WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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Chapter 78: Kyoto Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (12)

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Dragon.

The Dragon Spear was, quite literally, closer to a spear.

Where a bunker buster was designed to reach and explode inside bunkers hidden deep underground, the Dragon Spear focused less on exploding and more on piercing through.

It was the greatest physical impact possible, harnessing the tremendous acceleration of an intercontinental ballistic missile as it followed its terminal trajectory from space to Earth.

That was right.

The Dragon, the Dragon Spear, was the strongest spear in the modern world.

Its warhead was not filled with explosives, but densely packed chunks of metal.

The moment the Dragon rose, radar networks across East Asia detected it.

Yet after confirming its steady speed and the identification number provided by Vatican City State, they concluded that they had seen nothing.

A mysterious ballistic missile launched for the first time in over a decade was ignored and observed, as though everyone had agreed to it beforehand.

Some of those watching made the sign of the cross or turned prayer beads as they closed their eyes.

Soon, the Dragon fell.

* * *

"Now! Everyone, evacuate!!"

At Pastor Park's signal, the ninjas, onmyoji, and exorcists fighting the Kyoto White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox all retreated at once.

【......?】

The Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox had only a moment to wonder at the humans' abrupt movement.

Then it flinched at the presence overhead and looked up.

【That!】

Something was coming.

Something huge and fast.

Just as it recognized the threat and tried to evade it, metal chains came pouring down.

Clatter!

The cascading chains wrapped around the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox's body in an instant.

【Hurry! Get free!】

【I know!】

Even the demons sensed something was wrong and shouted urgently, but the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox realized these were demon-binding ropes, and ones among the very best.

Fudo Myoo's Vajra Lasso.

Even the Kyoto White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox was held fast before those metal ropes that captured evil.

It could have broken free.

But that brief moment proved fatal.

Screeeeeech!

Flames burst forth and obscured its flight path.

Still, they could not hide the piercing crack produced by something traveling at over seven times the speed of sound.

It probably would not matter.

Kyoto must have already been in chaos from the torrential rain.

【Grrr! You humans!】

Soon, the Dragon fell and pierced the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox with overwhelming physical force.

KWA-AAAAAANG!!

There was no explosion.

Only a thunderous boom and shockwave created by pure physical force.

The result was extreme pressure deformation at the missile's tip.

A powerful shockwave erupted as metal heated to thousands of degrees collided with its target. Fragments of dirt and rock flew everywhere as it pierced through the bedrock like a bunker buster.

If they had not evacuated and ducked down beforehand, dozens would have been killed or injured.

It was an ultra-high-speed spear throw that concentrated humanity's greatest kinetic energy to the absolute limit.

At the impact site:

"I can't believe it..."

"An immortal monster..."

It was regenerating.

It had taken that much physical force, that much impact, with its entire body, yet it was healing instead of dying.

It truly was a great evil spirit that had only been sealed because it could not be killed in the end.

Killing that thing through pure human power had been impossible from the start.

But the Dragon had never been deployed to kill it.

"Defiled spirit, receive judgment."

A bell rang through the smoke and dust.

Even with their ears ringing from the blast, its clear chime could be heard distinctly.

Saint Patrick's Bell.

A bell used in religious rites also served as a censer.

Charcoal, frankincense, and myrrh were placed and burned in its carefully crafted holes. When it was shaken, its attached bells rang, spreading smoke and a clear sound.

A bell that emitted smoke.

As Saint Patrick's Bell rang, it carried prayers to God, consecrated the space, and announced the Lord's imminent presence.

And it affected the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox possessed by demons as well.

【Grrr...! Human!】

"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."

Pastor Go continued the Latin prayer.

"I command you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

In his hand was Peter's Cross.

Chime~!

The censer was shaken again.

A clear sound echoed, and white incense smoke coiled around the nine tails.

A black shadow writhed within the fox's pitch-black fur.

【This isn't good... This isn't good!】

Holy water poured down.

As it regenerated, its weakened heat could not completely evaporate the heavy rain.

"Lumen Dei, tenebras pelle!"

"May God's light drive away the darkness!"

It had to leave this place first.

Just as it instinctively sensed danger from the exorcists' voices suppressing the demons, pages scattered through the air.

Flutter!

They were holy paper from the Gutenberg Bible.

【......!】

As it tried to flee, the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox realized an unseen pressure was blocking it.

Holy paper forming a barrier?

No. This was the barrier of Heian Shrine, which had long suppressed yokai familiar with it.

Then what was the holy paper blocking?

The torii.

A torii divided the boundary between reality and the otherworld.

To spiritual beings, it was both an entrance and an exit.

By sealing only that place, the holy paper from the Gutenberg Bible prevented the yokai and demons from retreating.

"Spiritus immunde, exi!"

"Unclean spirit, depart!"

"Spiritus maligne! Dic nomen tuum! Amen, amen, dico tibi! Exi de corpore vulpis illius!"

"Evil spirit! Speak your name! Truly, truly, I tell you, depart from that fox's body!"

It had to hurry.

Only after its body had fully regenerated could it stand against those powerful words of command.

But then the final blow landed.

"Per nomen veritatis te constringo! Dic nomen tuum, daemon!!"

"...!"

It was Yohan.

Yohan knew Latin?

Pastor Go, startled, hurriedly translated.

"By the name of truth, I bind you! Speak your name, demon!"

【Grrrgh...!】

【Stop! Stop this, you bastard!】

Its body was almost done regenerating. It only had to endure until then.

Once the weakened Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox recovered its strength, it could resist their words of command.

But.

"Spiritus maligne! Auctoritate lucis aeternae et in nomine Christi uncti, Regis regum, te adiuro. Dic nomen tuum verum, nec mentiaris!"

"Evil spirit! By the authority of the eternal light and in the name of Christ the Anointed One, the King of Kings, I solemnly command you. Speak your true name, and do not lie!!"

At that moment, the demons could hold out no longer and confessed through the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox's mouth.

【Auns......】

【Marchosias......】

At that moment, all three spoke at once.

""Auns! Marchosias! I command you, depart from that yokai's body at once!!""

Black smoke rose from the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox's body.

No, the black things that had possessed the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox were being forcibly pulled out.

Gari did not miss that moment.

Creeeak!

Gari's mouth opened wide, then snapped shut around the demons' souls and swallowed them whole.

"Gods of Heaven and Earth. In the name of the descendant of heaven, I beseech you. Answer the prayer of one who carries out the imperial decree, and become a Possession Stake that severs an evil soul."

【You bastard! You...!】

The Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox thrashed too late.

The Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, one of Japan's Three Sacred Treasures and recalibrated through the Tsuchimikado Chief Priest's magic, crushed the Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox in place.

"I sever the defilement of the underworld! Divine sword Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, seal this evil fox for all eternity!"

The exorcists handled the demons.

The onmyoji handled the yokai.

Their coordination was perfect.

* * *

The Kyoto White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox had been sealed, while the seven-tailed fox and Six-Tailed Fox that had caused the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons had died.

Several great yokai had been killed or critically wounded, so the other yokai had no reason to keep fighting.

Still, the aftermath lasted quite a while, and I had to stay up through the entire night.

"Ughhh!"

When I woke up, it was night.

It had definitely been dawn before I washed up and went to bed.

Checking my phone, I realized I'd slept for a full twelve hours.

"Mmnh... Gasp! My lord! Has Your Lordship's health been radiant and flourishing?!"

【Devour~】

Two people greeted me when I woke. Kohaku must have been asleep until just now, because drool was running from the corner of her mouth.

"Ahh, I slept well. What about everyone else?"

"I heard they're all in a meeting! They said not to wake you because you'd be tired, my lord!"

A meeting? The big fight was over. They sure were busy instead of taking a break.

"Hehehehe..."

"My lord? What's the matter?"

"I was just thinking this harvest has been pretty damn good."

I remembered the 1.2 tons of gold bars I'd received as payment for sacred relic transformation.

But there was no way it ended there.

The Kyoto White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox had been sealed, and two demons had been defeated, so the reward for that had to be enormous too.

The head priest had casually handed over gold bars, so they seemed pretty generous. What would they give me this time?

"Oh, right. The fox orb. What happened to the seven-tailed fox's fox orb?"

"Ah! This humble one kept it safe."

Kohaku rummaged through her bundle and took out a lustrous jade-colored orb.

It held an incredible amount of spiritual power too.

Of course, it was not enough to compare with the demons' demonic power.

Still, the Kyoto White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox had definitely been strong. Even compared to demons, it probably had not been lacking in power at all.

It would not have been easy if it had not let the demons possess it and created a weakness for itself.

And that had been while it was weakened by a long seal.

Great yokai from history seemed able to rival great demons.

"How do you use a fox orb?"

"A fox orb is a vessel where a fox yokai stores its magic and spiritual power over the course of its life. Humans can't use yokai magic, so only the spiritual power has any meaning to them."

In other words, to a human, it was just an enormous mass of spiritual power.

"Then, Kohaku, do you want to use it?"

"What?!"

Kohaku looked completely stunned, as if she'd never expected that.

"It's a fox orb, so wouldn't you make better use of it, Kohaku? I've got more than enough spiritual power already."

"B-but it's such a precious item!"

"You're the only one who can make use of it anyway. Eight-Foot Sister already has plenty of gear."

【Devour~】

In the end, I decided to give the fox orb to Kohaku, who could use it better.

"Y-you mean it? You're truly giving something this precious to me?!"

"Yeah. The person who can use it best should have it. You worked hard too, Kohaku."

"Sniff! Thank you! Thank you, my lord! I'll repay this kindness with lifelong loyalty! I'll help you reign over these islands as a Christian daimyo!"

"Hahahaha!"

Kohaku being so attentive and eager to please was not bad at all.

Come to think of it, where was Gari? Gari was always around me.

Knock knock!

Someone approached the threshold.

"Lord Yohan..."

It was Japanese.

Kohaku interpreted for me.

"What is it! His Lordship has yet to recover from his fatigue!"

"Ah! My apologies. The Tsuchimikado Chief Priest and Pastor Park said to bring Yohan to them when he woke up..."

"Ahem! You may open the door!"

I did not know Japanese, so I had no idea what they were saying, but it seemed to involve Pastor Park and the head priest.

Soon, a woman in a kimono led me to the head priest's office at Heian Shrine.

"Wow, this place is wrecked everywhere. They're going to have to put some effort into repairs."

"That is for the underlings to handle, my lord. You needn't concern yourself with it at all~"

"No, this is a cultural heritage site. Isn't it important in a lot of ways?"

I still did not see Gari on the way there.

"Head Priest, Pastor, I have brought Yohan."

"Yes! Let him in!"

When I opened the door, the Tsuchimikado Chief Priest and Pastor Park were sprawled on the sofa.

The two of them, who always carried themselves with dignity, must have been quite exhausted because their postures were anything but proper.

"You're here. How are you feeling?"

"Ah, I'm fine now. What about you two?"

"We poured all our spiritual power into the seal, so it'll take some time to recover."

"It's been a while since I fought that hard. Japanese yokai are difficult opponents after all."

The two elders had shown off their vigor despite their age, but this really had been too much.

They looked completely worn out.

I was perfectly fine, though... Was it because I'd replenished a huge amount of spiritual power this time?

"What about the seal?"

"A new Killing Stone has been made. And since the genuine Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi was used, that seal should last close to eternity unless something extraordinary happens."

"Could it be revived someday?"

After all that trouble, the seal could still be broken again?

"That is the nature of an immortal yokai. Unless one possesses the power to burn away the soul itself, there is no choice but to seal it in the end."

What a pain.

Then again, demons returned even after their bodies were destroyed. There had to be plenty more troublesome things in the world.

"But this seal should last for more than a thousand years. The situation will be very different from before."

A thousand years from now, their descendants could handle it themselves.

It felt a little like passing the buck, but if their ancestors had suffered this much to bind it for a thousand years, they should deal with it.

"More importantly, we called you because there is something Yohan needs to know."

"What is it?"

"Heh heh!"

Pastor Park suddenly burst into hearty laughter, as if celebrating a satisfying victory.

"It passed. Even the Japanese Onmyoji Association and the government agreed. Well, they must have done the math themselves too."

It passed? What did?

"Ah! Don't tell me?"

When I gave Pastor Park a questioning look, he nodded as if I was right.

"They said they'll hand over the spiritual veins of Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara."

That meant a new Declaration of the Holy Realm was possible.

Footnotes:

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