"Ha ha, hahaha, hahahahaha!"
Seated on the Takamikura, the Emperor's low chuckles grew increasingly wild, as though he could already see all of Japan in the palm of his hand.
"Guards!"
The Emperor shouted, and the guards hiding in the rear hall immediately rushed forward. They knelt on the floor, babbling away, but in his excitement, the Emperor no longer cared why they had let Sukuna in. He simply told them to stand.
"Deliver my message to the heads of every clan. Tomorrow, order them to reach Heian-kyo within three days. I will hold a grand feast here."
The Emperor did not even want to wait another night. He immediately ordered his servants to deliver the message as quickly as possible. After all, he understood that delays could bring unforeseen complications.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Seeing that the Emperor had no intention of punishing them, the guards immediately rose and scurried out. Keeping their lives was what mattered most.
Soon, horses standing a meter tall carried guards whose average height was a meter thirty out of Heian-kyo. Their destinations were clear: the estates of the various clans.
Although the area lay near Heian-kyo, bandits still occupied many of the hills. Yet when they saw the chrysanthemum emblems on the guards, they hesitated and ultimately chose not to intercept them. They still had to show the Emperor some respect.
"My lord, a guard from the Emperor requests an audience."
Inside an enormous mansion, a greasy, obese man was playing with beautiful dancing girls, one in each arm, while his restless hands roamed over their bodies.
"What? Has the Emperor died?"
The head of the Umechuan clan had a greasy face, and the moment he opened his mouth, his yellow-black teeth gave off a foul stench. Even his personal guard discreetly covered his nose.
"According to the imperial guard, His Majesty is holding a grand feast and hopes you will attend."
"So he hasn't died." A trace of impatience crossed the Umechuan clan head's face, but he still waved for his personal guard to bring the man inside.
"Very good, very good. His Majesty sent you here just to invite me to a feast!" Umechuan Kuko gave a dancing girl a hard squeeze, drawing a string of coy giggles.
"Yes, those were His Majesty's words. Please have the Umechuan clan depart for Heian-kyo immediately."
The imperial guard knelt on the floor and spoke without either servility or arrogance. As a member of the Emperor's personal guard, he still had to maintain a certain dignity before these clan heads.
"Very well. I'll make the preparations and leave first thing tomorrow." Umechuan Kuko waved the guard away.
"My lord, are you really going to that feast? What if it's a trap?"
The dancing girl's dainty hand stroked Umechuan Kuko's greasy body, moving steadily downward and making his fat tremble.
"It's just an imperial feast. I've attended them before. What's there to fear? I'll take three thousand personal guards tomorrow. Who would dare lay a trap for me?"
Umechuan Kuko caught the dancing girl's hand, then slid his own fat, greasy hand down her neckline, his expression utterly unconcerned.
"My lord, you're hurting me~"
The dancing girl fluttered her eyes, stirring Umechuan Kuko's lust.
"Then let me give you some proper loving." With that, his enormous body lunged onto her.
"Lord Abe, His Majesty invites you to Heian-kyo for a grand imperial feast. Please depart as soon as possible."
An imperial guard had also reached the Abe clan's estate on horseback and successfully gained an audience with its head.
"Oh? Am I the only one invited?"
The Abe clan head was a small, thin man with a goatee and a traditional appearance. The ruthless glint in his eyes made it clear that he was no ordinary figure.
"His Majesty has invited every clan. This grand imperial feast is for all the clan heads in Japan," the guard reported truthfully.
"Then... will the heads of the other clans all attend?" The man with the goatee was clearly cautious. Heian-kyo was not his territory, after all.
"Yes, of course they will."
"Very well. I'll leave first thing tomorrow. My steward will take you somewhere to rest."
He beckoned a steward to lead the imperial guard away, then fell deep into thought.
After a long while, he sighed, turned around, and entered a secret chamber behind him.
"Great Angel, I suspect this journey to Heian-kyo may be a conspiracy."
Abe Jinyuan spoke respectfully to a tall woman inside the chamber.
"It's merely an imperial feast. What danger could there be?"
The tall woman stood far above the average Japanese woman. At nearly one meter eighty, she was practically a giant in Japan, and the pair of wings on her back, white as jade, revealed her identity.
She was clearly Angel, Sukuna's lifelong nemesis.
"Rumor has it that a few days ago, the legendary Ryomen Sukuna defeated the Fujiwara Northern House's direct forces and entered Heian-kyo, becoming the deity worshipped there. This feast may also be a conspiracy against us."
"I see. Has he finally revealed his whereabouts?" Angel nodded impassively, then said, "I will conceal myself among your party on this journey to Heian-kyo. If necessary, I will ensure your safety."
"Thank you, great Angel. With you accompanying us to Heian-kyo, nothing can possibly go wrong." Abe Jinyuan bowed respectfully, then slowly withdrew from the secret chamber.
"The Fallen, it seems the time for our final battle has come..."
Soon, the imperial guards delivered all the messages to the various clans, and their heads set off for Heian-kyo with large contingents of personal guards.
"Your Majesty, the heads of the various clans are advancing toward Heian-kyo with their entourages."
A guard respectfully reported the clans' movements.
"Are all the clans coming?" the Emperor asked excitedly. He was finally about to reclaim his authority, and the first step of his plan could now be considered complete.
"Uh..."
"What is it? Tell me the truth at once. Is there a clan that isn't coming?"
The Emperor looked anxious, afraid that one of the clans had discovered his conspiracy. If that were truly the case, he would have no choice but to die.
"Almost all of them are coming. Only one clan has refused."
The guard could only brace himself and say, "The Fujiwara Northern House beat the messenger out with clubs and warned him never to set foot on their estate."
The guard wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, afraid that the Emperor might have him dragged out and beheaded if he became displeased.
"The Fujiwara Northern House?"
The Fujiwara Northern House was ranked alongside the Abe clan as one of the two great clans. Although its strongest direct forces had been wiped out, it remained a power that could not be underestimated. Its estate was particularly close to Heian-kyo, and its headquarters had always been inside the city until it moved out just recently.
Recalling Sukuna's tremendous strength gave the Emperor some confidence. "Since they don't wish to attend the imperial feast, we won't invite them again."
"Keep a constant watch on those clan heads. If anything unexpected happens, report to me first." After a moment's hesitation, the Emperor stopped dwelling on the Fujiwara Northern House. He could not let a single clan ruin all his plans.
Fortunately, none of the clan heads caused any trouble, and they soon arrived at Heian-kyo. After all, everyone knew Japan's territory was tiny. Although these so-called clans each claimed autonomous domains, the lands they actually ruled amounted to only a few towns, while many hills remained occupied by bandits and tribespeople.
At the entrance to Heian-kyo, two clan heads had already run into each other.
"Well, well, if it isn't Lord Umechuan. How have you been? You must have been eating well lately. You look as though you've gained another few dozen pounds."
A woman wearing a kimono, her face painted deathly white, spoke up.
"Not as well as you, Lady Yoshiko Kawashima. That little face is so pale, anyone can tell you've been indulging yourself too much."
The two clan heads immediately began picking at each other's faults, and the air crackled with hostility.
"Heh. Lord Umechuan, you seized quite a few of our clan's interests last month. Are you looking to break with us completely?"
Yoshiko Kawashima spoke with a hollow smile, still brooding over the interests Umechuan Kuko had seized the previous month.
"Just what I'd expect from a woman. So petty. It's only a little profit. What harm is there in letting me have it?"
Umechuan Kuko snapped back, showing no concern whatsoever for Yoshiko Kawashima's dignity.
"You!"
Just as both sides were ready to draw their swords, a man with a goatee strolled over to mediate.
"We're all here to attend His Majesty's feast. Making such a racket here-do you have no respect for His Majesty?"
Hearing the goateed man's words, the two clan heads showed some fear of the power behind Abe Jinyuan. Their faces darkened as they snorted, then entered Heian-kyo.
"What a pair of fools. Had I known they'd be like this, I might as well have conquered them outright. How much longer can fools like these keep swaggering around?"
Abe Jinyuan cast a brooding glance after them. He felt that once he returned, he should strike hard and seize all of Umechuan Kuko's and Yoshiko Kawashima's territory. The Fujiwara Northern House had lost so much strength, and he had Angel backing him. Even if he did it, no one would have anything to say.
"Don't cause unnecessary trouble. I can sense The Fallen's Cursed Energy fluctuations."
Just as he was considering what excuse to use to attack those two minor clans after returning, Angel's voice rang out in his mind. It brought him back to his senses. For now, Angel's greater purpose clearly had to take priority.
Soon, all the clan heads had arrived in Heian-kyo. They would rest for the night, then attend the Emperor's grand feast the following morning.
And only one person was destined to lose sleep that night. That was right: the Emperor was far too excited to sleep.
Before you continue