"Finally… answer me one question… Tamamo-no-Mae…"
Sanzu Kawa forced the words out.
"What?"
Tamamo-no-Mae sensed that Sanzu Kawa was not trying to stall for time, so she decided to listen to what he wanted to say at the end.
"Hmph, hmph. If I really gather all the Sesshoseki, will you revive my parents?"
Sanzu Kawa voiced the doubt that had been buried in his heart.
He could feel it. Tamamo-no-Mae's soul was watching him.
"No."
Tamamo-no-Mae's reply was cold and indifferent.
"Is that so? As expected…"
Sanzu Kawa already had the answer in his heart. But did he have a choice?
He had none.
When he made the binding vow with Tamamo-no-Mae, he was gravely injured and on the brink of death. He did not know what had happened to his parents, nor did he know what awaited him.
At that time, Tamamo-no-Mae, hidden within the Sesshoseki, made a binding vow with him on the condition that she would let him live.
That binding vow only required Tamamo-no-Mae to save Sanzu Kawa's life at that moment.
In exchange, Sanzu Kawa had to gather all the Sesshoseki for her.
The promise to revive his parents was a lie Tamamo-no-Mae told later, meant only to push him to search for the Sesshoseki more diligently.
Over the years, Sanzu Kawa tried to find a way to break free from her control.
But Tamamo-no-Mae's soul resided within the Sesshoseki embedded in his left eye. Everything about him was under her watch.
On top of that, he was bound by the vow and could only act according to her will.
So he had long guessed how this would end, yet he still clung to a faint trace of hope.
At this moment, that hope was completely shattered.
Seeing Sanzu Kawa give up all resistance, Tamamo-no-Mae no longer hesitated and completed her incarnation.
The white-haired youth rapidly transformed into a tall, golden-haired woman.
Tamamo-no-Mae stepped out of the room, enjoying the warmth of sunlight on her body.
For a thousand years, she had mostly been in slumber.
The moments she awakened were rare, let alone having her own body like this.
Night fell over Sendai.
Tamamo-no-Mae walked through the capital of Miyagi.
Sendai was not only the capital of Miyagi, but also the largest city in the Tohoku region of Japan.
She walked alone through the bustling city streets.
Soon, she arrived at a secluded area in northern Sendai, near the sea.
Here stood a deeply concealed barrier.
Within it rested a Sesshoseki.
Excluding the one currently on Tsuchimiya Utata, and the one taken by Eichi and the others after Isayama Mei was captured, this was the final Sesshoseki.
She had not retrieved it earlier because it was protected by an extremely complex barrier.
With Sanzu Kawa's abilities, it was impossible to obtain the Sesshoseki inside without alerting the barrier's owner.
Tamamo-no-Mae also did not want to reveal herself too early. That would inevitably invite a large scale subjugation from the Jujutsu world.
A pseudo Special Grade Curse User wielding Special Grade cursed tools and a powerful existence defeated eight hundred years ago by the combined strength of an entire era carried very different implications.
But now that she had decided to act personally, she would not leave this Sesshoseki behind.
"Indeed, this is quite an advanced barrier."
Tamamo-no-Mae examined the barrier closely. Even she rarely encountered something like this in her lifetime.
Even for her, breaking this barrier would not be easy.
"However, you made a fatal mistake. You should not have placed a part of me inside."
A seductive smile curved her lips.
Her slender hand rested on the barrier.
The next moment, the Sesshoseki dormant within began to resonate with her.
The strongest fortresses were often breached from within.
One minute. Two minutes.
With internal and external cooperation, Tamamo-no-Mae successfully opened the barrier.
She stepped inside gracefully and picked up the glowing red Sesshoseki.
"The seventh one."
After retrieving it, Tamamo-no-Mae began carefully inspecting the interior of the barrier.
"How is this possible?"
The next moment, shock appeared on her face.
Inside, countless precious cursed tools were neatly displayed in rows of cases.
The Cursed Energy emanating from many of them was comparable to that of a Sesshoseki.
"Who is the owner of this barrier?"
Tamamo-no-Mae picked up one of the cursed tools, sensing the Special Grade Cursed Energy hidden within it. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
There was more than one such Special Grade cursed tool here.
She set it down and began exploring the barrier in earnest.
When she opened another door, it felt as if she had stepped into an entirely different world.
"Squeak, squeak."
Click, clack. Click, clack.
Countless dormant Cursed Spirits were awakened by her intrusion.
All of them stared at her with glowing red eyes. Sticky saliva dripped from their mouths.
"Disgusting creatures. A true eyesore."
Tamamo-no-Mae waved her hand, and fox fire instantly reduced a Cursed Spirit that lunged at her to ash.
Her overwhelming Special Grade Cursed Energy burst forth.
All the Cursed Spirits imprisoned here immediately prostrated themselves on the ground.
"Hmph."
She snorted coldly and moved on to the next room.
The more she explored, the more alarmed she became.
There were hundreds of such prison barriers here.
"Truly an eye opener."
After thoroughly exploring the interior, Tamamo-no-Mae returned to the room storing the cursed tools, her expression stiff.
She could hardly imagine who had constructed such an advanced barrier and hidden so many Cursed Spirits and valuable cursed tools within it.
"Could it be Tengen?"
During Sanzu Kawa's search for the Sesshoseki, they had gathered a great deal of information about the Jujutsu world.
In Tamamo-no-Mae's view, only Tengen, whose barrier covered the entirety of Japan, could have done this.
Moreover, the Jujutsu world often referred to Tengen as omniscient and omnipotent.
It was hard to imagine anyone making such preparations without Tengen knowing.
"However, from now on, this place belongs to me."
Tamamo-no-Mae looked around with excitement.
Everything here would become her power in her revenge against the Fujiwara Clan.
"In that case, I should thank you, Tengen. If my revenge succeeds, I will spare your life."
If it failed, then it would simply mean falling back into darkness and waiting for another chance.
At that moment, Kenjaku, who had changed bodies and hidden within the Kamo Family after the Star Plasma Vessel incident more than a year ago, suddenly sneezed.
"Strange. I should not be catching a cold. Is someone talking about me?"
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)