Chapter 31: Hayasaka Ai’s Confession
Deep within a cave beneath Mount Fuji, an old man stood in the center of a ritual circle.
The faint red light of ancient candles illuminated his gaunt figure, with disheveled white hair sticking out in all directions like dry twigs. A loose black robe draped his body, giving him an eerie appearance, as if darkness itself crept along with his every movement. Thin-framed glasses with red lenses covered his eyes, hiding a gaze full of deceit and ancient wisdom.
The man was Ashiya Douman, a legendary onmyouji who had lived for nearly a thousand years. In the past, he had fought against Abe no Seimei, his rival of the century.
However, unlike ordinary humans who succumb to mortality, Douman had managed to evade death and continued to exist into the modern era. He was even older than Marquis Voban, the oldest living Campione at the time.
Despite his long life, Douman could not match a Campione in terms of pure power. He was merely a mystic practitioner, not a Godslayer. His prolonged existence in the world was not due to greater strength, but because he understood the rules that bound this world.
In this world, the number of Campione was limited. If too many Campione appeared, the King of the End would descend to eradicate them all. However, this limitation did not apply to mystic practitioners like him. For centuries, Douman had chosen to develop longevity techniques.
*SHUA!*
The ritual circle beneath his feet glowed brighter. Mystic symbols from various eras shone in blood-red hues. The leyline beneath Mount Fuji began to rumble, releasing spiritual energy that surged wildly across the land.
*CRACK!* *CRACK!* *CRACK!*
Cracks formed.
Not cracks in the ground, but cracks in the leyline.