21st Century Necromancer

Looking at the elder who claimed to belong to the Bluebird Group, Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu couldn't help but feel somewhat troubled and wary. Since the other party had come knocking, it was clear they were confident they could take him down.

Although he had Kojo Kyoko and Kyuuzai Ryousen supporting him from behind, the other party had not yet revealed all their strength. Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu couldn't gauge how powerful they really were.

If they had Expert Level transcendental beings, he feared that unless the rites and rituals ended and Chen Yu personally stepped in, even if he, Kojo Kyoko, and Kyuuzai Ryousen joined forces, they might still be unable to resist.

"To come to the Tsuchimikado Family to collect protection money, you've got quite the nerve!" Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu narrowed his eyes and, while secretly calling back his two Shikigami, the Dog God and Zanghu, he also pushed the sheath of his katana with his thumb, ready to draw his sword.

"But you're just a Yakuza, to think of extorting protection money from the Tsuchimikado Family, you are a hundred years too early!" Explore more at empire

Although he spoke with such toughness, Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu had secretly prepared himself. He had not only sent his Shikigami Zanghu to alert Kojo Kyoko but also readied his Dog God for battle.

Seeing Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu flatly reject his offer, the elder didn't get angry. If a member of the prestigious Tsuchimikado Family could be so easily dissuaded, then their rule over the Yin-Yang Dao would not have remained unshaken for hundreds of years.

"It seems you prefer punishment over a toast of respect." The elder shook his head slightly and raised his hand to summon his own Shikigami, a Dog God.

In Japan, Dog Gods are a very common type of Shikigami. The spirits of dogs that linger in this world without passing on are called Dog Gods in Japan. They can possess people, causing fevers, hallucinations, and mental disorder. In some regions, control over Dog Gods is inherited through family lines.

In places like Shikoku and Kyushu, Inugami-mochi use Dog Gods as a form of witchcraft to cast curses and possess victims, with Tokushima Prefecture and Kochi Prefecture being the most concentrated areas.

People possessed by Inugami exhibit uncontrollable hysterical behaviors, such as being in a stupor, acting in an incomprehensible manner, or suddenly developing a high fever.

It is said that persons who die possessed by an Inugami will have bite marks on their bodies, as though by a dog. Locally, certain families have inherited the control over Inugami for generations, known as Inugami Ke.

When common people hold rites for Dog Gods, they must invite someone from the Inugami Ke to preside over the ceremony. Disrespect towards them can lead to disaster.

There are many theories about the origin of Dog Gods. One legend says that if one ties up a dog and places delicious food in front of it, then at the peak of its desire to eat, beheads it, conducts a ritual, and throws the head far away, a Dog God would be born.

While these are merely folk tales, the ubiquity of Dog Gods as a common type of Shikigami is undeniable. Indeed, some aspects of these legends hold truth. Whether as Inugami-mochi or Inugami Ke, these are actually professions of transcendent beings who command and manipulate Dog Gods.

However, both Inugami-mochi and Inugami Ke merely scratch the surface of understanding, and the Dog Gods they raise are just ordinary spirits used for casting curses and possession, significantly different from the Dog God commanded by Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu.

As the leaders of the Yin-Yang Dao, the Tsuchimikado Family, inheriting from the Great Onmyoji Abe no Seimei, specialize in cultivating Shikigami.

While ordinary Onmyoji cannot raise Shikigami as formidable as Abe no Seimei's Twelve Divine Generals, even standard Dog Gods in the hands of the Tsuchimikado Family can be trained to become incredibly powerful. The strongest among them can even transform into human form, becoming true "gods" rather than just Shikigami.

The Dog God summoned by the elder was also one he had spent many years nurturing. Its true form seemed to be that of a fierce and vicious dog. Now summoned by the elder, it stood in front of him, shrouded in dark malice, and it did, indeed, look formidable.

But when the old man's Dog God lunged at Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu, it was blocked by Yoshiharu's Dog God, which had suddenly leaped out.

The spiritual bodies of the two ferocious dogs immediately tore into each other, displaying their fierceness as if they were still alive, attacking each other's bodies with claws and teeth.

Although the Dog God summoned by the old man looked extremely ferocious, and the resentment swirling around it seemed quite impressive, compared to Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu's Dog God—which was completely solidified and indistinguishable from a real dog—the difference was as evident as that between a purebred hunting dog and a country mutt.

"If this is what you're relying on, it seems hardly enough," Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu merely glanced at the old man's Dog God before knowing his own was more than capable, and so he raised his voice, "If you have any other helpers, call them out now!"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The old man could naturally feel the difference in strength between the two Dog Gods, and he chuckled lightly but made no movement.

However, another man dressed like a punk emerged from the shadows outside the warehouse, standing next to the old man with a katana in hand.

Though both were punks, the one who appeared later obviously held the status of the boss, while the earlier one was nothing more than a lackey used as a hitman.

Upon seeing the newly arrived punk, Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu's eyes narrowed sharply; this was a man who had really killed before, and he carried the scent of blood that only those who have killed possess.

"Yasai, leave this guy to you," Tsuchimikado Yoshiharu quickly commanded his Shikigami, and while propelling his Dog God towards the old man's Dog God, he himself drew his sword and attacked the old man.

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As the fight broke out at the entrance of the warehouse, Kojo Kyoko, who had received a message from Zanghu and prepared for battle, also faced her own opponent.

"Damn, ninjas?" There was a cut on Kojo Kyoko's face, inflicted by a shuriken just moments ago. It was the discovery of the shuriken that allowed Kojo Kyoko to confirm that the attackers were ninjas.

As a swordsman, battling ninjas was undoubtedly disadvantageous, given that ninjas employed more devious means and were adept at surprise attacks. Although they were inferior in head-on combat compared to swordsmen, their various underhanded tactics were deadly enough.

Kojo Kyoko stationed herself in front of the warehouse's large entrance, the only entry point. As long as she didn't step away, no one could enter, which was precisely why the ninja, who could have sneaked in, instead launched an attack on her.

Raising her sword to block the incoming shuriken, Kojo Kyoko felt a surge of pressure wash over her. She had almost no real battle experience, and such a life-or-death struggle was entirely new to her, marking a stark contrast to her previous life as an ordinary woman.

Fortunately, having been educated in a Kenjutsu School since childhood, Kyoko was not unfamiliar with combat; what she lacked was merely the experience of fighting to the death.

Kojo Kyoko didn't attack recklessly. Not to mention that she hadn't yet located the hidden ninja, she also felt that even if she had, it would be difficult to take them down quickly.

Her mission was to guard the warehouse, not to engage the enemy, so she adopted a steadfast defensive strategy, clearly understanding that as long as Chen Yu completed the ritual, the enemy before her would be nothing more than fleas and dogs.