บท 564: -557- Cooperate willingly
"Is this the place?"
Rozen arrived at a riverbank not far from the Onmyou Academy, scanning the surroundings.
This riverbank was the closest to the Onmyou Academy.
The person who called Rozen to meet by the river didn't specify the exact address, so Rozen's first thought was this place.
"If it's not here, are they just playing games?"
Intentionally being mysterious without leaving a detailed address and ending up in a hard-to-find location would irritate even Rozen.
No, it should be said that precisely because it's Rozen, he would get irritated.
"So, stop being mysterious and come out."
Rozen turned and looked towards a shadowy area, throwing these words directly.
And as these words were spoken...
"You seem quite sharp, no wonder you can outwit Raven's Wing and Hishamaru."
A coarse voice came from there, and a tall figure slowly emerged.
Golden hair, one-armed, and emitting an obvious and frightening aura.
Faced with such a presence, Rozen could only think of one person.
"Kakugyouki...?"
Rozen's eyes slowly narrowed as he stared.
"Surprised? Not feeling astonished?" Kakugyouki also narrowed his eyes, facing Rozen's gaze calmly, showing an admiring expression.
For Kakugyouki, Rozen's composure was likely a rare thing, right?
After all...
"Few people can remain calm in front of me upon first meeting. You have courage," Kakugyouki sincerely praised.
This wasn't boasting; it was reality.
Who was the person before his eyes?
Someone who had lived for thousands of years, once valiantly fought under Shuten Doji, and was eventually subdued by Yakou, the legendary Orge-King.
Faced with such a presence, ordinary people would falter. If someone like Rozen, possessing exceptional Spirit Sight talents, encountered it, the overwhelming and formidable spiritual pressure would be apparent in an instant.
This terrifying spiritual pressure surpassed anything the immature Nue could muster, be it Phase 3 or Phase 4.
At least, Rozen could make an immediate judgment.
(Probably beyond the level of the 'Twelve Divine Generals,' maybe not on par with Miyachi Iwao. If it were someone like Kogure Zenjirou or Kagami Reiji, the odds of facing him wouldn't be in their favor.)
From this, one could gauge how fearsome a thousand-year-old Orge could be.
Rozen believed...
(This Orge King probably reached the level of a top-tier familiar.)
Perhaps not at the strategic level, but definitely at a tactical level, comparable to first-rate familiars.
That was Rozen's impression.
In comparison, Rozen's spiritual energy was weaker than an average person's, even a lively child's. It was far weaker than the spiritual energy emanating from such a fearsome entity.
Typically, in such a situation, the side with weak spiritual energy would be affected by the strong spiritual pressure, causing them to lose composure, faint, or even have a mental breakdown on the spot.
However...
"Since even Hishamaru has appeared, another appearance of Kakugyouki isn't that surprising, is it?"
Rozen calmly remarked.
"Indeed," Kakugyouki grinned, exuding an air of a daring gang leader. Only his gaze focused on Rozen was exceedingly sharp.
Being stared at so intently by a thousand-year-old Orge King was undeniably very pressuring.
Unfortunately...
"You didn't bring me here to flaunt your strength, did you? It's about your former master, Yakou, right?"
Enduring the spiritual pressure and stress, Rozen smirked and spoke.
"What? Do you want to force me to awaken like those Yakou devotees, or do you want to have Raven's Wing possess me like your colleague?"
With these words, Rozen's tone carried a hint of provocation.
Clearly, since Kakugyouki had called Rozen here, aside from this reason, there was nothing else.
And the truth was so.
"The latter."
Kakugyouki admitted very straightforwardly.
"I want you to use Raven's Wing."
Saying so, Kakugyouki lifted the only remaining hand.
In that instant, in the air, a jet-black three-legged crow swooped down, flapping its wings, sprinkling fire powder, and landing on Kakugyouki's arm.
The three-legged crow turned its golden-eyed gaze towards Rozen."
"Raven's Wing..."
Looking at this three-legged crow, Rozen's eyes flickered slightly.
Due to the disappearance of the sealed forbidden curse tools, not only the Exorcism Division but also the Mystical Investigation Department were now actively searching throughout Tokyo, attempting to locate Raven's Wing.
Kogure Zenjirou was dispatched to Onmyou Academy. On one hand, it was to inquire about the situation regarding Ashiya Douman and Saotome Suzu from Rozen. On the other hand, it was for Raven's Wing.
Externally, Raven's Wing had always claimed to be sealed in the Onmyou Agency, not in Onmyou Academy.
Why such a forbidden curse tool appeared in Onmyou Academy had to be clarified.
In the end, Kurahashi Miyo provided an answer.
"The one sealed in the Onmyou Agency is a substitute for Raven's Wing. The real Raven's Wing has always been in Onmyou Academy."
The reason was simple.
"Onmyou Academy was originally a private school founded by Yakou. Its original name was 'Yakou Academy.' Just like how the former 'Onmyou Bureau' was renamed to the current 'Onmyou Agency,' it was renamed to 'Onmyou Academy' after Yakou's death, thus continuing to this day."
That was the reason Raven's Wing was sealed in Onmyou Academy.
Of course, there was another important reason: Kurahashi Miyo, as the director, knew Yakou from when he was alive.
Perhaps, Raven's Wing was entrusted to Kurahashi Miyo by Yakou, or Kurahashi Miyo secretly hid it in Onmyou Academy. That was also a possibility.
Now, the Onmyou Agency had issued comprehensive instructions, mobilizing both the Exorcism Division and the Mystical Investigation Department to search for Raven's Wing's whereabouts.
In such a situation, ordinarily, Raven's Wing should have been found long ago. Yet, it only appeared before Rozen now, and it was even with Kakugyouki.
It seemed that Raven's Wing had been intentionally concealed by Kakugyouki or Hishamaru, allowing them to evade the searches by the Exorcism Division and the Mystical Investigation Department.
And now, Kakugyouki appeared again with Raven's Wing before Rozen.
The purpose was naturally the same as Hishamaru's: to have Raven's Wing possess Rozen and confirm his identity.
"So, you're preparing to use force to make me comply this time?" Rozen shrugged and said, "If the sneak attack didn't work, you're going for a direct approach. You guys are quite unique."
That was Rozen's thoughts.
However, this time, Rozen was wrong.
"No need for that much trouble," Kakugyouki looked at Rozen and said in such a manner, "As long as you cooperate willingly, there's no need for either overt force or a sneak attack, right?"
"Willingly cooperate?" Rozen was slightly taken aback, then chuckled, "Do you think I would willingly cooperate?"
To this statement from Rozen, Kakugyouki responded this way.
"Having wandered this world for over a thousand years, even I understand that the reason humans don't compromise is simply because the price isn't sufficient."
Kakugyouki calmly spoke.
"So, let's make a deal."
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