From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 290: Sesshō-seki

With a swift spin, Shiratori Hayato leveled his gun at the newcomer.

It was a young man dressed in a kariginu, holding a bell and a painted fan. The black and white patterns on his garment appeared impeccably clean.

"Zashiki-warashi?" Shiratori Hayato stared at him. "You know what that is? And who are you?"

The young police officer kept his weapon trained on the man, ready to fire if he did not offer a satisfactory explanation.

"Have modern city dwellers never even heard the story of the Zashiki-warashi?" The young man continued walking toward Shiratori Hayato, either oblivious to the drawn weapon or completely indifferent. "Kurahashi Seiji, Onmyoji."

"An Onmyoji? Like Abe no Seimei?" Shiratori Hayato was taken aback. He had certainly heard such tales. Abe no Seimei was the most renowned Onmyoji in all of Japan, with shrines dedicated to him across the country, alongside countless stories, legends, and literary works that cemented his legendary reputation.

Now that Yokai had actually appeared, the sudden emergence of an Onmyoji somehow seemed perfectly reasonable. He slowly lowered the muzzle of his gun.

Kurahashi Seiji gave a slight nod. "Yes, exactly like that."

He had no intention of advertising his exact identity to everyone he met, at least not at this stage. After all, telling everyone 'My ancestor is Abe no Seimei' felt like a glaring display of incompetence.

Shiratori Hayato discreetly pressed a button on his radio to alert his team, asking at the same time, "So Zashiki-warashi is this girl's identity? Is she a Yokai?"Kurahashi Seiji took the opportunity to explain. "A Zashiki-warashi is supposed to be a benevolent Yokai. They usually just play pranks and would never kill."

"They are Yokai that bring happiness and fortune to a household. They are very good spirits."

"However, this Zashiki-warashi was subjected to such cruel atrocities by this family that she twisted into a terrifying demon!"

Shiratori Hayato paused in shock. "Atrocities? How cruel could they be to make a benevolent Yokai slaughter everyone in this house?"

Given his background, he knew exactly how many people typically resided in a mansion of this size. Just counting the severed limbs scattered around gave him a rough idea of the massive death toll.

"Chaining over a dozen three-year-old girls in a small room, feeding them until they turn six, and then leaving them to starve to death before replacing them with the next batch. Would you consider that an atrocity?" Kurahashi Seiji asked slowly.

When he first arrived and uncovered this horrific truth, it had taken him a long time to recover. These bastards had been monstrously cruel.

'How can such vile people exist? Just what kind of demons were this family?!'

This furious emotion had peaked when he saw the stark white skeletal remains piled inside that tiny room.

Aside from the very first victim, all the subsequent young girls had been forced to stare at those skeletal remains as they slowly wasted away to death.

That kind of darkness and absolute isolation would terrify a grown adult, let alone a group of little children.

"Come with me. I just finished burying their bodies." Shaking off his grim thoughts, Kurahashi Seiji spoke casually. "If you hadn't shown up, I was planning to leave her here for a while to let some of her resentment dissipate before dealing with the Zashiki-warashi."

"Since you are here, you can serve as a witness. Although there is no longer any need to convict them, having someone bear witness is still for the best."

The deep familiarity and confidence regarding Yokai in his words made Shiratori Hayato look at him with a renewed sense of respect, unable to suppress his curiosity.

'So there really are such transcendent beings in Japan who deal with Yokai!' Though this Onmyoji was young, he fit the quintessential image of an Onmyoji far too perfectly.

Detached, dignified, elegant, deeply knowledgeable, and exceptionally courageous. The fact that he could converse without blinking an eye amidst a sea of corpses made him the absolute textbook example of an Onmyoji in the detective's mind.

"You trust me that easily?" Shiratori Hayato asked curiously.

Kurahashi Seiji explained calmly as he walked forward, "A police officer who stays behind to conduct an investigation when most people are fleeing for their lives cannot possibly be a bad person."

"At the very least, you are actually working for this city instead of being a figurehead or running away."

This Onmyoji possessed a rare, exceptional clarity of the world. He understood exactly how those bureaucrats operated, yet he showed little disgust, speaking with an airy detachment.

Following the Onmyoji's footsteps, Shiratori Hayato then saw over a dozen burial mounds scattered across the mansion's courtyard, each accompanied by a tiny red-clad figure.

"These are all the girls who died here. The only reason they perished was because the master of this estate wanted to satisfy his own greed, setting this up purely to ensure his family's eternal wealth and prosperity."

"Over the decades, they murdered all these little girls just to artificially create a Zashiki-warashi... Now, do you think their actions can be called an atrocity?"

Kurahashi Seiji's words left Shiratori Hayato temporarily speechless. He honestly did not know what to say.

In truth, as a police officer, he was fully aware of just how depraved the actions of the wealthy could be.

He knew people who committed murder in broad daylight, those who killed and completely evaded justice, and some who even openly mocked the police to their faces while their chief had to force a sycophantic smile... These seemingly horrific events were practically an everyday occurrence for them.

But he still found it impossibly hard to imagine that anyone could do something like this.

After all, children represent the most fragile and sensitive part of human empathy. He couldn't even fathom what these people felt when they watched a little girl slowly die in this place.

At the very least, he couldn't imagine it, nor could he accept it. Looking at it this way, their spontaneous act of vengeance actually became something he could completely justify...

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" Shiratori Hayato asked after a long silence.

Kurahashi Seiji nodded. "I'm glad you feel that way, detective. I do have a task for you. Next, I will be cleansing the spirits and resentment in this area, and I need someone to guard the perimeter."

"Please leave it to me. Until I am dead, no one will set foot on these grounds!"

Right at that moment, a squad of police officers rushed in. "Captain!"

They raised their guns, aiming directly at Kurahashi Seiji, which brought an amused glint to the Onmyoji's eyes.

"Ahem!" Shiratori Hayato immediately stopped his squad, ordering them to follow him to the edge of the courtyard. This ensured they wouldn't disturb Kurahashi Seiji while he brought them up to speed on the situation.

"What?"

"Are you serious?"

"Those damn rich bastards!"

"How much pain must they have been in..."

"They must have been so terrified..."

Similar murmurs rippled through the courtyard, allowing Kurahashi Seiji to slowly come to a steady halt in the center of the grounds.

Holding his painted fan and soul bell, he stood to the east of the burial mounds (the Wood position, which governs life and is the most optimal direction for crossing over souls).

Then, he opened the Book of the Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit, turning to the chapter on the Onmyo Soul Passage and Purification Ritual for Children. He gently waved the twelve-ribbed painted fan in his hand while softly shaking the Onmyoji's soul bell, sending crisp, rhythmic chimes echoing through the air.

After three distinct chimes, he began his incantation:

"Lunar essence bright and clear, wash away worldly impurity, Golden crow bearing the dawn, shatter the eternal obscurity.

Waters returning to the void, undo the bindings of sorrow, Pass into the pure realm, let these souls see tomorrow!"

During the chant, he swept his fan toward the Southern Fire Position. The fire of the Vermilion Bird slowly ignited in the air, blowing gentle flames toward the surrounding red-clad figures of the girls.

At that moment, a trace of color seemed to return to their pale, lifeless faces. Smiling softly, they began to step closer and closer to Kurahashi Seiji.

The young Onmyoji shook his soul bell once more, using the guiding chimes to shatter their lingering obsessions. Only then did he gently walk among the little girls, his palm softly brushing over the crowns of their heads.

"Return... Return to peace!" Kurahashi Seiji's ethereal voice echoed, filling the surrounding air with a comforting sense of release.

The little girls surrounded him, serving as a living testament to his identity, drawing awestruck stares from the police officers who had initially doubted him.

The Onmyoji scooped up a handful of pure earth and sprinkled it over the girls, causing them to leap with joyful relief. His voice then drifted into the officers' ears once again:

"Lord Seimei, please protect these souls as they enter the void!"

A split second later, a spatial channel resembling a swirling yin-yang symbol materialized. The little girls giggled and waved goodbye to Kurahashi Seiji before slowly walking into the portal, vanishing completely from this world.

"Phew!" Only now did Kurahashi Seiji let out a long breath and turn toward the crowd. However, just as he was about to speak, he suddenly froze.

Because right at the doorway of the room, the Zashiki-warashi who had just been playing with those skulls had unexpectedly stepped outside.

She walked toward Kurahashi Seiji step by step, smiling as she approached. From her hand, she produced a black stone and held it out to him!

"You are... a good person. This is for you!"

Staring at the black stone and the green mist oozing from it, Kurahashi Seiji's face turned completely green. "Can I refuse?"

She probably meant well, but with the way this stone looked, if it wasn't a Sesshō-seki, he would literally eat a kilogram of it!

'What kind of sane person would dare grab that barehanded?!'