“Kyaa!”
“!!”
An ear-splitting thunderous roar resounded as the earth shook, drowning out screams and gasps.
But in the end, the lightning covered only the skies and did not descend.
It was as if there was a transparent wall blocking the lightning. Yet despite knowing what that was, they still found themselves looking in disbelief.
For a moment, the lightning covered the entire sky as far as the eye could see, completely blocking the night sky from everyone’s view.
“…As expected of the Tsuchimikado residence. The barrier is really strong,” Tomoe said.
After the light that filled their vision passed, it was none other than the person responsible for that lightning that first spoke.
“I’d actually intended to destroy the barrier,” Tomoe muttered, impressed by its durability.
“A-Ahaha, obviously! It’s the barrier erected by the clan master! There’s no way someone with… filthy blood like you would… be able to break it!”
Michizane pointed at Tomoe and laughed at her audaciousness despite his stammering.
The tremor just now had brought him to the ground again and left his face completely pale, so when he was compared with Tomoe, who could stand without wobbling, it was obvious that he was just putting on a brave front.
Alas, he wasn’t leisurely enough to realize that by himself, and neither were anyone else leisurely enough to point it out to him.
No one even noticed that Tomoe was wryly smiling.
“…No way… Did the barrier and the residence really shake just now?”
Even from inside the room, the three girls could see the absurdity of that attack and its magnitude.
In fact, they still clung tightly to a nearby pillar, unable to shake off the earlier impact.
The barrier that covered the residence was erected by the current clan master and was the complex sort that prevented spiritual attacks, repelled ghosts, diverted people’s attention, and prevented recognition.
It has never been broken before, and that was true even now, but the girls could feel that it was right on the verge of breaking.
“It happened inside, so I’m sure there were no tremors outside, but which part of that was supposed to be a Raijin Call!? The scope of jutsu is completely different!”
It was a difficult technique, so none of them could use it, but they knew that the spell was just supposed to be a bolt of lightning.
Even an experienced practitioner would at most be able to call forth several lightning bolts.
But that just now had transcended a mere lightning strike. Already, it was more like an attack from some sci-fi movie’s super weapon. The sort that could destroy an entire city with a single blow.
Depending on how one saw it, the sight of the barrier erected over a traditional-style mansion enduring that attack might as well have been a nightmare.
Should they praise the barrier for not break? Or should they fear the girl who could so easily call forth such lightning?
“For a moment ,I thought the real Raijin-sama really came… So this is Tomoe-sama’s power!”
“…I never intended to belittle her, but apparently, I still underestimated her power.”
Though they didn’t know everything since they were hiding their lineage, they were still with her for over a year, so they thought they understood her, but Tomoe far surpassed even their highest expectations of her.
In truth, however, the only reason they didn’t know was because – for better or for worse – Tomoe never had a reason to use her power in front of them.
“Something like this, I guess,” Tomoe said.
Even Michizane was unconsciously impressed by Tomoe’s handiwork.
Silence filled the manor, but Tomoe just smiled bitterly.
“A jutsu with nothing but power going for it can indeed shock people. I mean, it is loud, after all, but I’m sure that guy would just brush it off and give me an earful.”
She remembered when she used it on him during their training session and misinterpreted the reason for his surprise.
It was a ‘little’ less powerful than the one just now, but regardless, he easily tore through it.
After which, he grilled her for losing her cool and using a big skill out of the blue.
Apparently, her jutsu had too much power, making it hard to regulate, and the aftermath was also huge.
Her own field of vision was blocked because of the lightning, and the sound and the light would needlessly draw people’s attention.
Moreover, because the jutsu summoned an attack from the sky, it was easy to miss.
After all of his criticisms, Tomoe judged the jutsu unusable unless she needed power above all else, just like this situation.
“Yeah, I figured those guys would arrive first,” Tomoe said.
Tomoe wryly smiled as she recalled those memories, but when she sensed a group of people approaching, the meaning of that smile changed.
There were enough of them to fill one’s vision and dominate the whole garden.
She had spread her sense prior and knew that there were people stationed just outside the residence.
About 80 masked shadows dressed in black approached hidden in the dark of the night.
‘Just like a ninja army,’ Tomoe thought with a chuckle.
Such clothes were indeed perfect for blending in the dark, but just how many places in Japan would that be acceptable? These people were just too fastidious with tradition and averse to change.
In that regard, Michizane, who was dressed in a suit, was actually the most proper.
“Young master, are you alright?”
“A-Are you ret*rded!? Which part of me looks alright to you!?”
The man in black asked calmly, and Michizane was understandably furious, but the man was likely asking if he was grievously hurt.
Indeed, Michizane’s face was bloodied, but that was it.
It was too dangerous to judge a person’s condition based off how they looked when spiritual powers were involved.
Not to mention, the amount of external damage Michizane had taken was something these people were used to.
“I’m relieved to see that you’re full of spirit as usual. Please leave the rest to us.”
“Are you blind!? …Whatever, just heal me already!”
“…What a futile thing it is indeed – the conversation between a subordinate and a boss with differing standards,” Tomoe said.
It was curious if they were doing this on purpose or this was just how they usually were, but regardless, the conversation between the black-clothed man and Michizane was like two parallel lines. Nonetheless, the men still did as asked, and those specialized in healing approached Michizane, while about ten stood in front of Tomoe to prevent her from getting in their way.
The reason they didn’t go up to the mansion was to show that they weren’t involved in the destruction that has been caused and to avoid antagonizing its master.
Leave a Reply to PurpleteaCancel reply