monk desperately tried to bend the tsutsuga to his will, but he could no longer get through to them.
"I believe it is Saburou-dono’s intention to revive Tenkai’s secret ritual, the ‘Sannou Ichijitsu Shinto’, Kotarou stated, strained.
“What?! That’s impossible!” Gen‘an exclaimed. “Our ’Magic-Seal’ blocks all magic within this mountain. It can’t be done. It can’t be done even with Ieyasu’s skull.”
“True. It’s not possible. There is no way the ritual could succeed even if we did nothing to stop them. But if there’s even the smallest chance...” Kotarou glowered at the structures of Toushou Shrine. “If there is any chance at all that Saburou-dono can rouse the Avatar of Toushou and perform a miracle...”
(That can’t be...) It couldn’t be accomplished by anyone but a god: Gen’an expression grew grim at the thought. “What can we do, Kotarou?”
“Bring the spirit guardians of Toushou Shrine to life.”
“Is that even possible?”
“They can be roused in self-defense. To the spirit beasts protecting the shrine, the tsutsuga are invaders. They will ward the shrine against violence from outside threat.”
Kotarou descended the steps of the front shrine and approached the sacred tree to which Yuzuru was bound. The sacred tree, embracing and encompassing that violent spiritual power, glittered with golden, godly light. Kotarou emptied his pocket into his hand: a fistful of crystal balls around two centimeters in diameter.
“O Great Toushou Avatar, let your spirit beasts be given life...”
Kotarou cradled the spheres reverently as he chanted the words of the prayer. He took up the sacred evergreen and swept it through the air. As he did so, the names of various spirit beasts rose to the surface of the transparent crystals.
Kotarou blew upon each, giving them the breath of life. The spheres began to emit a golden glow within his hand as they absorbed the spiritual power of the sacred tree. Kotarou flung them in one smooth motion in the direction of Toushou Shrine.
“Awaken, spirit beasts!”
The glowing crystal spheres flew over the treetops. They fell on the structures of Toushou Shrine in bursts of dazzling light.
Chiaki witnessed those blazing trails as he climbed the dark slope. “What the hell?”
The ground shook with a deep gong-like tone.
Startled tsutsuga skidded to a stop. Then ‘they’ appeared at the various places where the glowing crystals had fallen.
First, the evil-warding spirit-beast called the ‘baku’ emerged at the rear gate. It had the body of a bear, the nose of an elephant, the eyes of a rhinoceros, the tail of an ox, and the feet of a tiger. The giant ‘elephant’ materialized before the Kamijinko, followed by nearly thirty dragon-like animals at the Youmei Gate. The spirit-beast called the ‘iki’ came to life from their sculpted rafter-ends, while the ‘rhinoceros,’ the horned, carapaced, and hooved guardian of the the borders of the world of the gods, appeared before the main shrine.
The shrine’s sculptures, manifestly placed there for its protection and not just for decoration, were coming to life everywhere. They were, in fact, designed to be ensouled to repel those who would invade the sanctuary of this holy place. Kotarou was now re-animating these spirit beasts which the Fuuma had previously extracted from their abodes.
Perhaps a hundred of these shrine guardians had materialized from every beam and rafter-end, bringing the tsutsuga to an unexpected standstill. They arrayed themselves before the invading tsutsuga and attacked—
A battle of spirit beasts had begun.
“...!” Takaya’s head lifted at the unexpected opposition at Toushou Shrine. (Crap...!)
He was still controlling the tsutsuga from his room at Chuuzenji’s lakeshore via his synchronization with the Tsutsuga Mirror. Now the battle-scene was being transmitted directly into his brain. It was becoming a massacre. The Tsutsuga Mirror, parent to the tsutsuga cubs being slaughtered, reacted violently to their screams.
(So Toushou Shrine’s self-defense has been activated.)
And at this most inopportune of times... Takaya silently tsked in frustration. It was technically true that to the spirit-beasts guarding Toushou Shrine, the tsutsuga were invaders. Yet—We’re the ones trying to protect Nikkou, he wanted to shout. Not that it would do any good.
(If I don’t do something, the rear shrine will be out of our reach...)
Takaya changed telepathic channels and linked to the Gohou Douji.
Ujimasa had also immediately guessed the identity of the culprit behind the strange behavior of the tsutsuga. There existed only one person capable of controlling the tsutsuga with such precision.
“Damn you, Saburou! So you’re determined to stand in our way!”
“We have no time to lose, Ujimasa-dono,” said the young man with chestnut hair standing next to him—Date Kojirou’s vassal. Yet Kojirou spoke no word of reprimand. The abruptness with which this pretty boy spoke to him, and in such a manner, set his teeth on edge.
“Do you dare address me thus?”
“Please give your command, Ujimasa-dono. It would be well to have the fire set as quickly as possible. Saburou-dono’s aim is likely the revival of Tenkai’s secret ritual.”
“What...!”
To Ujimasa’s response of “Impossible!”, an air of menace suddenly filled the young man, whom Ujimasa was yet unaware was the Oda vassal Mori Ranmaru.
“Saburou cannot succeed in the revivification. When first we took Mt. Nikkou, we set the ‘Magic-Seal’ in place to block any attempt to revive Tenkai’s spell. Did you think us unaware of the possibility?”
“I would not have expected less. Yet, in order that Saburou-dono may not interfere further, please finish as soon as may be. This is no time for hesitation. He who makes the first move wins, Houjou-dono.”
All of which was true. To be instructed thus by Kojirou’s vassal was vexing, but neither was it seemly to allow such a small matter to rankle him. He immediately said to the aides-de-camp awaiting his command: “Order the monks to set the fire at once. Sound the retreat for all vassals here.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Several people hurriedly dispersed to pass along the message. Ujimasa glared his enmity in the direction of Toushou Shrine. (All your struggles are useless, Saburou!)
Beside him, Mori Ranmaru snickered inwardly at the Houjou clan head’s profile. (Nikkou will soon fall into Oda’s hands.)
Everything was going according to plan: with Narita Yuzuru, implanted with Oda’s ‘Seed of the Demon King’ at the core of Nikkou’s magnificent spirit-fusion, that massive wellspring of energy would soon belong to Oda.
(Alas, Houjou, that you will not be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors.) Kojirou stood palely beside him like a timid little lamb who dared not lift its eyes. Ranmaru grinned with satisfaction.
The monks raised their bright-burning torches and arranged themselves in formation among the cedar trees. The roots of each cedar had been soaked in holy oil. The forest night glowed bright as noon in the blaze of countless torches.
“Get your torches ready—!”
That was when Takaya’s mind-voice reached Chiaki. He was closing in from the north, still climbing toward Kaizandou, a few dozen meters from the rear shrine. He could clearly hear the uproar from his position.
Unsheathe the Gohou Douji, Kagetora said.
“‘We don’t have a moment to lose,’ right? Hmph. You think this thing can actually stop the fire?”
Chiaki took out the ‘humanoid’ and, chanting the shingon of Bishamonten, traced the Sanskrit characters on it with his right hand. The ‘humanoid’ suddenly blazed, and from it the Gohou Douji emerged once more.
“Go, put out the fire!” Chiaki commanded, before resuming his climb.
The Douji shot upward. As it streaked across the sky, it took on the aspect of the dragon god, one of the vassals of Bishamonten (like the Kuuhatsu Gohou of Mt. Shigi)—specifically the winged flying dragon, who ruled over water.
Chiaki’s tsutsuga guide suddenly howled. Several armed men were converging down on them from the direction of the cedar trees.
“Feh! Guess they found us!”
He would have been more surprised if they hadn’t. A hail of bullets streaked toward him. The tsutsuga leapt on its own to the attack.
“All right, I’ll cover you!” Chiaki’s «nenpa» accompanied his words. Their opponents fells one by one, but more appeared to join the attack. Oddly enough, Chiaki and the tsutsuga fought so well together that they were able to stand their ground.
“Oh yeah! I’d call this the beginning of a beautiful friendship!” Chiaki yelled. Then his vision swayed and warped, and the trees around him wriggled and waved.
(Ah!) His eyes narrowed sharply. “That’s not gonna work on me, you moooorons!”
He tore violently at the illusion surrounding him. The ground in front of him turned a somersault as a man hidden in the upper branches of a large cedar fell with a scream. Chiaki’s mental counterstrike had broken the mind of the illusionist, a ninja of the Fuuma.
“I’m gonna get into that rear shrine, come hell or high water!”
The scent of oil covered the entire mountain as the monks readied themselves. Countless torches trembled in the wind which swept through the trees like the screams of multitudes.
“Everyone, set your fire—now!”
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