Miracle Summoner

"What...!?"

The moment the crisp sound of clashing rang out, Kogure Zenjirou leapt onto the altar, and his face changed again as he lunged and struck with his divine sword toward Rozen.

Moreover, it was a dramatic change.

The reason was simple.

"When did you become so aggressive, Mr. Kogure?"

Rozen's voice, tinged with a half-smile, reached everyone's ears.

With one hand, he raised it steadily and caught Kogure Zenjirou's divine blade with his bare hand.

"Impossible!"

Kogure Zenjirou couldn't believe it.

However, there was nothing impossible.

At this moment, Rozen had already activated Kongouriki, transforming himself into an invincible magus.

With the effects of Kongouriki, unless something like divine power, which transcends magic, was involved, no harm could reach him, thanks to the Mind's Eye he used to control the magic.

Of course, under the interference of the Tengu's jutsuryoku, the precision of Rozen's Kongouriki magic had slightly diminished.

But even so, it was more than enough to block Kogure Zenjirou's attack.

"Let's calm down first, Mr. Kogure."

Saying this, Rozen raised his other hand, and made a slight flick toward Kogure Zenjirou's divine blade.

"Clang!"

It was as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. Kogure Zenjirou's divine blade was flicked away by nothing more than a single finger, and an unparalleled force rebounded toward him, his entire body was repelled above the ground by the immense vibration.

As Kogure Zenjirou was still airborne, Rozen simply clenched his fist and swung.

"Boom!"

A muffled impact resounded as Rozen's fist landed squarely on Kogure Zenjirou's abdomen.

"Gah...!"

Kogure Zenjirou instantly coughed up all the air in his lungs, his body hurtling backward before crashing beneath the altar, rolling away from the impact.

"Zenjirou!"

"Zenjirou!"

"You bastard!"

"Don't you dare hurt Zenjirou!"

The four Tengu cried out in shock, halting their previous calls as they furiously launched themselves toward Rozen.

Facing the swarm of incoming Tengu warriors, Rozen spoke indifferently.

"Stay right there. Don't move."

His words were light and casual, yet they carried an exquisite layer of jutsuryoku, spreading outward.

"...!"

The four Tengu warriors suddenly froze in midair, unable to move even an inch.

"Grade-A Kotodama!"

Witnessing this scene, Yuge Mari, who had just formed a hand seal, was left in shock.

"To think he could use a Kotodama strong enough to control Kogure-senpai's shikigami...!"

Yamashiro Hayato, whose expression had been shifting constantly since earlier, was even more shaken.

This proud Twelve Divine General had undergone a complete change in mindset within just a short period of time.

Before this, Yamashiro Hayato, while not exactly underestimating Rozen, certainly did not consider him a formidable threat. On the surface, he had acted as though Rozen was easy to handle, but secretly, he was prepared for a tough battle.

After all, Rozen had been a powerful criminal to defeat the Fire Demon, the Omnipotent Sword, the Ogre Eater, and the Binding Princess. Even though Rozen was younger than him and a mere pawn of the Tsuchimikado family, his accomplishments made it clear that Rozen, Tsuchimikado Akikan, was definitely not inferior to a national-level Onmyoji.

Yamashiro Hayato had thought that, despite this, he could still handle Rozen, especially since the national-level Onmyoji in the Exorcism Bureau weren't particularly skilled at anti-human jujutsu. If they called on the specialized Onmyoji from the Magic Crimes Investigation Department, there was a chance, especially if two or three of them worked together.

Who would have thought, though, that this young man in front of him would be so overwhelmingly powerful?

He had single-handedly defeated the magic crime investigation department's forces.

He had caught Kogure Zenjirou's strike with his bare hands.

He had controlled four of the national-level Onmyoji's shikigami with ease.

In particular, the latter feat was something that should not be easily achievable.

An Grade-A Kotodama was, as its name suggested, one of the most powerful types of jujutsu in the Onmyo Agency, falling under the category of "Imperial-style Onmyodou." It injected a "curse" directly into the opponent's mind, delivering a command with powerful force.

Yet, generally speaking, a Grade-A Kotodama is imbued with powerful jutsuryoku, and this jutsuryoku carries an invasive will. When a strong practitioner of jujutsu hears a voice infused with such jutsuryoku, their instincts will immediately trigger a defensive reaction, subconsciously forming a barrier of spiritual energy to block the foreign intrusion.

Therefore, to successfully cast a Kotodama, one must break through the natural barrier formed by a jujutsu practitioner's instincts.

Although there are very few who can use Kotodama, defending against it is not particularly difficult for an Onmyoji.

However, the stronger the caster, the stronger their spiritual defenses.

Even national-level Onmyojis could rarely use Kotodama to control others' shikigami.

Yet Rozen had done so effortlessly.

He had also achieved it without using any special techniques—just pure, overwhelming power.

"How is it possible for anyone to possess such powerful jutsuryoku...?"

Yamashiro Hayato couldn't believe what he was seeing.

But this was reality.

"Thud—Thud—Thud—Thud—"

At this moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard clearly.

"—!"

Yamashiro Hayato and Yuge Mari almost instinctively took a step back. Then, they quickly realized what had happened, their expressions one filled with humiliation, and the other slightly pale.

As Rozen walked down from the altar, the noble and powerful spiritual aura surrounding him spread, enveloping the entire rooftop and the sky above.

Yamashiro Hayato and Yuge Mari found themselves unable to move, frozen in place.

This wasn't the effect of the Kotodama.

It was simply being overpowered.

They couldn't help but think, "What should we do? Why can't we move? What's going to happen to us?"

This, of course, was incredibly humiliating for a national-level Onmyoji.

At that moment...

"Buzz!"

A tremor in the air suddenly rippled.

"—————————"

The spell chant began to echo.