Tae Rang, the man who had introduced himself as a daoist, took a deep breath and told a long story.
The great empire and middle kingdom occupied more than half the East Continent, so the speed of transmitting news was slow. Even an express horse would take several months to reach one end of the kingdom to the other, so it had been inevitable.
There were 256 castles that ruled the kingdom, and eight princes reigned over the lords. This feudal style of governance contributed to the slowing down of communication.
There were institutions like the magic towers, but the situation was different from the Western Continent where magic power and by-products were spread widely throughout the continent. The East Continent handled the problem of sending and receiving information using homing pigeons.
The supreme justice read the heavens and said that a disaster would begin from the capital city.
Theodore also had the ability to read the heavens, but he urged the daoist to continue.
That night, the heavenly star was red, and the people in the middle kingdom started to turn into creatures, regardless of their identity, sex, and age.
It was literally a nightmare.
A prince of the central kingdom had claimed that the kingdoms population had already reached one billion people. The lords of each province had counted a significant number, and it was clearly over 100 million. What if all these people turned into monsters? Even half of it would be 50 million, and half of that would be 25 million.
A person who couldnt handle a single wild dog wouldnt be able to kill a top warrior who had turned into a monster. This catastrophe threatened not just the empire but also the material world.
No, the monsters devoured each other, and the survivors protected themselves, like this village. Even so, the number was likely to be reduced considerably. Unlike the first time, Theodore heard about the situation and was able to calmly measure the level of the disaster. I havent figured out why, but the kingdom is under the influence of the Receptacle of Solitude. When the monsters eat each other, they fill their stomachs, but there is no sign of their power increasing. There is no one to do farming or other matters, so the survivors wont be able to last a year without sacrificing something.
In some ways, it was the same with beasts. They had physical abilities several times stronger than that of ordinary humans, and their intelligence was enough to deceive hunters. A tiger or a bear couldnt be anything other than a predator in the ecosystem.
Then what was a predators nemesis? Something on the same level as a predator? A quick prey that couldnt be caught? No, the word nemesis wasnt to that extent. A nemesis was something that couldnt be overcome. It was an empty stomach.
An environment in which all prey disappeared was deadly to predators, and these monsters were no exception. Once the monsters ran out of humans, wild animals, and wild birds, they would eat their own kind, and the numbers would be reduced.
Theodore got all these answers, but there was one problem left. …The survivors need to defend themselves so that the monsters cant fill their hunger.
Tae Rangs eyes widened at Theodores words. Y-You are saying the same thing as the supreme justice. I only said a few words so how…?
It is obvious when calmly looking at the situation, Theodore said. Then while ignoring Tae Rangs eyes which were filled with admiration, Theodore asked about his colleagues who had come ahead of him, Rather, my colleagues shouldve stopped in this village before me. Did you borrow the strength of those two people?
Ah, Ill explain from here! Lee Seol spoke on behalf of Tae Rang, who was too busy admiring Theodore. If you are talking about Theos wife and the silver-haired girl, they went to help Hyungkang Castle 300 kilometers to the northwest.
Yes! The residents of the castle have changed into monsters. But since there is an outstanding master present, there wasnt any serious damage. All the nearby survives gathered in Hyungkang Castle along with a judiciary of the royal family.
As the strongest empire on the East Continent, the lords were competent. The number of monsters that were changed mightve been small at first, but it wasnt easy to defend the castle and calm the confused people. However, if there was a master level shaman present, then the castle should be able to have defenses that wouldnt be easily surpassed.
Nevertheless, there was one reason why extra power was needed.
The mutant monsters have master level mana. Thinking about it again, Theodore found it strange. The power of a monster shouldnt change that much after the transformation.
According to the judiciary, there was little difference between a strong warrior and a monster. Then there must be a reason why the mutation was happening.
-User, Gluttony spoke as he came to this conclusion, -I am certain that I know the truth of this phenomenon.
After Tae Rang finished his story, Theodore asked for understanding from Aquilo and was left alone in a room without anyone else. Theodore confirmed that there was no one around with his senses and a transcendents magic. Then he sat in a chair and spoke, Start.
Gluttony replied like it had been waiting, -First, this is caused by Lust.
I guessed. I wasnt sure until you confirmed it.
-I was the same. I realized the nature of this phenomenon after receiving a clue from Users reasoning, Gluttony continued in an excited voice. -Why did the mutations in shamanism occur? Why did the ability of an individual become so different and why is it irrelevant to their life before the change? The key to this question is Lusts struggle.
-Thats right. It has to do with something you did. It is a little different but similar to the butterfly effect.
The butterfly effect? Theodore made a confused expression, but Gluttony didnt explain.
Gluttony raised its voice and exclaimed cheerfully, -Sloth! Prometheus arrangement that you performed set fire to Lust. That is what caused this disaster.
Crazy! Theodore made a bug-eyed expression as he realized everything in an instant.
Gluttonys words were right.
By expelling Sloth, the mana concentration of the world would decline significantly after centuries. It was a future that couldnt be reversed and had struck Lust with a thunderbolt across the ocean. The decline in mana concentration would interfere with the conception of an upper species, blocking the purpose of her existence.
-Thus, Lust started the last chapter. How many children has she given birth to on the East Continent for over a thousand years and how many descendants did they give birth to? Lust has turned on the potential latent in those who inherited her bloodline!
That is why they turned into monsters?
-Perhaps. User, dont you know better than anyone the appearance of monsters? They arent monsters but remnants of the parent species. Ulfhenar, Arv, Vulcan… They were failures who disappointed Lust. Gluttonys explanation was clear, accurate, and cruel enough to not leave any doubts.
Theodore wasnt responsible, but he played a role in this catastrophe. The plan to expel Sloth and lower the mana concentration of the world had all come from the god who looked ahead to the future.
Theodore let go of his last protests. I see.
He wasnt swayed by guilt and looked at the reality in front of him. The mutation comes from the blood of the upper species flowing in their veins. She triggered all the blood relatives in an attempt to draw out a winner, and the monsters are just failures who didnt become an upper species.
I dont understand the method of throwing everything into an unlikely possibility, but it is a grimoire. Theodores head was cold like the liquid in his brain had been turned into ice water. …Lets assume that at least one million people inherited Lusts blood. Is there the possibility of a winner appearing among them?
-Well, I cant calculate it with my ability.
Hrmm, I guess it is more like gambling than speculation. However, Theodores eyes gleamed. Can you answer my question, Seimei?
It was a name that popped up without any context, but no one wondered about it. Gluttony was silent, and no one spoke for a while. Theodore waited a few more seconds before glancing at his left hand. It was a silent demonstration that Theodore would call him using the users authority.
[…Ah. Were you waiting for me to comment?] Sure enough, the genderless voice was Seimeis soul rising to the surface of his consciousness.
Havent I been waiting for a while? I crossed the wall as you stated in your advice. Now that I am a transcendent, you should be able to confide in me. Am I right?”
The reason you told me not to approach the capital must have something to do with this grimoire.
As usual, Theodore waited for Seimei to speak on his own. However, Seimei was silent for a few moments. Seeming to sense Theodores determination in his words and gaze, Seimei withdrew his hesitation. [I understand. Ill tell you everything that remains in my memories.]
Theodores eyes dimmed, and a person who looked gender neutral appeared in his mind. The person was dressed in white and red, and he had ebony hair and golden eyes. This was the appearance of Abe no Seimei, the strongest onmyji in Japan.
Seimei greeted Theodore with a blank expression. [Now, I will start from the beginning.]
Despite this being a disturbing story for him, Seimeis determination didnt waver. Theodore listened as the old shaman confessed the truth that no one else knew.
[It is as you guessed. I am the child of a yokai and Lusta person who is a descendant of the white and golden nine-tailed fox, and is neither a human nor yokai.]
He was a half-man, half-yokai. Originally, it was something that shouldnt be possible. Seimei was an upper species that had been created using Lusts power.
It was far short of her ultimate goal, but Seimei was a monster who could compete with a dragon when fully grown. Thus, Lust had to raise Seimei well and use him to protect her. Unlike her other failures, she had planned to keep him and even imitated a maternal figure.
However, a problem had occurred in an unexpected place.
[My father saved me.] Seimei smiled as he recalled the proud memory. [Was it because a nine-tailed fox was attracted to a transcendent body or my fathers great paternal instinct? I still dont know. Personally, I hope it was the latter.]
Thanks to him, you escaped from Lusts grasp.
[Well, that is what happened. You should roughly know what happened next. I hid in Japan and walked the path of a shaman, reaching the level of a transcendent. I instinctively knew that I couldnt work for my mother.]
Despite being born from a wicked yokai and a grimoire, Abe no Seimeis nature was just and good. He couldnt stand injustice and rescued the weak.
At that time, Japan was a small place consisting of several villagers, rather than a kingdom. It was the advent of the onmyjis, led by Seimei. After a century of hard work and struggles, he settled in Japan with his successor and completed his organization.
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Lust exercised absolute power over her bloodline, but she couldnt interfere with a transcendent who had been removed from the framework of cause and effect. Abe no Seimei had crossed the border with that conviction. He had passed through the lands of the empire, defeating everyone who went against him and entered the capital. Seimei had become incomparable from when he escaped from the empire, and he wanted to destroy his mother.
After revealing all nine of his tails, he had called down a meteor shower to hit the imperial palace in the heart of the capital. Then he was defeated.
[…It was my first and last mistake.]
Seimei erased the smile on his lips.