Chapter 80

The general then entrusted the Ritual of the Full Moon to the Inari Grand Shrine, and after confirming it was harmless, arrangements were made in Kyoto. For the next five years, the Higashi enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests, even the barrenest lands yielded plentiful crops.

A look of disgust appeared on Hebe's face.

The Heavenly Fox Path belongs to the Cup Principle, which is the source of birth, drowning, suffering, and temptation, and of course also contains the intentions of hope, abundance, pleasure, and satisfaction.

Hebe's understanding of the Cup Principle deepened day by day, and it was because of this that she knew that Ashiya Dōman's grand ceremony must have been pre-arranged to bring about a false harvest.

—To take, one must first give.

As expected, according to Mochizuki Chiyome's account, in the following five years, the stable climate of the Higashi began to become disordered, Catastrophe occurred frequently, and sea creatures began to frequently invade the land.

In this situation, Ashiya Dōman the initiative to apologize, saying that he was willing to go to various parts of the Higashi to perform rituals, quell disasters, and regulate the Water and Soil in place of the shogun.

The general did not fully trust Ashiya Dōman, and instead ordered the priests and shrine Sorceress of Inari Grand Shrine and Takachiho Eighty-Eight Grand Shrine to accompany him, with Mochizuki Chiyome among them.

The Forest of Yokai, Mount Kurama, Mount Takachiho, the old grounds of Mount Ōe, and finally, Kyoto.

These places connect with each other, forming a pentagram with an inverted sharp point—in Yin-Yang philosophy, this is a structure called the reversed Kikyo seal, which is the opposite of Abe no Seimei's Kikyo seal.

Looking at the place names marked by Mochizuki Chiyome, Hebe realized that the early destruction of the barrier of the Forest of Yokai in later generations must also be closely related to Ashiya Dōman.

She didn't know what had happened to Ashiya Dōman over the past few hundred years, but there was no doubt that he was now her enemy.

And Mochizuki Chiyome's narration continues.

"Master Daoman ventured deep into the mountains and paid homage to the Dragon of Takachiho." Regret and lingering fear filled Mochizuki Chiyome's face, her voice trembling slightly. "I... I dared not approach. I only saw him seemingly speaking to the Dragon God... and then, and then—"

"Then the Dragon God let out an extremely terrifying and furious roar, soaring into the sky from the mountain and riding the wind and thunder towards the direction of Kyoto City."

"I chased after him with all my might, but when I returned to the capital, I saw that the river was dyed red, the land had turned into a swamp, and blood was raining down from the sky. Then the sky turned into night, and Chang'an rose from the ground and flew into the clouds."

The general slew the body of Dragon of Takachiho, and the Ritual of the Full Moon was activated by its immense life force.

Ironically, the general probably held back.

Otherwise, under extreme restraint, Miss A-Long could never have retained her spirit body.

What happened next is well-known to the world—the monk Doman was killed by the shogun, and the shogun himself was disheartened, so he entered into meditation in the deepest part of the Flower Palace.

Whether she is escaping from herself or torturing herself.

The bright full moon silently watched over Kyoto, the city suspended in the sky.

"Two idiots..." Hebe said in a low voice.

122 Hebe's destined nemesis [Eris]

If you had to describe Hebe's feelings right now in one word, it would be absurd.

She called A-Long and the General idiots, partly out of spite. This was because the General's intelligence was mostly intact; he remained unmoved by Ashiya Dōman's three slanders until Ashiya Dōman unveiled his decades-long plan, at which point he finally stepped into the trap.

As for A-Long —she's never been very bright.

Ashiya Dōman probably never imagined that decades of slandering the shogun would be less effective than a single meeting with Miss A-Long.

"One last question," Hebe, staring into Mochizuki Chiyome's eyes, "How do you ensure you won't be influenced by Ashiya Dōman?"

Mochizuki Chiyome smiled wryly as she rolled up her sleeves, revealing two amulets hanging from her wrists.

Both of these amulets have completely faded and lost all their power.

"The first amulet was bestowed upon me by the Dragon God when I was the Sorceress maiden of the Takachiho Eighty-Eight Grand Shrine," Mochizuki Chiyome said softly. "It was thanks to it that I was able to escape from the clutches of the monk Doman. The second amulet was bestowed upon me by the Shogun before I entered the Flower Palace."

"Chiyome Chiyo." Ito Ittosai suddenly raised his hand and pushed up his glasses.

"Someone has a question... Master Dōman's crimes of sowing discord and disrupting barriers are numerous and countless," Ito Ittosai said eloquently. "But Onmyoji only master rituals and do not seek to ascend on the path of sublimation. How did Dōman manage to deceive the Shogun and the Dragon God?"

The sword masters all nodded in agreement.

Hebe taught the Path of Ascension in the Higashi, and after hundreds of years of dissemination, it is no longer a secret. However, Onmyoji have always only practiced rituals and knowledge, without focusing on climbing the Path of Ascension.

Generally speaking, even the leader of the Yin-Yang Bureau is only of the Qiming rank.

No matter how secretive his knowledge was, when faced with a general who had reached the Twilight Realm and a great beast comparable to Twilight, the Dragon of Takachiho, any lie or disguise would be as easily exposed as a piece of paper.

Just like now, Hebe can tell at a glance whether what Mochizuki Chiyome said is true or false.

"I also have doubts," Yagyu Munenori said in a deep voice. "Onmyoji must venerate a righteous deity in order to pray for divine protection and perform rituals... Which deity does Master Doman venerate?"

"I know," Mochizuki Chiyome replied, "The deity revered by Master Dōman is named..."

Suddenly, Hebe reached out and grabbed Mochizuki Chiyome by the throat. "Don't say that name!"

She instinctively sensed an immense crisis approaching from all directions.

Mochizuki Chiyome's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, she bit off her own tongue, turning the sounds that came out of her mouth into a muffled murmur filled with blood.

The tongue leaped out of her mouth, and before everyone's eyes, it broke free of its patterned wings, bristle-covered segments, and soft tentacles.

The blind moth was about to flap its wings in the air Hebe cast a cold glance at it.

—A One-Thought-Not-Thought Sword.

The moths, formed from flesh and blood, instantly transformed into hundreds of spotted worms that clung to and surrounded them, falling from the sky.

The swordsmen finally realized what had happened and drew their swords, but Hebe stopped them all.

Fine, dense sword energy erupted from the worm's body once more.

So the worms that fell to the ground were annihilated into dust.

The sound, like the hissing of thousands of insects, rose in layers around Hebe's ears like a storm, making her skin feel as if it were bending like leaves, her eyeballs as if they were falling to the ground and festering like fruit detached from a branch, and her spine as if it had a life of its own and was trying to break free from her body.

Hebe took a deep, calm breath, intending to reverse the sword and kill all the parts of her body that had not yet developed consciousness.

Even so, the sound, like a swarm of insects chirping, never ceased. And the name they were calling out was... [Eris].

With a grim expression, Hebe released his grip on Mochizuki Chiyome, who staggered backward, pressing her right hand to her brow.

As the swarm uttered the name "Eris," a wealth of hidden knowledge, like a tidal wave, flooded into her mind.

This was the earliest way humans recorded secret knowledge, and in the process, the death and injury were extremely heavy!

But Hebe's status was high enough that she could gain enough knowledge in this "initiation" to completely unravel the mystery that lingered over Kyoto.

She heard the swarm of insects buzzing. "Eris is the god yet to be born, Eris is the god yet to arrive, Eris is the God of Ultimate Freedom, Eris is the god of hidden history..."

Eris will be born from the Fisher King's body, grow within the Holy Grail, and be shaped by the hammer and axe of the Celestial Flint. Upon her birth, the five histories will crumble like a thousand tangled threads...

Before Hebe's eyes, the text of the Secret History Simulator appeared brighter than ever before.

It's as if the writer behind it is also anxious, with long passages of text bursting forth from it.

The hissing of those insects was analyzed by the Secret History Simulator and transformed into harmless, truly hidden knowledge.

The fog of history has finally been lifted, and a true enemy casts a malicious glance from the annals of time. Like the Power Struggle between Scar Father and the wolf, on the path of secret history, there is also a formidable foe who will contend with you.

He will be born from the body of the Fisher King, April Archon, but He is not fully born at this moment. His status is higher than all the Eternals, but still inferior to the rulers.

As a moth, its flapping wings will cause the disintegration of history; as a worm, its movement will lead to numerous loopholes in history. When it is born, the Principle of the Wing will also be shattered, causing five layers of history to collapse into parallel worlds.

His name is Eris, and He has already absorbed Greek Civilization. Before you, He also laid His groundwork in Egyptian lands, imparting the secret of rebirth to Nephthys, thus enabling the latter's first rebirth. If Eris's work is complete, He will replace the Duke of Sighs at his ascension ceremony, reigning over the wasteland as the December Archon—

You thwarted Eris's plans, so He retaliated. Ashiya Dōman became too deeply involved in the worship of the Fisher King, so at some point, Eris came into view and made Ashiya Dōman a member of 'Eris'.

Eris has no followers or Named Attendant, but anyone who recites the name of Eris can become a member of the "Swarm" and be regarded as a "quasi-ruler" in terms of status!

He generously fulfills the demands of all his followers, whether for gifts, power, or status. For the more they demand, the larger the swarm of Eris grows.

[In the current timeline, the greatest power Eris can unleash is: Twilight.]

[Beware! Even in modern times, swarms of Eris exist. However, due to the suppression of the Celestial Flint, the highest power it can unleash in the present world is: Daylight!]

[Warning! In his quest for the final definition of history, Eris will stop at nothing to devour you. Perhaps in the next Lostbelt, He will personally confront you!]

Hebe looked at the words, the chirping of insects around her had completely faded away without her noticing.

She finally understood whose protection Andon had prayed for when he had instantly ascended to godhood at Cape of Birds.

It was Eris who cast down a portion of his person and power, making Andon the pinnacle of the world, "Daylight."

While in Egyptian lands, Hebe did indeed sense a sense of disharmony—but under the immense pressure of the Red King at that time, she had no time to ponder these disharmonyes.

The Wolves' firepower had waned after World War II, but Eris was stepping into the limelight with malice.

Ashiya Dōman, the cautious Onmyoji, was replaced by the god he worshipped hundreds of years ago and became a member of the insect swarm.

As for the ruler whom He reveres, the Fisher King's condition must not be optimistic either... To put it more extremely, this ruler who has protected mankind since ancient times has long been hollowed out by Eris, the parasite within Him.

"The slain wolf is not my true enemy, or rather, only an enemy on the surface." A realization dawned on Hebe's mind. "Eris is the greatest enemy of my destiny!"

123, come back to life, my snake!

At the same time, a sense of comfort rose in Hebe's heart.

She had initially thought the general and Miss A-Long were both mentally challenged, but now it seemed they were wise enough.

After all, they were not facing a mere Enlightened Onmyoji, but Eris, who possessed a Quasi-Regent rank, was incredibly powerful at the Twilight level, and made no attempt to conceal his malice.

Hebe smiled with relief: After all, if it were her, she could have tormented the Red King to death in less than ten years. If it were the General and A-Long, it would probably only take two or three years.

She first took out a elixir from her sleeve and handed it to Mochizuki Chiyome: "Eat this, and your tongue will grow back."

Mochizuki Chiyome looked excited, probably because she hadn't expected Hebe to show her such concern.

The fox spirit turned to look at the group of swordsmen, and before she could speak, the swordsmen took out the remains of the dragon god from their bodies.

No one wanted to be hostile to Hebe under these circumstances.

Blood, bone, flesh, and clouds swirled and converged, emitting a pounding heartbeat.

A small snake swam out from it.

Snap.

The mallet-shaped snake fell to the ground and looked around blankly.

The Tsuchinoko Snake slapped the ground with its tail, raised its head, and hissed threateningly at everyone, "Don't come any closer!"

She tilted her head back and rubbed her stomach against the ground as she backed away.

The swordsmen remained silent, some turning their heads away, others covering the lower half of their faces with one hand; in short, most of their expressions were strange.

Miss A-Long shook her head and threatened.

She was clever; sensing that she could no longer transform into human form, she simply put on a fierce appearance.

Just by making this gesture, those carrying swords will be afraid.

Miss A-Long was only focused on retreating when someone suddenly grabbed the tip of her tail.

"Huh?"

Miss A-Long was suddenly lifted up by Hebe.

Upon seeing that familiar face, Miss A-Long burst into tears. "That monk didn't lie to A-Long —Fox, you're alive!"

Hebe's clenched hand silently loosened.

A thousand words are reduced to a sigh.

"Isn't A-Long clever?" Tsuchinoko Snake flicked his tongue smugly.

"Indeed clever."

"A-Long has become so small! Why can't A-Long turn into a human?" Tsuchinoko Snake scratched his head with his tail.

Hebe held Miss A-Long, who resembled Tsuchinoko Snake, and examined her from all angles.

"I think it's probably because there are no Dragon Pearl or Dragon Horn."

The Dragon Pearl are the source of the dragon's wisdom, and the Dragon Horn are proof of the dragon's status.

"This humble monk has never seen the Dragon Pearl or the Dragon Horn." Hozoin Inshun stood up. "This humble monk thinks that if anyone could possess them, it would probably only be the two sword masters, Kamiizumi and Tsukahara."

Kamiizumi Nobutsuna and Tsukahara Bokuden.

Unlike the Miyamoto Musashi, whose true identity is difficult to discern in later legends, and the even more enigmatic Sasaki Kojiro.

These two are sword saints whose titles have been officially recognized in the history of the Higashi, with their names clearly documented in black and white.

Noticing Hebe's gaze, the little monk put his hands together and said, "As early as the first night, they rushed into the inner city of the capital."

The swordsmen present also began to recall the scene that seemed like Catastrophe disaster: two centenarians fighting to the death with their swords, the storms they stirred up with every move leveled all obstacles in their path, and anyone caught in it was crushed into powder without any hindrance... How terrifying!