Chapter 35: Yokai, Terrible; Women, Truly Terrible

Only Kamibayashi Miko, who had left her shikigami on Minamoto Kiyomoto, understood the situation the moment the ‘Tathagata Dharma Body’ was completed.

Himemiya Izayoi was stunned for a moment. By the time she let out a beautiful laugh, she had also guessed what had happened.

Minamoto Kiyomoto had obtained the Buddhist sutras that forty-nine monks of Mount Koya had recited for many years. Not only had he skillfully mastered the ‘swastika’ wheel of light, but he had also advanced to the point where he could change its form at will. The ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’ had even entered the ‘first turning’.

The others might be surprised that Minamoto Kiyomoto had reached the ‘first turning’ so quickly, but as Minamoto Kiyomoto’s “masters,” the two of them were instead shocked by the profundity of the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’.

They were well aware of Minamoto Kiyomoto’s potential, which could only be described as unfathomable.

But even with such potential, after obtaining so many Buddhist sutras, he had only entered the ‘first turning’ of the nine turnings.

The thunderous, wild laughter still echoed between heaven and earth. At this moment, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart was filled with both ecstasy and surprise.

During the ‘swastika’ wheel of light, although he could use the divine power of the forty-nine monks, it was like playing chess. He was the chess player, and the others were the chess pieces. There was always a layer between them.

Now, the ‘Tathagata Dharma Body’ and the ‘swastika’ wheel of light had merged into one, producing an unexpected effect—the ocean-like divine power was as if it were raging and circulating within his body, as if it were his own divine power.

He had never been so powerful, able to destroy heaven and earth with a single blow.

This was also because Minamoto Kiyomoto’s capacity was unmatched, that he could control this sudden and immense power.

If it were another person, even if they had obtained the Buddhist sutras of the forty-nine monks and mastered the ‘swastika’ wheel of light and the ‘Tathagata Dharma Body,’ they would have been blown to pieces by this power.

Dark clouds rolled, and the red and black giant dragon circled in the sky, covering half the sky. Its dragon head looked down, panting slightly, its red eyes staring at him灼灼.

Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed wildly without any fear.

The dharma body’s face was majestic, draped in a seven-treasure robe, with a golden wheel spinning behind it. The sky was filled with the sound of chanting, but the laughter was like that of a god, and also like that of a demon.

The vast aura was like a hurricane, causing the lake water to churn and the clothes of the crowd to dance wildly. Those with weaker divine power even had the illusion of suffocation.

“Is Manjuan possessed by a demon?” the Ashi Miko said in surprise.

“Venerable Manjuan?” Date Masamune shouted towards the ‘Tathagata Dharma Body’.

The Suitengu Miko’s pretty face showed a slight hesitation. She had been thinking about Minamoto Kiyomoto all night. This demeanor looked like him, but she couldn’t be sure.

“My Young Master Kiyoshi, let your big sister see the power of the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’!” Himemiya Izayoi’s innocent and charming voice, with a crisp laugh, came from afar.

“Haha, watch carefully, big sister!”

Before the crowd could react to the conversation, Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed, and the golden wheel behind him suddenly stopped spinning. A vast Buddha’s light shot up into the sky.

“Roar!” The evil dragon was furious. Its ferocious head tilted towards the sky, and then it suddenly spewed red and black flames at the Buddha’s light.

“Boom!” A splendid divine power light wave exploded in the air.

The Buddha’s light and the breath collided, and circles of air waves rolled in all directions. The earth trembled, and the trees danced wildly.

The red and black giant dragon coiled and circled, letting out a long cry, and then swooped down. Its momentum was fierce, like the sky collapsing and the earth cracking, unstoppable.

Minamoto Kiyomoto did not retreat a single step. He roused all his divine power, formed the wisdom mudra with his hand, and as if he were going to hold up the sky, he swung his palm upwards.

“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”

The giant dragon swung its tail and waved its sharp claws. The Tathagata Dharma Body either swung its palm or clenched its fist. Every blow between the two was like a heavenly thunder colliding with an earthly fire. In a blink of an eye, they had already collided dozens of times.

Looking from afar, it was like an illustration from a myth:
The giant Buddha swung its fist, and the evil dragon breathed fire. One was on the ground, and the other was in the sky. They crashed into each other with a boom.

The air waves rolled, and they rushed towards Asamiya Sakura and the others, who were hiding in the forest, like a mountain collapsing and the sea overturning. They trembled like newborn chicks.

When Minamoto Kiyomoto was presiding over the ‘swastika’ wheel of light, he had already fought this evil dragon head-on once.

He had originally thought that it had been seriously injured by Kamibayashi Miko and the others, and that he now had the divine power of the Venerable Manjuan and the others, and that by casting the ‘Tathagata Dharma Body,’ it would be enough to deal with it.

Who knew that in a head-on confrontation, after only a few dozen rounds, his breathing was already blocked, and his chest was so stuffy that it felt like it was about to explode.

This was not his body. The reason he felt this way was because it was the feeling of every person who made up this body—as the person presiding over the curse, he had to bear several times the pressure and pain of the others.

Minamoto Kiyomoto tasted blood in his “throat.” Not only did he not have the slightest fear, but a competitive spirit arose in him, and he became ruthless in his heart.

“If I can’t even kill a small dragon, how can I kill Shakyamuni!” he laughed wildly, his moves wide and open, every move a life-and-death struggle, with no thought of dodging.

The red and black giant dragon seemed to have been enraged by him. It also did not dodge and roared wildly.

One Buddha and one dragon engaged in a fierce battle on Lake Ashi.

In a flash, the Suitengu Miko, the Ashi Miko, and Date Masamune, the three of them, realized that the Buddha was Minamoto Kiyomoto, not the Venerable Manjuan.

The three of them came back to their senses and quickly rushed up to attack.

The red and black giant dragon seemed to have locked onto Minamoto Kiyomoto. It ignored the attacks of the three and attacked him fiercely.

Every time, it was like the sky collapsing and the earth cracking. Every breath was a gush of lava. Minamoto Kiyomoto was dizzy and his whole body was in great pain.

“Roar!” The evil dragon seized an opportunity and suddenly bit down on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s shoulder.

Everyone couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

“Ah—” Minamoto Kiyomoto roared in pain at the sky, then suddenly lowered his head and also bit down on the dragon’s body.

That was not like a Buddha, but more like a demon.

The giant dragon whimpered. It did not let go, but bit down even harder. Even though the other three Kosen-level cultivators were attacking desperately, it only swept its tail.

“You little pervert, you won’t even let go of a yokai,” Himemiya Izayoi flew to the front on a fiery thunderbird.

When the evil dragon saw her coming, it bit Minamoto Kiyomoto fiercely, as if it wanted to bite off the piece of meat in its mouth before she could attack.

The pain Minamoto Kiyomoto was enduring was several times that of the other monks. At this moment, the people on his shoulder were on the verge of collapsing, and he himself was in so much pain that his eyes went black.

Himemiya Izayoi was busy and did not attack. She said with a smile, “Say ‘Big sister Izayoi is the number one in the world,’ and I’ll save you.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto clearly felt that he could still hold on, but his body felt like it was about to explode. He knew that some of the monks could no longer hold on.

In fact, if it weren’t for his firm willpower presiding over the curse, if it were any other monk, the ‘swastika’ wheel of light would have long since been broken.

If the ‘swastika’ wheel of light were broken, the monks on his shoulder would, without a doubt, fall directly into the evil dragon’s mouth.

Unfortunately, although a person’s willpower could surpass their body, it would not last long. His body even made a ‘creaking’ sound as if his bones were breaking. Minamoto Kiyomoto had no choice but to let go.

“Miss Kamibayashi!” the Tathagata Dharma Body shouted at the sky.

Himemiya Izayoi’s expression froze. A golden thunder python had already swooped down from beside her, opened its huge mouth, and bit down on the red and black evil dragon’s body.

“Roar!” The evil dragon was in great pain and couldn’t help but let go.

The giant dragon twisted its body, and its tail swept angrily, scattering the golden thunder python and forcing back the three Kosen-level cultivators. Its body bent, and it instantly soared into the sky.

“It’s going to run away!” Kamibayashi Miko said quickly. “The Divine Miko’s Raiment can bind it for a few seconds. The final blow is up to you!”

A golden silk ribbon, winding like a river, flew towards the sky, instantly becoming huge and binding the giant dragon.

Himemiya Izayoi came back to her senses and cursed at Minamoto Kiyomoto, “You little bastard, I’ll deal with you later!”

She pulled with both hands, and a bow and arrow inscribed with mysterious curses appeared in her hands.

As the bowstring was drawn, the fiery thunderbird at her feet turned into wisps of red mist and condensed into a demon-breaking arrow on the bowstring.

To quell the internal strife, Minamoto Kiyomoto suddenly slapped his own shoulder and shouted, “Endure it!”

The monks there seemed to have been intimidated by him, and the trend of their collapse was forcefully slowed down.

After quelling the internal strife, Minamoto Kiyomoto looked at the roaring and struggling giant dragon in the air. Under Kamibayashi Miko’s full strength, the Divine Miko’s Raiment was still slowly being broken.

“Hah!” Date Masamune roared at the sky, raised his longsword, and transformed it into a hundred-meter-long divine power air sword.

The Suitengu Miko formed hand seals, and a thin and sharp stream of water circled around her body.

The Ashi Miko, who had at some point turned into a young woman, took a deep breath and then suddenly exhaled. A rolling orange divine power gathered into a meteorite.

As the Ashi Miko continued to exhale, the meteorite grew larger and larger, and the Ashi Miko also transformed from a teenage girl to a young woman in her thirties.

All the cultivators who could still move all gathered their strength, preparing for a thunderous blow.

The golden wheel behind Minamoto Kiyomoto spun, and the sound of chanting suddenly became loud. The curse that came with the first turning of the ‘Tathagata Dharma Body’—the ‘Wheel-Turning Divine Light’—shot towards the sky like a laser beam.

The others moved in response, and their curses rained down on the evil dragon like a downpour.

“Roar!” The red and black evil dragon let out a sky-shattering, earth-shattering mournful cry.

Everyone covered their eyes with their hands to avoid being blinded by the divine power light wave. When the light wave subsided, they saw the evil dragon slowly falling from the sky.

After taking so many attacks, the Divine Miko’s Raiment was undamaged and flew back to Kamibayashi Miko, shrinking in size.

“Is it… is it dead?” It was unclear who was muttering.

Descending to a certain height, the evil dragon’s body slowly dissipated, and the dark clouds began to retreat.

“We… we succeeded!”

“Ah—”

It was unclear who shouted first, but it spread like a wolf’s howl. All the cultivators who could move let out a “awoo—” cry one after another.

Some of them put their arms around each other’s shoulders, and some pounced on another person.

The members of the repair department and the barrier department sat on the grass, weak and paralyzed.

Amamiya Mari and Asamiya Sakura screamed and hugged each other.

Date Masamune and the other members of the combat department let out roars that no one could understand, like those of wild beasts.

A smile bloomed on everyone’s face. It was the kind of smile that only appeared when one had given their all and had also gotten what they wanted.

The dark clouds receded, and of the huge body of the red and black giant dragon, only a few bones remained, which were caught by the Suitengu Miko in mid-air.

The Tathagata Dharma Body, which stood like a giant, shot out countless golden lights and then collapsed.

The forty-nine monks and Minamoto Kiyomoto fell from the sky.

“Save them!” The cultivators who still had strength all flew out.

Before Minamoto Kiyomoto could fall, his shoulders were already caught by someone.

Kamibayashi Miko, who was holding his left shoulder, and Himemiya Izayoi, who was holding his right shoulder, looked at each other over the weak Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“I won’t let go,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a provocative smile.

Kamibayashi Miko let go and watched as Himemiya Izayoi said to Minamoto Kiyomoto, “Young Master Kiyoshi, from now on, you are mine. If I tell you to go east, you go east. If I tell you to…”

Himemiya Izayoi stopped and looked at Kamibayashi Miko, who had reached out again and grabbed Minamoto Kiyomoto’s left shoulder.

“Before I die, he is mine,” Kamibayashi Miko said with a straight face.

“Is that so,” Himemiya Izayoi’s expression was a half-smile.

“…” Minamoto Kiyomoto was actually enduring the pain. He still had the strength to say a word or two, but at that time, he did not dare to speak.

“Is there anything you want to say, Young Master Kiyoshi?” Himemiya Izayoi saw through him.

“A great wind rises, and the clouds fly; my might extends throughout the seas, and I return to my homeland…” Minamoto Kiyomoto recited the “Song of the Great Wind” in a tone that was not at all spirited, but still leisurely.

“The wind has risen, but can you ‘extend your might throughout the seas’?” Kamibayashi Miko asked.

“…No.”

Women were truly terrible.

The two of them took Minamoto Kiyomoto, flew over the smooth water surface that reflected the blue sky and white clouds, and landed in front of the water torii gate of Hakone Shrine.

The monks of Mount Koya, after being caught, were also temporarily placed here.

The trees all over the mountains were now just bare ground, and there were small puddles created by the lake water.

The Venerable Manjuan was still conscious. He looked around and his gaze fell on Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“I have seen the World-Honored One,” this was the first sentence the Venerable Manjuan said.

◇

It was just past noon, and there was not a trace of wind.

The vast and calm surface of the lake reflected the motionless white clouds. Everything seemed to have frozen.

Under the torii gate by the lake, Minamoto Kiyomoto, who had recovered, was explaining his understanding of the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’ to Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi.

“…It requires too much divine power. I can’t do it now,” after saying this, he ended with this sentence.

“Practice the Eight Divine Thunders more,” Kamibayashi Miko warned.

“No,” Himemiya Izayoi shook her head, not at the two of them, but at her failure to try the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’.

“Forget it. This miko will just concentrate on practicing ‘Fire Thunder,’ ‘Rending Thunder,’ ‘Divine Soldier Curse,’ ‘Demon-Breaking Arrow,’ ‘Eternal Winter’s End,’ ‘Final Heaven’s Fall,’ ‘Fierce Wind’s Shadow,’ and ‘Crimson World’s End’.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes went straight.

“Izayoi, big sister Izayoi.”

“Hmm? What is it, Young Master Kiyoshi?”

“We are the ‘Rokuro loves beautiful women’s yogurt’ group. We should share what we have. Don’t you agree?”

“Do you want a sanitary napkin?” Himemiya Izayoi asked in surprise.

“…No, thank you.”

Himemiya Izayoi laughed cheerfully and tapped Minamoto Kiyomoto’s chest with her fan, “Silly child, come find me when you get back.”

“‘Rending Thunder,’ I want to learn ‘Rending Thunder’! I want to collect all eight Divine Thunders!”

“It depends on whether you can make your big sister comfortable. If not, there won’t be a next time,” Himemiya Izayoi opened her folding fan with a “swish,” full of charm.

He vaguely heard a “woo, woo” sound in his ear.

Minamoto Kiyomoto looked towards the Hakone mountains. The earthworm-like Earth Spirit was very illusory. Under the divine power of the crowd, it was slowly recovering.

The top of the mountain returned to the broken mountain, the fallen trees stood up again, and the cracked ravines closed.

By night, except for the buildings, Hakone had returned to its original appearance.

At the same time, more and more people were gathering. The news that Minamoto Kiyomoto was going to recite the ‘Mahavairocana Sutra’ again had already spread.

There were so many people, and there were not many buildings left. They simply changed the location to Lake Ashi. Minamoto Kiyomoto sat on the torii gate, and the others either stood or sat on the surface of the lake.

There was still some time before the lecture began.

“If you want to forge a weapon, you can find that person,” Kamibayashi Miko said to Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Minamoto Kiyomoto followed her gaze and saw a one-eyed old man surrounded by many people.

“Amatsumara,” Himemiya Izayoi introduced.

“Amatsumara?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked in surprise. He had seen this name in the “Kojiki,” and it was unknown how many years ago.

“The head of the Amatsumara family in every generation is Amatsumara,” Himemiya Izayoi said again.

Only then did Minamoto Kiyomoto nod in realization.

Himemiya Izayoi retracted her gaze and said to him with a smile, “The evil dragon remains you were assigned are too few. You can only use them to forge small weapons.”

After the red and black evil dragon died, its thousand-meter-long body dissipated, leaving only eight bones.

Kamibayashi Miko and Himemiya Izayoi each took one. The three Kosen-level cultivators, Minamoto Kiyomoto, and the Venerable Manjuan shared two.

The remaining four were handed over to the Onmyo Bureau to be exchanged for equivalent points, and the rest were distributed according to merit.

Points could be exchanged for money, divine weapons, or curses that could not be learned in the cultivator academy.

In addition, the pensions for the dead, the medical expenses for the injured, and the bonuses for everyone would all be paid by the officials—as unofficial cultivators, Kamibayashi Miko and Minamoto Kiyomoto’s bonuses were only a pitiful 500,000 yen.

The cultivators who participated in this ‘battle’ did not have to take any more risks in the first half of the year.

“I don’t lack weapons,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said. “I want to take it back to Hakusan Shrine and make a natural hot spring. The battle is already very hard. The happiness of life must be high enough, luxurious enough.”

If you threw the bones into the water, without doing anything, the water would be heated in a blink of an eye.

Because it was a volcanic yokai, the heated water was naturally a hot spring, and it could absorb the divine breath. It could be said to be endless and inexhaustible.

“I thought you were going to pay off my debt,” Kamibayashi Miko said with a surprised expression, but a tone that was not at all surprised.

“You took a whole piece yourself. Why don’t you pay it off yourself? Why do you expect me to do everything?”

“You’re not going to pay back the money?”

“No, I want to enjoy myself first,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said firmly. “And collecting spoils is my hobby.”

“It’s a waste for you to soak in the hot spring alone,” Himemiya Izayoi said with a giggle and a cheerful voice. “Put it in a higher place, then lead three streams. We’ll each have an open-air hot spring for our three families.”

“That’s too much trouble. How about we build a large stone-paved pool for mixed bathing? We can also discuss curses and chat. I’ll tell you stories from the past,” Minamoto Kiyomoto suggested.

“Not good,” Kamibayashi Miko said.

“Then three it is,” Minamoto Kiyomoto nodded, with the air of a true gentleman.

The two miko looked at him like this and wanted to laugh.

In the eyes of others, under the red torii gate, they were beautiful and otherworldly, handsome and unrestrained, innocent and enchanting, like a scene from a distant fairyland.

(End of Chapter)