Tokyo Ravens - Volume 8 - Chapter 2.4

Part 4 
Natsume obviously had no reason to accept Takiko's proposal. 
But contrary to Harutora's expectations, Natsume had agreed to Takiko's request. But with an additional condition. 
"If I win, you have to tell us what you know. You don't have to say everything, but I want to know what happened in the fire at the residence this morning." 
Natsume mentioned that matter and Takiko had obediently agreed. 
But, 
"Even if she loses, we can't guarantee that she'll tell the truth, right? Is that alright, Natsume?" 
"......It's alright. She probably won't break a promise. I feel that way. Harutora, you think the same, right?' 
It was like Natsume said. Though Harutora didn't have a shred of evidence, he trusted that Takiko wouldn't betray a promise. Natsume was even more guarded against Takiko than Harutora was, but at the same time she shared a similar impression. 
"Moreover...... I feel like she's a bit similar to me." 
"Similar to you?" 
"Yeah. The me from before. So......" 
Harutora didn't know what Natsume wanted to continue saying after the 'so'. But, Natsume's decision was already clear. 
So, after school. Harutora and the others arrived at the magic practice field underneath the academy building. 
Other than Harutora, Touji, Tenma, and Suzuka also came with Natsume, while Takiko was alone. But Takiko was the calmest as they entered the magic practice field. The unease she had shown in the cafeteria had dissipated and she seemed to want to focus her mind on the 'competition'. 
Of course, it was actually a mock battle rather than a competition, like the independent training that Harutora and the others constantly held. How did Takiko see this mock battle? He still had that sort of anxiety in his heart. 
...Can it be expressed with magic...... 
When Harutora heard those words, the memory of the 'competition of magic' between Ohtomo and Ashiya Doman came to mind. Indeed, Ohtomo had obtained Doman's approval through that battle. Harutora himself had also experienced the power of the Meguro branch thirteenth team leader Eto through his mock battle with him. The 'ideals of someone who walks the same path of Onmyoudou' that Takiko spoke of and understanding that could only be conveyed through magic - maybe they truly existed. 
But...... 
...Ties with Yakou, huh? 
Takiko's loudly-proclaimed shout that she wasn't a Yakou believer felt extremely sincere. But that didn't quell his anxiety. Harutora and the others had been endangered by Yakou fanatics not long ago. 
Takiko didn't pay Harutora's worries any heed as she stood in the center of the stadium. Her resolute posture was elegant and beautiful, as if she possessed an irresistible attractive force. 
"......Natsume, let's start." 
Natsume also nodded solemnly as she heard Takiko's stern proposal. 
Harutora immediately warned Natsume from behind her back. 
"Natsume, be careful of her shikigami." 
Natsume instantly turned around and nodded lightly, and then walked forward. 
She faced Takiko near the center of the arena. Harutora and the others walked to the seats. 
"......What do you think?" 
Touji asked, his extremely casual voice revealing his supercilious and entertained mood. He was just purely enjoying this competition. It was best to describe him as carefree. Touji was always like that. 
"Even among the current third-years, there aren't any students who can beat Natsume......" 
"That girl isn't a student here, and we don't know her power." 
"......In any case, we'll know soon." 
Touji responded to Tenma's feelings and Suzuka summarized things. 
Then, as Harutora watched: 
"Then, start!" 
Takiko and Natsume began sizing each other up. 
Takiko was the first to move. 
"Order!" 
She threw out a charm along with a magical command. It was a water-element charm, and extremely powerful. The magic flow of water swirled into an eddy as it approached Natsume. Of course, this wouldn't make Natsume panic. 
"...Earth conquers water. Order!" 
She threw an earth-element charm to her feet, blocking Takiko's magic. But just then, Takiko unleashed another charm. A metal-element charm. A fire-element charm. Then, a wood-element charm. She didn't use them with mutual generation, she just released them in staggered intervals. 
Her barrage of charms was proof of her strong aura. Natsume also accurately used charm magic to deal with Takiko's own. 
"It looks like she's quite textbook." 
Touji complained, bored. 
A mock battle between those on the level of students was also quite a spectacle, but Touji and the others had already experienced several real battles and witnessed the techniques of professionals first-hand. It was natural for them to feel dissatisfied with the level of this competition. 
But, 
"......No, wait. Natsume! That charm magic hasn't ended, it's still hiding other magic!" 
Harutora's voice warned Natsume but it was already too late. Takiko formed a hand seal, sticking an earth-element charm to the ground. One could see her refining magical energy in a flash as her red hair billowed like fire, its ornaments flashing. 
"Five elements, come together and block the spirit flow - Order!" 
The last of the five charms activated. At the same time, the magics hidden in the four charms from before were activated again. A pentagram appeared on the ground of the arena. 
It was a barrier. But it was different from ordinary barriers, and Suzuka's eyebrows shot up. 
"Blocking the spirit flow in the arena...... A guardian seal?" 
"What's that?" 
"It seals the defensive shikigami of the opponent - along with servant shikigami. Though whether it's a complete seal depends on the shikigami, it at least puts some shackles on the opponent's shikigami....... In other words, it suppresses the Tsuchimikado family dragon. Strategic." 
"...Ah." 
Harutora finally understood after hearing Suzuka's explanation. Unlike shikigami that were summoned through charms, defensive shikigami and servant shikigami who were always in a summoned state had a close connection of aura with their practitioner. In other words, a linked spirit flow. Takiko had blocked that connection. 
...I see. The glimpse of Takiko's shikigami earlier had turned into a distraction! 
In Takiko's eyes, her biggest 'threat' was Natsume’s servant shikigami dragon, Hokuto. In a battle, it was a natural move to contain that first. 
Moreover, Takiko had sealed Hokuto in anticipation, meaning that she believed that Natsume would use Hokuto. 
Hokuto was a true dragon that had served generations of the Tsuchimikado family - a divine beast. Since his strength was game-breaking for the level of students, it was like a 'rule violation' to Harutora and the others for Natsume to summon Hokuto. So Natsume definitely wouldn't use Hokuto during their independent training. Even in this mock battle, Natsume probably would have given a negative answer if she were asked whether she planned on summoning Hokuto. 
But Takiko didn't think that way. Or rather, this was proof that she was treating this mock battle seriously. It wasn't just her. She also wanted to express the attitude that she wanted Natsume to fight seriously to the level where she would consider using Hokuto. 
Takiko's message was clearly conveyed to Natsume. Natsume's attitude became more serious than before. 
Her fingers moved and formed a seal. They fluidly transitioned from a dharmacakra seal to a magic binding seal. Takiko also reacted instantly. 
"With the mortal world under my control, I subdue this evil spirit in the name of Acala's oath! On bishibishi karakara shibari sowaka!" 
"Rin, hyo, toh, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen!" 
Natsume's Unmoving Golden Chains was shattered by Takiko's kuji-in [9] . The magical energy rose and scattered around the arena, and caused Natsume's black hair and Takiko's red hair along with their respective black and white uniforms to blow upwards. Before the aftermath had cleared up, the two of them began the next round of magic. 
"Shikigami, arise. Order!" 
Natsume threw out shikigami charms and summoned simple shikigami. It wasn't just one, nor was it two. Rather, more than ten - more than twenty shikigami charms turned into crows one after one, flapping their black wings as they flew. They drew out arcs as they attacked Takiko. Their sharp movements in the air made them resemble missiles that had been shot out of a fighter jet. 
Takiko currently had a barrier placed in the arena, imposing a heavy burden on the spirit flow between the shikigami and practitioner. Releasing shikigami just now was Natsume's own way of responding to Takiko's techniques. Takiko's barrier would be meaningless if she released completely autonomous simple shikigami from the beginning after deciding on her magic. 
But Takiko didn't give up either, swiftly throwing out charms that formed similar shikigami. White-winged heron simple shikigami countered the murder of black crows that Natsume had summoned. 
The flock of larger white herons took flight and rushed to oppose the murder of crows. Intense lag spread all over the swarm of thrashing birds as black and white feathers scattered everywhere. 
"I-Incredible!" 
"Ah, it's very pretty." 
Tenma was stunned, and Touji laughed happily. 
In that period of time: 
"Rushing stream, grow branches and capture! Order!" 
"...Devouring soil, harden to metal and cut! Order!" 
The water-element charm that Natsume threw from her right hand produced a cascade of water, and the wood-element charm she threw from her left hand turned into thorns that absorbed the water. The Five Elements Mutual Generation strengthened its power and it became long, flexible whips of thorns. But the earth-element charm Takiko released steadily grew, becoming metal blades that cut the thorns apart after Mutual Generation with a metal-element charm. It was water-generated wood versus the earth-generated metal, but metal conquered wood. 
After the metal blades sliced apart the whips of thorns, they swiftly rushed straight for Natsume. Natsume immediately countered it with a fire-element charm. Then, she tossed an earth-element charm into the resulting flames, attempting to use Mutual Generation, but Takiko preemptively suppressed it with a water-element charm. 
Takiko said: 
"What's wrong, Natsume!" 
She shouted and simultaneously summoned another simple shikigami. 
"The Tsuchimikados' techniques - Yakou's techniques. This shouldn't be all there is!" 
Surprisingly, the shikigami Takiko had newly summoned was in the shape of a dragon. It wasn't even half the size of Hokuto, but it was covered in silver scales, as if to contrast with the Tsuchimikado family guardian beast. 
Natsume glared back at Takiko. 
"I'm Tsuchimikado Natsume! I don't know Yakou or anything. What do I care!" 

"......! So you also plan on avoiding your fate!" 
Takiko roared and unleashed the silver dragon. In the end, it was only a simple shikigami, but it was infused with a strong magical energy and a complex magic could be seen within it. 
"Ah." 
Natsume rapidly threw protective charms in front of the dragon. But the dragon crashed through the magical wall and continued advancing. Natsume immediately tumbled, avoiding the simple shikigami's strike. 
With a flip of her uniform sleeve, she tossed out several shikigami charms at once and created crow simple shikigami again. They entangled themselves with the dragon and hampered its movements. Using that time, she rose and put distance between them. 
But Takiko didn't pass up the opportunity when Natsume had lost her balance. A charm flew out again. This time it was a fire-element charm, and a burning arrows of fire continuously stabbed towards Natsume's feet. Natsume ran with all her might, refining magic and forming a hand seal. Natsume had also already started the chant of her next incantation. 
"Natsume! Hurry!" 
Harutora shouted unconsciously. 
Natsume stopped, exploding with magical energy. 
"Suzaku! Genbu! Byako! Koujin! Nanto! Hokuto! Sandai! Gyokujo! Seiryuu!" 
Kuji-kiri. A dazzling grid formed of nine lines emerged in front of Natsume. The radiant magic pattern took the strikes of all the arrows of fire, and even the silver dragon that leaped towards her after scattering the crows was scorched by the lines of light. Intense lag appeared over the dragon's entire body. "Nice!" Harutora cheered. 
But, 
"I'm not finished!" 
Takiko shouted and pointed at the silver dragon with a blade seal. The magical energy that shot from her hands activated the magic 'hidden' in the simple shikigami. The dragon seemed to contract and fragment upwards, towards the ceiling. 
"Eh?" 
Crows and herons were still clashing above the dumbfounded Natsume's head. But Takiko's shikigami devoured the dragon's fragments right when they flew by. 
The white feathers on the herons all scattered simultaneously like explosions, and were replaced by hard, silver feathers. Seeing this, Suzuka inadvertently gasped from next to Harutora. 
"I see! She coordinated the shikigami with Five Elements Mutual Generation!" 
"What?" 
The dragon and the birds were all beasts of the Earthly Branches. 'Tatsu' was of earth, while 'tori' was of metal, and they paralleled each other [10] . Indeed, the silver dragon and the white heron were each filled with earth and metal aura as pure simple shikigami. He had originally thought that this was an effect of the charm magic earlier, but that was wrong. They had been embodied with aura of the five elements when the shikigami had been infused with magic. 
Takiko had planned the simple shikigami around the Earthly Branches' five elements and strengthened their power through Mutual Generation. 
"Go!" 
Takiko formed a blade seal and swung it at Natsume. The flock of herons spread their newly-obtained silver wings and swiftly descended on Natsume as their target. 
It was a large-scale attack from above, and she couldn't dodge. Natsume rapidly crouched down and simultaneously threw charms above her head. 
"Ban! Un! Taraku! Kiriku! Aku! Connect the five elements, Order!" 
The five elements flashed, connecting to each other with lines of light and spreading into a magical wall in midair. This was the pentagram-shaped barrier magic that was the representative of the Tsuchimikado family Onmyoudou, as well as one of the magics Natsume was best at. Natsume's barrier constantly flashed as it defended against the shikigamis' strafing even after they had been strengthened by Mutual Generation. 
But, 
"Trailokyavijaya of the east! Kundali of the south! Yamantaka of the west! Vajrayaksa of the north! Principal deity Acala of the center! Five elements connect, Order!" [11] 
Takiko chanted the incantation for the same kind of magic as Natsume's. 
A pentagram barrier formed of the five elements. Like how Natsume had used the Five Buddhas of the Diamond Realm [12] 's seed syllables for her five-element incantation, Takiko used the names of the five Wisdom Kings as the five foundations of her incantation. The magical energy Takiko released headed towards the five-element barrier Natsume had put up. 
...This girl! 
She could clearly 'see' Takiko's magical energy penetrating the magic of the barrier. "Natsume!" Harutora called out loudly. 
"She's trying to steal control of the magic! Run!" 
After Harutora warned her, Takiko wrested away control of Natsume's barrier. The group of herons carrying the same kind of magical energy passed through the barrier unimpeded and assaulted Natsume. It was already too late for Natsume to move her body, and she could only block with her arms and shut her eyes. Harutora held his breath. 
Right afterwards, a golden light swirled around Natsume like a shroud. 
A circling dragon appeared. 
It was Hokuto. Though its connection of spiritual power with its master had been blocked, it still noticed its master's crisis and appeared to use its body as a shield. 
The golden scales covering Hokuto's entire body repelled all of the silver herons. Its giant eyes glared at Takiko, its pressure and presence incomparable to those of simple shikigami. 
But...... 
...Damn, that barrier's so powerful. 
Hokuto was a servant shikigami that possessed its own consciousness, so that was why it was able to materialize on its own without its master's instructions. Even if the link of aura to its master was severed, it could still act independently. 
But currently, it 'looked' like its strength was hampered by strong limitations and it was hard for it to wield its original power. The shikigami really was only complete with its master. 
On the other hand, 
"......This is the Tsuchimikado dragon, huh......" 
Takiko's eyes flashed in front of the emerged Hokuto. Her voice was filled with awe and admiration, but no fear at all. In addition, the strength in her body even swelled and she raised the level magical energy inside her body. 
Harutora clicked his tongue, unconsciously rushing out. 
"Wait, Takiko. That's already enough. You might not get out unharmed if this goes on." 
"Harutora, you stay out of this!" 
"I can't do that! I'm also Natsume's shikigami!" 
Harutora declared and ran beside Natsume and Hokuto. Tenma panicked, but Touji and Suzuka showed looks that said 'good timing' and watched Harutora. 
Hokuto floated in midair as if to say 'leave this to me'. "......Harutora." The crouching Natsume slowly rose. 
Harutora arrived in front of Natsume, confronting Takiko. Once they were face-to-face, Takiko's aura-intertwined red hair seemed closer to vermilion upon closer inspection. But what gave off a deeper impression than her hair was that her pure, sincere eyes were showing a noble expression of perseverance. 
A strong, noble, pure existence. A prince, and also - a shaman. For some reason, those words emerged in his mind. 
"...Takiko! Was what you wanted to convey through magic whether Natsume was Yakou or not? If that was the goal of your challenge, then what's different from what you're doing and what the Yakou fanatics did!?" 
"......!" 
Takiko's eyes widened upon hearing Harutora's accusation and her red hair seemed to rise like snakes. 
"It's like Natsume said during the competition, we have nothing to do with Yakou. Who knows a thing about his reincarnation or stuff like that. I don't know what's up with the 'path of Onmyoudou' that you talk about either. We'll decide our own paths. If you still want to pester us with connections to the past, we'll have to ignore you!" 
"......" 
Takiko's face went pale and she strongly bit her lip, almost drawing blood. 
Her slender shoulders covered in her uniform shook lightly as if she were forcefully suppressing herself, and anger and remorse rose from her entire body. She was like a child who had firmly asserted that she was definitely right but had been defeated in a verbal confrontation. 
The impression he had gotten in the classroom today morning reappeared in his mind. A magical power that didn't lose to Natsume's and cheerful and stubborn actions. A familiar character, and like a child where foolishness and clumsiness were mixed into one. That kind of impression was quite dangerous. 
"......To think you all...... I......" 
Takiko gritted her teeth, letting out a groan. 
Then, she suddenly went slack. 
She looked at Natsume from beneath the hair arranged over her forehead. Harutora felt an ominous air from her actions, calling out "Takiko!" loudly again. 
But Takiko didn't listen. She just quietly and slowly sighed. 
Then, 
"... One, two, three, four... " 
Instantly, 
...Eh? 
Once he heard Takiko's voice - the incantation - Harutora's heart instantly started beating faster with a thump and his vision became distorted. 
He couldn't breathe and chills ran through his back. His limbs were paralyzed and he lost his reasoning ability. 
Then, his aura went out of control. 
...Wh-What's happening? 
Harutora's aura thrashed like water inside a container being shaken vigorously and released magical energy. He unconsciously noticed the disaster, but he couldn't effectively deal with this crisis. Natsume seemed to call out something from behind him but he couldn't hear clearly. He saw Kon materialize in the corner of his vision. Takiko seemed to feel extremely surprised, and her gaze moved from Natsume to Harutora. Hokuto also curled its body in surprise. The surrounding reactions felt extremely distant from him. 
A nauseous feeling that was hard to endure rushed up his throat and his spiritual energy poured out. 
This was bad. He was going to go out of control. There was nothing he could do. Just as Harutora thought this-- 
A blue trail swooped before him. 
...Eh? 
His attention turned towards it. In the next moment, his field of vision spun ninety degrees. 
He only noticed that his body had been bound and he had been pushed to the ground after he collapsed to the floor. He immediately 'saw' the swallow whose longest feathers had extended like whips and were wrapped around him. Then, several charms dropped onto his body like falling snowflakes. 
No, it wasn't just around him. The charms that suddenly flew over also happened to surround Takiko and Natsume as well. They floated lightly like cherry blossoms in the spring breeze. Harutora, Natsume, Takiko, and even Hokuto's eyes widened in surprise. 
"That won't do. It would be fine if it were a mock battle for individual training, but meaningless fights are prohibited." 
An easygoing voice said with a strange Kansai accent that didn't match the atmosphere. Then came the sound of footsteps that eased his mind. 
Harutora twisted his body to look over as he remained bound by the 'Swallow Whip'. In the front of his field of vision that had been turned ninety degrees was a slender - but extremely fearsome - familiar figure passing through the arena entrance. A smile emerged on Harutora's face, even though he was trussed up on the floor like a bundle of straw. 
"Ohtomo-sensei!" 
Their homeroom teacher grinned upon hearing Harutora's greeting.