Eye technique: Tsukuyomi

Ripples spread through space.

The next instant, Yuya had brought Abe Kiyuki and her fox

to the Land of Ancestors.

Even though he desperately wanted to see Princess Kaguya, he was still carrying Abe Kiyuki.

He could hardly show up before Princess Kaguya with her dangling from his hand.

That would be...

a scene he hardly dared imagine.

So he suppressed that thought for the time being.

Now, he only needed one last Yin-Yang Pearl before he could head to the Wind-Snow Realm.

According to the female Onmyōji's remnant soul,

the Yin-Yang Pearl had already arrived in the Land of Ancestors with the Heavenly Sage Dynasty's delegation.

The Vassal Country Ranking Battle was tomorrow.

He had intended to charge straight into the delegation and take the Yin-Yang Pearl.

But the moment that thought arose,

[Desperate to reach the Wind-Snow Realm, you decide to intercept their carriage and quickly obtain the Yin-Yang Pearl, but your inner sense of benevolence and morality leaves you wavering. Now, you choose:]

Yuya was utterly bewildered...

Who the fuck is wavering? I just want to snatch the Yin-Yang Pearl!

[Option one: With your formidable strength, you decide to regard mortals as ants and take what you want by force. Reward: physique +1]

[Option two: Still wavering inside, you decide to intercept them under a mysterious identity, concealing your deeds and your name. Reward: Tea Art +1]

[Option three: After careful consideration, your benevolent thoughts finally take hold. You decide to follow the rules and enter the competition to obtain the Yin-Yang Pearl. Reward: eye technique-Tsukuyomi]

Yuya: "..."

Fine... now he really was wavering... and he could feel benevolent thoughts taking hold in his mind...

Yuya's feelings were complicated, but alarm bells also sounded within him.

Had his growing strength truly changed his mindset?

Was he gradually treating human lives like weeds? Had he risen above worldly concerns and lost touch with his humanity?

But that wasn't really the case. He simply didn't want to interact with anyone except Princess Kaguya.

He had always held firmly to his principles... or so he believed.

Even now, he was simply too worried about Princess Kaguya.

He didn't want to waste a single moment.

After all, if Princess Kaguya was gone, what use would benevolence and morality be?

So even with Tsukuyomi tempting him, he remained torn.

If he found a way to save Princess Kaguya one day sooner, she would suffer one day less.

In the end, he didn't make his choice immediately.

Instead, he first took Abe Kiyuki to the Starlight Pavilion's main pavilion and had someone settle her in.

The next instant, space rippled, and he returned to his room.

He began using Heavenly Secrets Calculation.

He calculated the risks of this trip to the Wind-Snow Realm and his chances of finding the notes.

After all, according to Abe Kiyuki,

the place was already occupied by all sorts of powerful Shikigami.

Besides, there was no telling whether something unexpected would happen when he entered Abe Seimei's ruins.

After all, he had been the most powerful Onmyōji in the world.

Yuya couldn't afford to be careless.

He sat cross-legged.

Only after a long while did he open his eyes, his expression more grave than ever.

According to his calculations, the chances of him dying on this trip to the Wind-Snow Realm were as high as sixty percent...

And the greatest danger came from Abe Seimei's ruins...

That was despite his mastery of Space-Time Ninjutsu, which had greatly improved his ability to stay alive.

Logically, he should have been able to flee if he couldn't win, yet his chances of dying were still sixty percent...

That meant the ruins were, at the very least, a self-contained space that blocked Space-Time Ninjutsu.

"At least it isn't a hundred percent..."

Yuya murmured.

If it had been a hundred percent, he could only stay home and spend time with Princess Kaguya first,

then think of another way.

"The risks of this trip are unpredictable. I'll spend some time with her first."

As it happened, obtaining Tsukuyomi would also strengthen him a little.

His chances of returning safely would be greater, too...

[I choose option three.]

In the end, benevolent thoughts still took hold of Yuya's mind.

Inside Princess Kaguya's grand hall.

"That battle blotted out heaven and earth and shifted the stars, shattering countless great celestial bodies. He fought until no one in the world dared proclaim themselves supreme. At last, Emperor Makka Pakka became invincible beneath the heavens and was about to embark upon the ancient path through the stars. But just then... an enormous hand that obscured the sky and moon reached for him..."

Yuya's mouth had gone dry from talking, and he picked up his cup for a sip of water.

Princess Kaguya listened with rapt attention, swaying her little head from time to time.

Her large eyes blinked, her long lashes fluttering with curiosity.

"And then?"

she asked.

"And then... at the end of that ancient path through the stars... there was actually an ominous being covered in red hair..."

Yuya said.

"Gasp!"

Princess Kaguya covered her little mouth in fear.

Outside the grand hall, at the venue for the Vassal Country Ranking Battle.

The first round of the literary competition tested painting.

With just one minute remaining in the competition,

an elegant young gentleman appeared on the stage from seemingly nowhere, his white robes ethereal and his expression indifferent.

With his appearance, the world seemed to fall silent...

He picked up a brush and, with only a few strokes,

finished his painting within that final minute. Without even looking at the scoring that followed,

he left calmly.

Only after his departure did everyone stunned by his peerless beauty reluctantly come back to their senses.

When they looked closely at his painting,

brilliant, magnificent fireworks blossomed beneath the starry sky.

A small boat sent delicate ripples across a lake shimmering with faint light.

A woman of unrivaled beauty leaned quietly against a man's shoulder.

In the distance, fireworks scattered like countless falling stars.

Closer by, the silhouettes in the lake and the couple nestled together complemented one another.

The scene was beautiful and poetic.

At the sight of this painting,

everyone became immersed in its beautiful atmosphere, unable to come back to their senses for a long time.

It was as though the fireworks, the lake, and the couple in the little boat had all come alive before their eyes.

No one had ever imagined... that anyone in this world could, in just one minute,

create such an unparalleled masterpiece...

Who... was that young gentleman in white?

Inside the grand hall.

"How could that young man endure such humiliation? He shouted on the spot, 'Fortunes change over thirty years. Don't look down on a young man just because he's poor!' Then he made a three-year pact with that man!"

"But he had no idea that the man was actually an expert in Dou Qi Transformed into a Horse! They fought three hundred exchanges right then and there. In the end, the young man was saved by the woman in white inside his ring and managed to escape."

As Yuya told the story with dramatic rises and falls in his voice, Princess Kaguya's little face filled with astonishment.

"Gasp! An expert in Dou Qi Transformed into a Horse is that terrifying!"

Princess Kaguya was already too shocked for words.

"Yes, and in the end, that young man successfully collected twelve Karma Fire Red Lotuses and became the renowned Flame Virtue Star Lord! A single breath from his mouth unleashed flames for ten thousand miles!"

"Ah, then who's stronger, that Flame Virtue Star Lord or Emperor Makka Pakka?"

Princess Kaguya shook Yuya's arm as she asked curiously.

"Probably Emperor Makka Pakka."

Yuya sounded a little uncertain.

Outside the grand hall, the second round of the literary competition tested poetry and verse.

Once again, it was the final minute before the competition ended.

At this moment, everyone held their breath in concentration, so quiet that they hardly dared breathe.

As though sharing an unspoken understanding, everyone quietly waited for that white-robed figure to appear.

And, finally, he arrived as expected, without disappointing them.

He was still dressed in white, his expression indifferent, as though nothing in the world could catch his eye.

He didn't look at a single person present.

Yet without exception, everyone's eyes followed him.

Under their expectant gazes,

he looked straight ahead, lifted his brush, and wrote a poem:

I linger against the high tower as a gentle breeze blows; gazing far, spring sorrow rises dimly at the horizon.

Grass and mist glow in the fading sunlight; who can understand my silent thoughts as I lean against the railing?

I would give myself to reckless abandon and drink my fill, singing over wine, yet forced merriment remains tasteless.

Though my belt grows ever looser, I will never regret it; for her, I willingly waste away.

(From "Butterflies in Love with Flowers: I Linger Against the High Tower as a Gentle Breeze Blows" by Northern Song poet Liu Yong.)

Everyone wore complicated expressions, unable to recover for a long time.

The poem's intense emotions, brimming with longing for a beloved, nearly left them breathless.

Whether in its conception, its imagery, or its expression of emotion, the entire poem surpassed them so completely that they stood no chance.

Especially that final line... though my belt grows ever looser, I will never regret it... for her, I willingly waste away...

What profound, lingering love could produce words so unforgettable, so unwaveringly devoted?

No regret... never any regret...

At that moment, everyone who had come from other countries to watch the ranking battle couldn't help shedding two trails of tears.

"To think... such a peerless man... already has someone in his heart..."

Countless women were heartbroken.

But the people of the Land of Ancestors sighed.

"Ah, the Crown Prince likes men..."

Instantly, the eyes of the men from other countries lit up.

Inside the grand hall.