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Despite his head being separated from his body, Abe no Seimei still hadn't died.
Not because his vitality was strong enough, but because Bokue Keikain had been keeping him alive with magnetic field power.
In other words, the moment Bokue stopped supplying power, Abe no Seimei—who'd spent a thousand years painstakingly laying out this grand scheme to resurrect himself—would instantly drop dead and return to the underworld.
But obviously Bokue wouldn't give him that chance. So right now, even if Abe no Seimei wanted to die, he couldn't.
Bokue would keep him alive... temporarily.
"Just who are you?"
Three seconds into Bokue's closed-eye meditation mode with his back against the tree, Abe no Seimei—whom he was using as a footstool—spoke his first complete sentence since resurrection.
Hearing the voice, Bokue opened one eye.
"Do you think you're qualified to question me?"
"..."
Without needing any answer, the young man lifted one leg, held it frozen mid-air for a second, then let it drop.
BOOM!
What seemed like a simple leg lift and release exploded with force far beyond normal physics the instant it fell. Using Abe no Seimei's head as the epicenter, the ground suddenly caved in. Spiderweb cracks spread outward in all directions as dust clouds rose once more through the mountain forest.
Whoosh~
Bokue gently blew out a breath. When the dust settled, a certain founder of Onmyōji's head was already half-buried underground, only the parts above his nostrils remaining above ground level.
"If you want to know, think about it yourself. Don't keep asking questions. If you really think your brain's not useful, I can help remove it for you. Need that service?"
"..."
Abe no Seimei maintained his silence.
He was the founder of Onmyōji from a thousand years ago, once standing at the pinnacle of both humans and demons.
Yet even when his power had been strong enough to dominate an entire era, he'd never experienced such brutal treatment.
However—
The now-silent Abe no Seimei suddenly recalled the conversation he'd heard while being stepped on earlier.
Though for some reason the girl's voice on the other end had been quiet, he'd still barely managed to hear it.
She seemed to have mentioned something related to Hagoromo-Gitsune.
"You're... from the Keikain family?"
"Oh?"
Bokue—who'd been meditating with closed eyes—raised an eyebrow and opened them at these words.
"Interesting theory. Tell me how you figured that out."
"..."
"Alright. Though I can't see your face, I'm sensing strong brainwaves indicating you desperately want to be punted like a football."
One second—no response. The next second—massive dust clouds exploded through the forest once more.
Abe no Seimei's head shot out from the dirt like a high-speed spinning soccer ball, tracing a perfectly straight line through the air before slamming into another towering tree not far away. It embedded itself at an extremely precise angle, leaving just the face exposed outside.
Golden radiance flashed as Bokue appeared before him in a blink, dusting off his hands as if he'd just done something trivial.
"Alright, ready to talk now?"
"...With the power you possess, you shouldn't still be bound by the Keikain family."
"Like dodging questions, do you? Looks like you're not quite satisfied with this tree. Want to switch to another one."
Bokue nodded.
"No problem. Happy to oblige."
Just like that, after switching through four or five trees consecutively, Abe no Seimei's head was like the cue ball on a pool table, constantly moving from point to point.
"Earlier, during your conversation with that girl, you mentioned Hagoromo-Gitsune."
Just as Bokue prepared for his sixth penalty kick, Abe no Seimei's head suddenly spoke.
Bokue stopped the leg about to kick out, toes touching ground as he lowered it back down.
"Actually calling her by name? Shouldn't you address her as 'mother'?"
"Mother?"
Abe no Seimei's facial expression remained unchanged.
"That was just an excuse I made up to conveniently control the Hundred Demons. To me, Hagoromo-Gitsune is nothing more than a vessel for my resurrection after a thousand years. Just like your Keikain family, I—Abe no Seimei—am human. That fact cannot be changed."
"Oh~ So that's how it is."
Bokue made a "continue" gesture.
"Keep going."
Keep going? Going with what?
Abe no Seimei's train of thought stuttered for an instant.
So Bokue raised his leg again.
Seeing the young man's powerful kick about to land on his face once more, Abe no Seimei pulled his thoughts back together at the critical moment and continued speaking.
"...Getting back on track: Hagoromo-Gitsune was sealed by your Keikain family four hundred years ago. After four hundred years, very few people today even know about Hagoromo-Gitsune. The only ones left are your Keikain family, who guard her seal."
"And as I just stated, Hagoromo-Gitsune is merely a vessel for my rebirth. Even using a demon for resurrection, I, Abe no Seimei, remain human. In terms of position, there's no difference between us and your Keikain family."
Good thing none of his descendants were present right now. Otherwise he really couldn't swallow this humiliation.
The founder of Onmyōji from a thousand years ago returns to the mortal world, and the first thing he does is get turned into a soccer ball and kicked around by some teenager? Absolutely mortifying.
"Hmm..."
Bokue folded his arms, propped his chin, and pretended to seriously consider this for a moment before tilting his head.
"So are you begging for mercy right now?"
"..."
"Silent again? Alright then."
Seeing that the completely-footballified founder of Onmyōji dared to stay silent, Bokue raised his leg without another word, ready to kick.
"I'm simply stating facts."
As the young man's size forty-four shoe sole entered his vision once more, Abe no Seimei's speech unconsciously quickened.
"Facts? But I don't see it that way..."
Just as Bokue shook his head and was about to kick again, the phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed once.
Message from Yura?
The moment Bokue realized this, his foot had already completed the kick.
So amid the who-knows-how-many-times dust cloud rising, the young man pulled out his phone for a look.
As expected, Yura had not only sent him the name of the shop where a certain brown-haired jock was currently located, but had also attached a photo—apparently inside some tea house on the second floor in Kyoto.
The photo showed not just Yuji Itadori but also Gojo Satoru, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki.
Though why did Yuji have a bandage on his face? Got in a fight with someone?
Whatever, didn't matter. He remembered this tea house's location should be in Kyoto's...
After briefly searching through the corresponding streets in his mind, Bokue pocketed his phone and flashed over to the once-again-punted founder of Onmyōji.
"Stay put. Otherwise... you'll face the consequences."
With that, the young man vanished from the spot.
Abe no Seimei genuinely didn't dare move an inch.
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