Guan, as well as a personal introduction to another legend

"And who might you be?" Kurogitsune inquired of me, as she circled around me, listening to her own senses. "I must confess, you have surprised me. I did not anticipate encountering you here, when I sensed my dear sister's bond to the tower had been severed."

I remained silent, allowing her to speak. It was to my advantage to let her reveal her thoughts.

"What sister do you speak of? You encountered her on the lower level, I presume. It perplexes me how she could resist the effects of my artifact. She could not regain her clarity of thought. Her mind was destroyed! How could she resist such a thing? And, by the way, where is she now? I did not sense her demise."

As the cunning fox, as she sees herself, attempted to extract information from me regarding the events that transpired under her watchful eye, while simultaneously saturating the space around us with her divine power, causing the air to become dense like water, I did not remain idle.

As soon as my beloved ones were safely secured, my first action was to enclose within my pantheon the small portion of land that had been appropriated from the interworld by the divine domain of Kurogitsune. Simultaneously, I endeavored to discern the purpose of an artefact crafted from the vertebrae and skull of a genuine dragon, intricately linked to the fox's egregore.

In the brief time I spent near the central component of the objectified artefact within the dragon's skull, I gained insight into its multifaceted qualities and functions. Its primary function was to extract the divine essence bound within its captives and channel it toward the accumulator within the skull, where Ba-Hyon underwent transformation into a form suitable for its owner. The creature before me allowed Ba-Hyon to pass through its being, exerting pressure on its ninth layer, imbuing it with training, and subsequently releasing any surplus of its power into its egregore.

However, the significance of the dragon bone did not end there. Ascending to the ninth floor, I became aware that the central tower of the castle was situated atop a potent magical nexus of a remarkable spectrum of energy, a phenomenon I had never before encountered. Typically, sources of magical energy exhibit either a neutral or elemental spectrum, contingent upon the location where the energy manifests itself. In the case of a volcanic region, it assumes a fiery character, while deep underground, it takes on an earthy essence. Springs and the depths of lakes often manifest a watery quality, although this is not a strict rule, as the spectrum is frequently closely linked to its surroundings.

And the one that existed here was the very source of the vital energy. Another legend was confirmed. Previously, when I was still Salazar, I obtained a book from our family library that was written by an archmage from Elam, two millennia before the birth of Christ. Within those pages, I encountered the first mention of such an anomaly, but until now, it seemed to me nothing more than mere speculation.

However, this source of conjecture, which I believed to be an impossibility, was now serving Kurogitsune's advantage. With the assistance of her artefact, she transformed it into an ancestral stone, allowing her to take control of this source, directly channeling all its energy into her domain. My senses could not detect its presence nearby, as the creature did not allow even a fraction of the source's power to escape its domain, greedily absorbing it into its egregore through the artefact.

Moreover, the artifact was an indestructible anchor, which served as a talisman for her to anchor herself in the realm of the magical universe and project into reality, seizing the source of power.

"Why are you silent?" she demanded. "Where has my beloved sister gone? I thought she would have liberated herself from her bonds, regained her sanity, and sought me out for retribution. I was anticipating her arrival! But instead, I find myself in the presence of strangers, some of whom have perplexingly escaped. This is most unfortunate!"

Kurogitsune proceeded with her candid monologue, yet my attention was not solely focused on her words. My objective had been accomplished. While this fox-like entity filled the space with her divine essence, my egregore, akin to an amoebic infusoria, enveloped her domain and now awaits my command to commence its assimilation of its prey.

Even in his most terrible nightmare, Fox could not have imagined that he would encounter a deity who wields an egregore with more than eleven billion followers. How did eleven billion arise? Four billion are from this world's flock, comprising Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The other seven are the result of my traveling emissaries' efforts. My global mission has already yielded a hundredfold return. One of my emissaries brought an entire planet with three billion inhabitants to faith in the Creator.

In any case, Fox had underestimated herself. She could not permit me, a deity with such a powerful egregore, into her realm. If I were merely a deity without the support of an egregore of my own, things might not be so favorable, and at best I could hope to escape if I found myself in such a predicament. But not now. Not when my egregore completely surrounds her domain and, consequently, my sphere of influence over reality.. Nonetheless, my disguise is effective. Were it not for my ability to conceal my true strength, I would not have been able to conduct my preparations for the forthcoming battle in such an unhurried manner.

"Why can't I comprehend you?! Respond to me at once! How can I discern anything about your essence?" the creature shrieked. "You're as swift as a serpent — or perhaps not!"

Then, in a more subdued tone, with a hint of apprehension, "Or can it be?"

I, still maintaining a faint smile on my face, appearing as if lost in thought, was engaged in examining the relic — the skull and bones of a dragon. The more time I spent here, the deeper my understanding of him became. However, she posed another query, to which I chose to respond.

"Quetzalcoatl?" I replied. "Oh, it's not my first encounter with the feathered serpent."

"No, I bear no relation to that virtuous being." And to address her earlier inquiry regarding my identity…

But it was not to be, for my destiny was not to learn more of her, for my discourse was interrupted as I prepared to vanquish my adversary and claim her domain. Had I taken more time to reconnoiter and probe the enemy's forces, I might have achieved a more successful outcome. Indeed, I was cognizant of her abilities and powers, and would have gleaned all that was of interest to me from her memories once her soul had been ensconced within my staff.

The full force of my assault, which I had just unleashed, was not directed even at the nine-tailed creature herself, but rather at her realm, which was an entity in its own right but also a manifestation of the divine essence of Kurogitsune's soul.

As I launched my attack, the very fabric of the world trembled around us, as if an earthquake of magnitude twelve on the Richter scale had occurred (there is also such a name for an American seismologist), and while I remained steady on my feet, feeling only the subtle ripples of spacetime, Kurogitsune was struck with severe illness, causing her to collapse to the ground.

However, she is inextricably linked to her egregor, and as I attacked it, plunging into its divine domain that once belonged to Yahweh, dedicated to the Creator, it can be said that I struck at the most sensitive and vulnerable part of the fox's being.

It was simpler than I had anticipated. As I gazed upon the unconscious form of Kurogitsune распростертой на земле, a multitude of thoughts coursed through my mind. The fox had overreacted to my attempted assault on her divinity, yet as I approached her and raised my Archmage staff above her body, she swiftly struck me with a dagger, piercing my leg.

"Die, creature!" I hissed in a fury that barely overcame the agony of my soul. My words were directed at the Kurogitsune, whose name I had not deigned to learn.

But that was not what was troubling me at the moment. It was the dagger, which had pierced my foot. I had almost dodged it, but not entirely. Even in my weakened state, the creature managed to conceal its actions behind an illusion. I could recognize it, but by then it was too late.

Kurogitsune leapt to her feet and aimed the dagger at my chest. She almost struck me with it, for I was too close and too slow to recognize the deception. I attempted to evade her by leaping to the side, narrowly avoiding a blow to my torso, but her dagger struck my leg, which I could not protect.

It was not the injury itself that alarmed me. It was the nature of the weapon and the consequences of its use.

The dagger wielded by Kurogitsune was made of adamantium, a metal renowned for its strength and sharpness. However, what shocked me was not the material itself. It was that, despite being a deadly instrument in her hands, it failed to inflict harm upon me.

I had to either perish instantly or at the very least lay prostrate on the ground in agony for an indeterminate period before my spiritual essences severed their connection with my physical form, and my spirit would not be reborn, for this metal had rendered all intricate and densely packed energy structures untenable, and the higher up they were, the more swiftly and thoroughly their destruction was complete. A mere mortal, unendowed with extraordinary abilities, would scarcely discern the distinction between an injury sustained from a weapon crafted from this metal and one inflicted by ordinary iron. However, for a deity, this metal was akin to death.

Firstly, it breached any energy shield without regard, disregarding it entirely. Secondly, this metal possessed an unparalleled resilience, effortlessly surmounting any physical impediment in its path. But the most alarming aspect of its interaction with ethereal matter was its capacity to sever all spiritual bonds within the victim's body. Among these, the connections linking the soul to the physical form were the first to succumb under its onslaught.. Having ingested a few grams of this metal into my body, I expected to live for no more than a few moments. I had not anticipated the strength of my spirit's resistance to this effect. However, the situation was not entirely hopeless.

If I had not noticed the dagger, which had so effortlessly pierced my footwear made of my own fabric, I might have ignored the injury and pursued my goal of capturing Kurogitsune's soul. What surprised me, however, was the ease with which the dagger breached my energy defenses, the barriers I had erected around myself, and the way it penetrated both my boot and foot, causing discomfort to my limb.

For these reasons, I resolved to examine the nature of this weapon. It was not until the diagnostic spells, designed to assist me in understanding the properties of the weapon that had injured me, were expelled from my aura that I became alarmed. To my astonishment, all of my constructs simply dissolved upon contact with the material from which the dagger was forged.. I was well acquainted with the effect, and the deep purple hue of the blade left no room for doubt as to the identity of the metal from which it was forged.

The scene presented itself to the discerning observer as one of great ambiguity, and Kurogitsune sought to flee from me in a state of fear. I even wondered what thoughts passed through her mind as she resorted to her final argument, plunging a dagger designed to be lethal to any divine entity into my leg. She realized that I did not immediately react to the injury, that I felt no pain, and that I possessed the power of a god, leaving no room for uncertainty in her mind.

"Who are you?!" she exclaimed in a state of terror. It was precisely at that moment, with a dispassionate expression on my face, that I stooped down to examine my leg, half a minute after being wounded, and withdrew the blade, which I now regarded with curiosity. There was, of course, no trace of poison on it. Any magical substance that came into contact with this metal would rapidly become ineffective, and it would have been difficult to poison me with conventional poison. Thus, I did not concern myself with that, but rather I was intrigued by the blade for a different reason. The handle was fashioned from bone and adorned with serpentine script.

"Where did you obtain it?" I inquired of Kurogitsune, for the first time fixing my gaze upon her without the veil of illusion. The moment our eyes met, her own, amber-hued eyes like those of a snake, betrayed her unease, and if she had previously harbored fear of me, it now morphed into a terror beyond measure, as if she were on the verge of succumbing to heartbreak.

I found myself questioning my own presence there, realizing it was time to depart. Just as the creature parted its lips to respond, my staff shot forth, piercing its chest. The instant my staff, nearly entirely encased in adamantium, pierced the victim, the soul of the entity lost its final tether to its body, swiftly imprisoned within the confines of my staff's dungeon. Hm.

Such is the disparity in resistance to the divine metal between myself and Kurogitsune.

The rate of demise of the physical manifestation of a divine entity and its subsequent departure for reincarnation, triggered by the aggressive penetration of the initial adamantium shell, is contingent upon a multitude of factors.

To put it succinctly, this process is directly proportional to a combination of elements such as the deity's inherent divine power, their overall level of spiritual evolution, the duration of contact with the metal, and the severity of the adamantium-inflicted injury, irrespective of any supernatural attributes related to resistance or resilience against adverse effects.

In essence, a deity will succumb to adamantium unless they are swiftly removed from the scene after being struck by a weapon crafted from this metal. However, if the adamantium blade cleaves the deity's head, death may occur instantaneously, albeit with some delay.

The answer to the conundrum of why adamantium failed to exert its intended effects on me is straightforward — I carry with me a substantial quantity of this metal, approximately one hundred kilograms, in the form of a spatial pocket. This is a remarkable revelation.

It appears that the presence of such an abundance of this divine metal within my soul and spatial pouch is intricately linked to my atman and serves as an artifact crafted from a fragment of each of my spiritual sheaths. It is now firmly anchored by all seven of my fundamental soul origins, rendering me impervious to its influence.

The potency and potential of the adamantium within my spatial pocket surpasses that of a blade weighing no more than 400 grams.

Oh, indeed. So now, in order to harm me with a weapon crafted from the metal of the «killer of gods», its weight must surpass one hundred and twelve kilograms. And this is precisely how much of this metal I possess in my storehouse. Hmm… A lesser amount might still be sufficient, but I see your point. There is no other explanation as to why I am so impervious to adamantium.

Upon reaching this realization, I immediately yearned to procure as much of this metal as I could and fill the pockets of my wives.

However, there is a problem with this. Yaromir has nearly completely depleted his vassals' reserves of the ayakashi captured and imprisoned by their clans throughout their centuries of history. I require a significant amount of negative energy to create this metal.

After all, how can I extract adamantium? In a designated location within the domain/pantheon of the One, Yeshua will incarnate according to religious doctrine. At the moment when all will be dire on earth, he will rise and descend from the heavens, marking the arrival of Judgement Day. To hasten its manifestation, I use disembodied ayakashi whose negative energy serves as the building material for Christ's flesh. Once the body is prepared for its task, my clones destroy it with the power of the egregor's light, leaving behind a few hundred grams of adamantium. Such is the nature of the process.

However, in essence, the absence of captive ayakashi does not pose a significant challenge. It is possible to proceed without their assistance. The simplest approach would be to instill a sense of despair and negativity within the flock, allowing the mechanism of the Christ's incarnation to operate independently. However, I was not willing to allow such a scenario to unfold.

After all, with a substantial fault line in the negative energy flow along the boundary between two empires governed by my vassals, I had no intention of allowing it to remain unaddressed. This time, we would bypass the intermediary role of ayakashi, which required embodiment to channel negative energy into the creation of the Christ figure. Instead, we would focus on developing artifacts capable of acting as collectors and accumulators of this negative energy, strategically deploying them along the fault line in my energy plan.

This will address two issues simultaneously. It will furnish me with the requisite energy and mitigate the negative atmosphere in Japan, the Pacific coastline of the Russian Empire, and China, which will significantly decrease the number of spontaneously generated unintelligent ayakashi.

After all, only nascent ayakashi — the lowest stage from which many members of this demonic species emerge — are inherently aggressive towards other life forms. It is an axiom. White and fluffy members of the magical fauna do not arise from negative energy. Only with time and extensive evolution from such malevolent spirits can intelligent members of ayakashi emerge, and it is not certain that they will harbour benevolent intentions towards humans.

I have discovered a method to expedite and, consequently, augment the production of adamantium. Hmm… but that was not my primary concern. My current focus lies in delving into the narrative of the final encounter with the Kurogitsune, the intricate castle complex, and the blade that served as the instrument of its demise.

The process of sifting through the depths of the creature's soul, encapsulated within the confines of my staff's essence, took me a span of six hours. Within these memories, I sought the moments that held the utmost significance and intrigue in the existence of this nine-tailed entity.

What I was able to uncover is as follows:

Approximately thirty-five millennia ago, a nine-tailed being, which at the time was merely a kitsune and not yet a kurogitsune, gave birth to two daughters. As was typical for their species, both of these kitsunes were born with three tails apiece, an occurrence that was highly unusual for their kind. The birth of multi-tailed kitsunes indicated a significant potential for these beings. However, the fact that they were born with three tails simultaneously was unheard of.

Naturally, this astonished the mother, who endeavored to conceal the truth from the fae-cannibal community in which she resided. In those days, their society was no different from what it is today, and if the more mature members of their kin were aware of the young kitsunes' potential, they might have attempted to eliminate them to prevent it.. Thus, Nine-tails was compelled to depart from the conclave of fox-demons, and accompanied by her two newly born kitsune, she sought a temporary refuge wherein she could instill in her future minions the loyalty that would enable her to ascend to the pinnacle of their society's hierarchy. In her quest for such a location, she fortuitously stumbled upon a veritable wellspring of life within the realm of magic, where she discovered the remains of a slain true dragon and a Naga who had vanquished the fire-breathing beast with his adamantine dagger, but had perished in the process.

It appeared to Nine-tails that fortune had bestowed upon her a multitude of blessings. Not only had she given birth to vital members of her species, but her flight had also led her to a natural source of vital energy. However, the blessings did not end here, for beside the severed head lay the corpses of two potent magical beings of divine status, forming the final components of an ultimate weapon against which resistance was futile.

For two millennia, the maternal figure had been solely preoccupied with the task of educating and nurturing her offspring. Their diet, for an extended period, consisted solely of the flesh of a slain dragon and the divine naga, which had a profoundly beneficial impact on the development of the twins.

In addition to forging an unparalleled weapon for her progeny, the nine-tailed entity also instilled within them a fervent devotion to herself. She bestowed upon her daughters the names Guan, symbolizing light, and Ruolan, representing darkness. The selection of these names was not arbitrary, but rather a reflection of the nature inherent in each of her daughters, with one embodying light and vitality, while the other embodied darkness and mortality.

She released her daughters into the vast world only after they had attained eight tails, and thereafter, the twins devoted themselves exclusively to pursuing formidable adversaries, whose corpses they delivered to their mother as sustenance. As a result, their mother swiftly transformed into a kurogitsune, as it was primarily her daughters who engaged in the pursuit of the nine-tailed foxes.

Due to their immense potential, rigorous instruction from their mother, and the consumption of a genuine dragon and a celestial naga during their formative years, these young individuals, with only eight tails each, already surpassed the strength of most nine-tailed creatures. The two sisters left no room for failure when confronting their opponents. It was only after their mother had become a kurogitsune that she permitted her offspring to consume the nine-tailed foxes.

To the extent that she raised her daughters to be devoted to her, she did not fully trust them, and only after she had unlocked the full potential of her species did she grant her children permission to begin their ascent to the pinnacle. After all, she was not willing to engage in a battle with the existing Kurogitsune who ruled over their race. She did not believe her eight-tailed daughters could succeed against the black foxes, so she wholeheartedly urged them to become even stronger.

Time marched on, and her offspring also evolved into kurogitsune, even managing to eradicate all their rivals for power within their tribe. However, their lives were marked by years of constant travel and hunting, both to provide for their mother's needs and to eliminate their competitors.

Through their experiences, they gained profound insights into the world, leading them to realize that their mother had manipulated them into becoming her instruments. This realization was not a pleasant one, and it eventually culminated in the death of their mother. Following this event, the twins and their sister found themselves in the position of leadership within their race.

Over the years and millennia that followed, the twins slowly began to diverge from their former unity, no longer seeing themselves as part of a unified whole. They began to develop their own identities, leading to feelings of resentment when they found themselves sharing power with their sibling.

The decision of the two Kurogitsune not to engage in a direct confrontation with each other was not based on their affection for one another, but rather on the recognition of the perilous times they lived in, when the presence of gods and chthonic creatures filled the air. The sisters were not willing to compromise their fighting capabilities during this critical period, as they sought to establish their dominance by eliminating a rival.

Instead, they devised a strategy that involved the creation of an artefact designed to bind them together. This artefact granted them access to a source of life, allowing them to harness its power if the need arose. However, there was a catch: the artefact also possessed the ability to transfer this power to the individual who had bound it, making it a potent weapon in the hands of the victor.

Guan, the more cunning of the two, devised a plan to deceive her sister. She altered some aspects of the artefact, concealing or substituting certain functions with illusions that could only be detected by Ruolan. This allowed Guan to claim ownership of the artefact and establish herself as its sole ruler.

Ruolan, unaware of Guan's deception, became trapped within the bounds of the artefact, serving as a source of energy for Guan, who now wielded the power to control and manipulate the very essence of their shared existence.

Gradually, other kurogitsune began to emerge, naturally desiring to challenge the might of the twins. However, upon approaching them in combat, these creatures became yet another victim of the artifact, until all eight of its components were claimed by the black foxes.

Guan, the possessor of the artifact with whom I encountered on the ninth level, had not interacted with anyone for over fifteen thousand years. She dwelt in solitude within her realm, occasionally quenching her hunger with the spirits of those who perished in the mortal realm of kurogitsune, who had fallen into her domain due to their race's long-standing belief in a paradise where all righteous kitsune reside. Oh... even such resolute deceivers can be duped.

I concluded my analysis of Guan's memory by focusing on the recollections of the dragonbone artefact, which left me in a state of delight. Crafted in the finest traditions of artifact creation, based on symbolic principles, it was designed to be incredibly resilient to destruction. Krogitsune's ingenuity had seamlessly integrated it into the fabric of the universe, rendering it an inextricable part of the magical realm.

The artefact encapsulated the concept of infinity, the perpetual cycle of existence, the interdependence of life and death, and the inseparable nature of light and darkness, highlighting their inherent interdependence. This is why the artefact was fashioned from the bones of a dragon, representing the ouroboros symbol, with Ruolan, adept of death and darkness, being linked to its very inception, while Guan, master of life and light energies, completed its creation.

While I was delving into the depths of Kurogitsune's mental realm, my own egregore gradually consumed and assimilated the chanterelle's domain and all the ba-hyons she had accumulated. Naturally, this process required more time and effort than one might initially anticipate. However, now the egregore of the All-One was saturated with the majority of the ba-hyons generated from the faith of a multitude of billions of followers, rather than relying solely on my own ninth origin of the soul. This, if I dare say so, diminished its quality compared to the energy Kurogitsune had amassed in her domain.

The personal ba-hyons of any deity would inherently surpass the equivalent amount and quantity of ba-hyons produced by a collective of believers, no matter how vast.

Notwithstanding the fact that my domain, endowed with superior quality, retained its superiority, the domain of Guan, with its Bahiong, could no longer challenge me.

Firstly, my domain encompassed the entirety of Guan's, leaving no avenue for escape. Secondly, as I, empowered by my egregore as Kurogitsune, relentlessly poured my personal Ba-Hyon, generated by my ninth shell, into the space, it acted like a digestive juice, simultaneously serving as a poison, paralyzing Guan's domain.

Moreover, I possessed the soul of Guan's former mistress within my staff, granting me a degree of control over this dimension.

Ahem… It is fortunate that we came here. Such a profit! One more drop of divine essence in my staff — five percent more — and I can expand and fortify the egregore of the One. My serious involvement, participation in its transformation and enhancement, will significantly impact the binding of the egregore with me and the strengthening of my control over it.

The positive aspects do not stop here. I also acquired weapons that could threaten my wives and beloved ones. Thanks to the wound inflicted by this dagger, I came up with an idea how to enhance my and my family's resistance to adamantium's influence on highly organized and intricate energy structures.

And this is not even to mention the initial objectives that brought us here in the first place. Archmages have engaged in battle with powerful adversaries, some members of the Order's elite have acquired potent souls for their staffs, and the menace of ogres has been vanquished. My students have witnessed the confrontation with real magical creatures.

Having briefly reviewed Kurogitsune's memories and revisited them briefly, I returned to a particular aspect that mentioned a renowned and captivating figure from Japanese folklore, whom I had humorously decided to portray in front of Mei. Yes, I am referring to Nurarihyon.

**********

"What a curious sensation. But the tobacco is excellent!" Nurarihyon exclaimed, perched before me, resembling a comical, balding grandfather with a protruding skull. He swiftly grasped the ephemeral nature of his current form and equally rapidly adapted to the novel perception of his surroundings, allowing himself, with the equanimity of a true Taoist, to surrender to the delight brought by the tobacco I had provided.

"I welcome you to my realm, Nurarihyon," I said. "My name is Svyatozar, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise," the divine ayakashi replied after a profound inhale, exhaling a dense plume of smoke before offering me a salute with the sake cup that materialized in his hand.

Naturally, I could not allow this to go unnoticed, and I repeated his actions exactly as he had done. In my hands, a bowl of sake blessed by Amaterasu also materialized. Heh, heh, heh! It was worth it, since I performed a Nurarihyōn on his own turf. That is his crowning glory, having access to unlimited quantities of exquisite sake. His beverage was of the highest quality, but it still paled in comparison to mine.

Thanks to the Thor/Perūn weave I copied from Helga's ancestral artifact, her bowl, and Jaromir's gift of a bottle of sake at least ten thousand years old, once owned by the supreme deity of the Shintō pantheon, I was able to outdo him.

The moment Nura detected the aroma of my beverage, he experienced shortness of breath as he took a sip from his own bowl. This, of course, led to him choking and spilling nearly all of his own sake on himself.

"Who are you, and what is your purpose in coming here?" Nurarihyun inquired after he had composed himself and recovered from his initial surprise.

In response to his query, I manifested what I had fortuitously discovered in Guan's cache. Nurarihyun's heart, hovering above my palm, contained his very essence. He immediately comprehended the significance of my revelation. The form he inhabited was merely an illusion, a manifestation of my illusory prowess and mastery over reality within my egregore. Indeed, without his knowledge, I possessed the ability to incarnate his alter ego, linking the illusory form with the soul of an ancient ayakashi sealed within the heart that once belonged to him.

"You were on the verge of becoming food for an ancient kurogitsune," I stated, "and you need not regard me with such scepticism." At that precise moment, Mei's trophy and Guan, whom I had slain, fell from my spatial pocket, landing not far from us.

Nurarihyon, I must confess that I find your proposal rather shocking. Why on earth should I accept you as my heir?

My vassals and I arrived before the kitsune could devour you, but I am opposed to the policies of this race against other intelligent races. The only solution is their complete eradication. I have an offer for you, Nurarihyon. Accept me as your successor.

"To begin with, I have you in my complete dominion," I said. "And Nurarihyon's spirit, still revolving above my left shoulder, has been enveloped by my celestial power, manifesting itself with a verdant glow. Whether you wish it or not, I shall obtain what I desire. However, whether it shall be accomplished with your assistance hinges upon your destiny."

At his inquisitive gaze, I elucidated further.

I require some of your abilities and powers, and it is straightforward to accomplish with your focus of power embodied in your heart and soul. Consume him, and there you have it. However, I would not wish to deprive you of a further incarnation without the possibility of retaining your identity and abilities in the afterlife.

Thus, I have devised a method to accomplish this so that I may obtain what I desire, and you may continue your next journey through the multiverse, with your identity and a portion of your abilities intact. A brief comment on why I even bother with this and wish to grant you such an opportunity.

There was an ayakashi named Nurarihyon in one of the parallel worlds I once observed. He possessed a remarkable intellect and led an intriguing life. While I know little about your own existence, what is known also characterizes you as an esteemed ayakashi. In memory of your counterpart from another world and for your merits in this one, I have chosen to offer you this choice.. By designating me as your successor, you grant me unrestricted access and full rights to your assets and talents once I claim your essence. There will be no need for me to completely strip away your spiritual layers to obtain what I desire. Your abilities will strive to replicate themselves within me.

As soon as I acquire the rudiments of these abilities, which can be nurtured to develop into the very essence of who you are, O Nurarihyon, I shall assist your spirit in recovering from the strain it endured during the process of bestowing its powers upon me. Then, I shall guide you into the cycle of Sansara, ensuring your safe passage to a fresh rebirth.

You have a nearly certain chance of retaining your identity and maintaining your abilities in the new realm. Naturally, these abilities will not be at their peak after your demise, but they can swiftly and effortlessly be restored to their previous state.

I paused at this juncture, savouring the sake in my bowl as I gazed at the swaying branches of the sakura tree. The scene before me was a reproduction of the courtyard garden from the Nura Clan estate in the anime of the same name, and it was late in the evening, with the full moon casting its light upon us. My reluctant companion and I were immersed in the serenity of the night, listening to the gentle rustle of leaves.

I may not claim to be an aesthete, yet there are moments when I find myself captivated by the beauty of nature, whether it be in a landscape or any other form. And now, I was relishing in the possibilities granted to me by my power, creating a realm of splendour that surrounded us.

"As I understand it, there is no guarantee that you will fulfill your promise and allow me the chance for reincarnation with my memories intact. Is that correct?"

"Only my word," he replied. "However, there is one way you may find some lasting assurance of your safety."

"And what is that?" There was a note of disbelief in his voice, yet there was also a glimmer of hope.

"A vassal oath," he replied. "I am confident that my abilities will be sufficient to imprint it upon your atman, the essence of your soul. And even if an unforeseen event were to occur and the measures I have taken to safeguard your identity prior to your departure to the river of souls prove inadequate, I will have no difficulty locating your spirit in the new realm and, through our vassal bond, assisting it in recalling the memories of your previous existence as Nurarihön." What say you?