Hearing of my death prophecy, my hands trembled and my throat felt dry as a feeling of dread washed over me. But despite my body’s reaction, a split second of clarity struck me.
What was this fear? Why was I feeling like this? My mind felt sluggish, but I immediately woke up as I made a realization. Tamae No Mae was known for her mind games and her wit, and despite her raw power, she was still a master of manipulation.
I must be under some kind of minor hypnosis. For a split second, when I felt her power, I panicked; when the mind was distorted was when the hypnosis was most efficient. She had hoped to throw me into a downward spiral of despair, hampering my thinking and overlooking the outside influence.
A prophecy of certain death? Who the hell woke up and made me the protagonist? I didn’t have the lightning scar on my forehead either.
I had no doubt that Tamae No Mae could outsmart me. She was a cunning and ruthless demon who had been scheming for unknowably long. However, there was something peculiar about her behavior.
She seemed overly prepared for our encounter, and her claims about divination being straightforward didn't sit right with me. If divination was truly so reliable, those who could glimpse the future would surely be ruling the world.
The way she had effortlessly unsealed Orochi and swiftly subdued him had given the impression that she was wielding her power without any apparent limitations. It was almost as if she possessed unrestricted power and was operating at full strength.
I knew that both Tamae No Mae and Orochi were on a whole different level from the rest of us, but they weren't at their peak state during this confrontation. Tamae's power, in particular, seemed unnaturally heightened.
One of Tamae's abilities was to induce mental weakness in others, making them susceptible to her influence. I couldn't help but wonder if I was already affected by her power. Perhaps activating Perfect Me, my defensive ability, could provide some safeguard against her fear-inducing tactics.
Even my current line of thinking could have been influenced by some form of manipulation, heightening my paranoia. Nevertheless, it was clear that Tamae was wielding her powers freely in a place specifically designed to restrict her. The Magician, the creator of this setting, wouldn't have overlooked such a crucial aspect.
Despite my uncertainty, and feelings of fear that were not quite my own, I looked her dead in the eye. "You don't really need my blood, do you?"
Tamae gazed at me with an emotionless face, slowly breaking into a smile. "Hm. Smarter than you look."
I knew it. "Then what are you playing at? You attempted to lure us here, so why go through all this bullshit?"
"I don't appreciate your tone," she replied with a fading smile. "While you may have stood against weaklings like Shuten Doji, I believe you've misunderstood your place in the pecking order." As she spoke, her power erupted, causing the entire pyramid to quake.
It was hard to believe that she still retained some of her stolen power from the Demonic Exorcist. As the structure rumbled, Sei rose to his feet, a dark mirror materializing beside him. Blood streamed down his face, and his usually calm demeanor was replaced by an intense glare.
Shit, this wasn’t good. Tamae No Mae might not be his mother, but she still possessed Noxy’s appearance, and whether that was enough for that creature inside Sei’s mirrors to come out was debatable.
The pyramid continued to shudder, cracks spreading across its surface until it finally burst outward. Thankfully, it didn't collapse on us, sparing us from being crushed to death.
Sei, though weakened, maintained his hateful gaze towards Tamae, struggling to stay conscious. "You slaughtered everyone, even the children... the babies in their cradles-"
Before Sei could finish speaking, blood erupted from his eyes and nose like a fountain. It appeared as if his eyes were on the verge of popping out, but he collapsed to the ground before he could say more.
She immediately launched a mental attack instead of her usual manipulations, overwhelming us with an immense pressure that rendered our abilities useless.
What was with this raw power? She wasn't Yamata No Orochi, for goodness sake!
Suddenly, an idea struck me like lightning, and I glanced at the ground. Closing my eyes, I activated Perfect Me and slammed my hand down. The floor shimmered, revealing hidden scribblings and seals beneath the now broken illusion.
Despite the gravity of the situation, I couldn't help but look at her disappointedly. "Is this a hypnosis strengthening seal? Power increasing seal? Barrier for protection against foreign attacks?" Only a few of the inscriptions made sense as I deactivated Perfect Me. "You're an ultimate class demon, on par with Yamata No Orochi, while we're just kids. Why are you so excessively prepared? Don't you feel any shame considering the position you hold?"
"I was unprepared once, and it led to my sealing. When I awoke, a portion of my power was stolen," she replied, her gaze shining. "I would be a fool to make the same mistakes again. I will underestimate nobody!"
Tamae No Mae was a schemer, that much I knew. But she was also an ultimate class demon who possessed overwhelming power that countered us effortlessly. With that kind of advantage, she was supposed to be arrogant and order us to kneel or die, something along those lines.
I sighed and looked up at the clear sky. The sun's warmth was pleasant, not too scorching, and perfect for getting a tan.
Come to think of it, the reason the rubble didn't collapse was to preserve the seals. Was this change in her personality because of me? My indirect actions had caused the Demonic Exorcist to steal a part of her powers, something that never occurred in the original story.
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"You weren't really sealed, were you?" I asked, and she nodded.
"I have been free for a while," she admitted. "Preparing a few things here and there."
If she wasn't sealed to begin with, then why did she bring us here? How did she manage to get unsealed? And how long had she been out exactly?
Trying to understand the machinations of thousand-year-old creatures was giving me a headache. I could only decipher Shuten Doji's plans in the past because I knew him from the manga. However, Tamae No Mae was always enigmatic and never acted as one would expect.
Even if I possessed extensive knowledge about her, it would be practically useless by now. She was an overpowering demon, consumed by paranoia. But it wasn't just her immense power that frightened me; it was the unknown depths of her plans.
While Orochi embodied unbridled berserk power and untapped talent, she possessed an unmatched intellect, coupled with mysterious techniques, which created a dangerous combination.
Based on my understanding, her abilities primarily encompassed healing, divination, barriers, and mental manipulation, although she exhibited expertise in other domains as well. Her special ability, Reader's Omnipotence, granted her the power to read anything that had been written, provided the texts were still intact somewhere and she consciously directed her thoughts towards them.
At the caliber of her and Orochi's power, their special abilities became astoundingly formidable that defied common logic. Her’s was not like the Dragon King's special ability, but with thousands of years to study, she was the best mystic around here.
Her special ability was the primary reason I refrained from documenting the timeline of the main story or any plans. "So, are you planning to kill us now?"
"No," she replied with an easy smile that I knew was only partially genuine.
"Can we leave then?"
"That's a no as well. I will have to detain you for a little while," she said, shaking her head as though regretful.
Detain me? My initial thought was that she intended to harm Princess Wis. Otherwise, why would she continue to hold me here? "Why would someone like you be interested in the princess?"
"Princess?" She laughed. "I think you've misunderstood something. I'm meant to detain those who are after you. You're insignificant in the grand scheme of things."
"Then can I go?"
"Obviously not. The last thing I want is to encounter even more annoying exorcists that you'll undoubtedly attract. Your kind are like cockroaches, you know that? Kill one, and eight more will scuttle out," she said, taking a seat. "Instead of dealing with all those troublesome scenarios, why don't you make yourself comfortable and let things unfold more conveniently for everyone?"
With the pyramid destroyed, I could communicate with Carpy more effectively. For a moment, I considered merging with Carpy, but swiftly dismissed the idea. I would undoubtedly lose, and I didn't require Perfect Me to confirm that.
Although my initial plan was to throw Agon at the problem, it seemed even the protagonist wasn't invincible. Tamae No Mae had taken precautions to seal Orochi in the event it attempted to possess Agon.
There was no gentle way to put it—we had been checkmated and suffered a devastating defeat. "So, what now? Are we just going to remain here until you break your promise and kill me?"
"Excuse me?" The nine-tailed fox gasped in blatant mock shock, her face taking on a hurt expression. "Where’s the trust?!"
"Not even for a second would I trust you," I replied unhesitantly, though I couldn't discern her intentions. It was only a matter of time before her true motives were revealed. It wasn't difficult to speculate why she wanted Sei and Agon present. However, there was also the possibility that she had been deceiving us all along, using me as a means to assassinate the princess. Yet, it didn't make sense for her to involve herself in trivial conflicts.
If I were a betting man, I would say this was likely a Contractual Rule she needed to fulfill in order to gain full control over Noxy's body. While I couldn't predict the thoughts of the nine-tailed fox, I had a rough idea of what Sei's mother desired.
Sei's mother was a demon born from the aura of the nine-tailed fox, disillusioned with the world after Sei's father betrayed her, and she was subsequently sealed and used by the Seimei Clan.
"So, how much truth is there to the prophecy you mentioned about me?" I inquired, a sudden uneasiness gripping me.
{Perfect Me}
The moment Perfect Me activated, the sensations of fear and anxiety dissipated. Tamae No Mae was known for her manipulative abilities, so I had to be cautious around her. What I felt could differ from my real feelings.
"You know, you're surprisingly reasonable for a little young exorcist. I had expected you to try and attack me, and I would have had to incapacitate you, just like those friends of yours," the nine-tailed fox's indirect threats did little to bolster her position.
She was clearly evading the question. Perhaps refraining from deception was also a part of the contract with Noxy, a safety measure to prevent the nine-tailed fox from manipulating the terms.
Tamae No Mae had played her cards well. She possessed a body she could almost fully control and utilize effectively. Before long, she would likely regain her full power, although the Demonic Exorcist still retained a portion of it.
Nevertheless, she wasn't the only one playing the waiting game.
Something moved behind me, and I turned around, only to discover it was the dark mirror. Sei remained unconscious, while the mirror had inexplicably manifested on its own.
There was an unsettling presence within that I wasn't ready to awaken so prematurely. However, there was no way for me to stop it.
Sei's mirror was truly remarkable, possessing an undiscovered function that would only become known much later. It served as an artifact connecting to the outside world, a creation only someone with Sei's extraordinary talent could achieve.
"Inside that mirror lies the culmination of humanity's hatred towards demons—an impeccable anti-demon weapon," I said, leaning against the ground as I gazed at the sky. Finally, a sense of relief washed over me as the foreign sensations ceased. "Sei's unique abilities and hatred towards demons had given rise to something deadly... especially for your kind. It was an unwise decision to possess his mother's body, the source of his resentment. He tailored his special ability to kill her."
The moment something emerged from the mirror, I inadvertently caught a glimpse, causing my nose to start bleeding. Hastily, I shut my eyes. It wasn’t good to look at certain horrors.
The reason why the demon world inside the mirror weakened demons to such an extent was due to this entity.
"Do not fear," a voice whispered in my ear. "Fear not!"
A searing pain consumed my head, but I kept my eyes tightly shut and offered no response.
How does one tackle a significant problem? By bringing in an even bigger problem!