Excerpts from the Chapter: On the topic of Path of Onmyōdō
Terms: Spirit Arts, Onmyōdō and Onmyōji
Differing from Hermetic Magic, Witchcraft, Nature Magic or Sorceries... the Spirit Arts and Onmyōdō are a specific type of Magic or Supernatural Power that was developed in the Eastern Regions of the Planet Terra. Similar to Mana, which powers Hermetic Magic and acts as a Source for other Paths of Power, Spiria is an essential component of the Spirit Arts and Onmyōdo.
When Onmyōji or Hime-Mikos are using Spirit Arts or Onmyōdō, they are utilizing the Source called Spiria, which could be explained as a mixture between Mana and Spiritrons. Spiria is considered very specific and unique Source, because it combines two Sources of Power...
Namely, the Mana created from the Ethernano Particles and Spiritrons, a form of Spiritual Energy.
The Spiria is the mystical essence that one uses to create Spirit Arts techniques and spells, and is also used in the Onmyōdō. However, it is noted that the pure Spirit Arts, the Onmyōdo, are much stronger and potent against the Dark Attirubuted beings like Evil Spirits and Yōkai...
One could say that, like certain pieces of Hermetic Magic, epseiclaly the Hermetic Magic that is related to Attributes of Light and Holy, derived from specific mythos... the Spirit Arts and Onmyōdō are the nemesis of the Evil Beings, as they would be directly exorcised from the face of the earth.
The development of the Spirit Arts is dated to the ancient Yamato and Han, by the local Magic users who propelled the development of these branches of Magic and Sources. A certain kind of resurgence of the Spirit Arts and Onmyōdō came after the rise of legendary Onmyōji, Abe no Seimei, who had single-handedly revamped the entire branch of Onmyōdō.
The result of that was the creation of the Traditional-Style Onmyōdō.
A revolutionary Onmyōdō System created by Abe no Seimei after gathering, breaking down, rebuilding, and refining various branches of the Onmyōdō across Han and Yamato, creating the Traditional Onmyōdō. This was further revamped several centuries later, by the descendant of Abe no Seimei, Tsuchimikado Yakou, at the behest of the Emperor and Imperial Military.
It is the culmination of all of Japan's Spirit Arts, Traditional-Style Onmyōdō and Magic Lore and everything in between.
Because it was created for military purposes, it removed many of the religious and abstract elements of the old Spirit Arts and Onmyōdō, as the Imperial-Style focused more on practicality.
The Imperial-Style Onmyōdō is vastly different from the Traditional-Style Onmyōdō. When Tsuchimikado Yakou was creating the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō before the eruption of World War II, he aimed to create an Onmyōdō Style that was most efficient in single combat and was optimized for a single thing.
Destruction and power.
Without the religious and abstract elements of the Traditional-Style Onmyōdō, the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō is far more efficient, faster, and destructive compared to its predecessor. It is also worth noting that some more powerful or useful elements of the Hermetic Magic, Sorcery, Daoist Arts, and Spirit Arts were incorporated into the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō.
One could say that the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō was supposed to be the Ultimate Magic for the Onmyōji. Unfortunately for the common Onmyōji, the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō has proven to be even harder and more challenging for use, and only the more talented ones could master and use Imperial-Style Onmyōdō.
During the development of the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō, one could say that a watered-down version of the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō was created for a wider population of Onmyōji called Common-Style Onmyōdō. It is streamlined and considered easy to use compared to Imperial-Style Onmyōdō, but nowhere near as powerful as what was made before.
Some Onmyōji are using the Common-Style Onmyōdō as a bridge to learn it first before moving into the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō. This has proven to be a very efficient method of mastering the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō because the Onmyōji who are learning the Imperial-Style Onmyōdō this way have higher chances of mastering it.
Despite everything, Onmyōdō is almost exclusively used in the Empire of Japan and certain parts of the Huaxia Federation and the Empire of Korea. Especially the usage of the Shikigami is widely popular in these ends of the world, and many Onmyōji could use at least the Summoning Technique to summon and bind Shikigami.
Shikigami are a type of familiar used by practitioners of Onmyōdō. The term 'Shikigami' refers to servants that Onmyōji manipulated, 'shiki' meaning 'servitude', and shikigami being 'spirits who serve their practitioner'. They are the partners and guards of the practitioner, and to put it roughly, they were servants or slaves, even 'tools'.
The more skilled a practitioner is, the more precision and control they can exert over their shikigami. A high-level practitioner can even synchronize with their Familiar to the point where they can feel what they do. In addition, the master's Magic can't harm the shinigami.
Shikigamis are very similar to the Familiars used by the Mages, with the clear distinction being that it was easier to contract a Shikigami. Even people with a small amount of Spiria could contract Shikigami if they want.
With the rise of the Ten'nō no Onmyōji Tsuchimikado Yakou, the events of the Culling Game, and the resurgence of Onmyōji Clans in Japan, another golden era for the Onmyōji began.
Nakiri Clan and Souma Clan resurfaced during the Culling Game, and soon enough, the Tsuchimikado Clan was being rebuilt when the first child of Ten'nō no Onmyōji was born in late December 2020.
Over time, with the influence and power of Ten'nō no Onmyōji, Onmyōdō became more and more common, especially in the territory of the Illuminati Society, where enormous resources were being poured into the development of the Onmyōji who were members of the Illuminati Society.
- Book: Paths of Power and their Sources by Tsuchimikado Yakou, the 7th Campione Ten'nō no Onmyōji of Iluminati Society, 13th Seat of the Knights of the Round Table, and Head of Department of the Forbidden Arts of the Illuminati Society.
***
10th December, Tokyo, Empire of Japan, Mamiya Mansion
Four days have passed since Yakou returned to the Empire of Japan, and currently, he was watching television in the drawing room of the Mamiya Mansion together with Marie and Marika.
All three of them were after very long and intense lovemaking, as they watched the live stream from the Haneda Airport, where the Air Force One carrying the Vice President of the United States of Federal Americas was right now landing.
Matthew Tyler was arriving at the meeting that would take place tomorrow between the USFA and Huaxia, with the Empire of Japan and the Empire of Korea as observers and secondary signatories of some other minor agreements.
"They are making an entire drama out of it... like the world is ending tomorrow."
Marie said as she groped her daughter, who let out a soft moan, because she was becoming horny again. However, Yakou doubted that there was a time when Marie wasn't horny... which was a good thing for him.
She was horny most of the time that they were together as the MILF was totally insatiable in the regard of getting his D.
Not like he could complain about it.
"I have always thought that Tyler was a drama queen... though I guess we should start cleaning up, because he will arrive at the estate in a few hours."
Yakou said that, as much as he was in the mood to get another round with the mother-daughter duo, he refrained from doing so because there were other things in the plan. The most notable was the meeting between him and Matthew Tyler.
The VP of USFA would arrive secretly at the Mamiya Estate to discuss the negotiations that would take place tomorrow. Mainly because Yakou didn't plan just to remain in Japan for as long as the negotiations were in place, but he planned to participate.
He knew that Luo Hao wouldn't really care about the negotiations themselves and what exactly the Huaxia would sign with the USFA, as long as her orders were carried out. In this case, the orders were to sign an alliance with the USFA, and that would be done.
But Yakou planned to squeeze more benefits for them from the USFA, especially things regarding the Empire of Japan and the Empire of Korea. Japan was clear, as the Illuminati Society had many assets and allies there, but it was the Empire of Korea that was the interested one.
Just a few days ago, he was contacted by a representative of the Korean Imperial Council, which was basically the highest governing organ of Korea. Unlike Japan, there was no Emperor, as the entire Imperial Family was killed during World War II.
It was during a rather turbulent time, and it was due to the "efforts" of both Japan and China during that time, though a large sway in that had remnants of the organization called Worm, which had turned to terrorism.
Before they were hunted down by the Kure Clan and the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains.
"Koreans will be present, and they even sent the Member of the Regency Council and Chairman of the Korean Magic Association, Go Gunhee."
It was a rather surprising and bold move from the Koreans to send one of their highest-ranking members.
The Empire of Korea didn't have an Emperor, as the last one was killed together with the entire Imperial Line. Which then led to a rather interesting predicament, because some of the collateral branches and factions in the Moonlit Side of the World tried to push their own candidates for the Imperial Throne.
Yet the efforts were rather stuck, because everyone was weak to fuck, and nobody could push it through because that would mean a violent reaction from the other factions. Which in turn would lead to the civil war.
And the civil war was the last thing that Korea needed at that time... especially when there was China watching them like a hawk... So they established the Regency Council that would rule the Empire as its new Emperor.
There were multiple factions in the Regency of Council, notably the Cha Family, which was the most powerful collateral branch of the Imperial Family... they were so far from the Imperial Line that they could barely be considered as relatives, but there was no one better.
Then there was the Magic Association of Korea and the Martial Alliance of Korea... then there were some Guilds, as Guilds were very popular in Korea and there were multiple of them, but their more concrete status was more complicated.
"They are sending the Brilliant Light..."
Go Gunhee was known as the Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light and an extremely powerful Magic Saint... one that was skilled at the Martial Arts and most proficient in the Telekinesis Spells, which were his specialty.
Yakou heard many things about the man... he was the strongest person in all of Korea, but it was pretty unfortunate that his old age was getting to him. Or else, the situation would be much different for Korea...
"Well, I guess that the entire thing would be far more interesting than initially predicted."
The Empire of Japan would be represented during the meeting by the Prime Minister, but it would be Katahara Metsudō who would have the final word. And the Empire of Korea would be represented by Go Gunhee.
Yakou knew that Koreans must be afraid that after the Huaxia Federation entered into an alliance with the United States of Federal Americas and Lost Domain, they would be basically uncontrollable and would turn their attention on them.
That wasn't really a wrong assumption.
Yakou knew that it was highly possible that something like that would happen.
In the end, the Korean Empire, despite having a rather solid number of Martial Artists and powerful Mages, was without the protection of Campione. Anything on the Terra that was without the protection of Campione was for taking by those who were backed by Campione.
Such was the reality of the world.
Might makes right.
Just like now, as the rest of the Russian Federation devolved into countless factions that were openly in war against each other, and even some other nations were already intervening to get a piece of the pie.
Voban's action in taking the entire Siberia and other territories has destroyed the entire political spectrum and created another series of wars. But who can say something to Voban?
He was the oldest and most powerful Campione out of all of them...
"Are you going to speak with them? I think they would be rather forthcoming in the negotiations."
Marie asked as she turned down the television and watched how Marika and Yakou were passionately kissing each other. Her daughter was also in the mood, judging by various factors, as she joined them in making out.
"Of course... We can't have Huaxians assimilate everything around them and Korea has a strong and good relationship with us."
Yakou knew that the Empire of Korea could be a powerful ally in the future and, together with the Empire of Japan, could create some sort of counterbalance against the Huaxia Federation in the future.
It would be a fragile balance... but it would be one nonetheless.
Everyone knew that sooner or later, Luo Hao would become bored with playing the Sims in real life and turn her attention to something else. It wasn't any secret that her attention span wasn't particularly long, and even now, she was doing this because Yakou was doing it.
But contrary to Luo Hao, Yakou was doling it because he experienced firsthand how politics can stab you in the back.
"Well, that's a true... even right now, their expansionism looks like it would swallow everything in their path if we are not careful."
Soon enough, the trio stopped making out, or else the entire situation would turn into another marathon of debauchery and physical pleasures. When they stopped their pleasures, both Mamiyas went to check over the final preparations for the arrival of the Vice President, while Yakou was double-checking all Magical Wards.
Just enough to be sure that everything was alright.
"Master Yakou, the snacks are finished. Do you want to check on them?"
Suddenly, the familiar visage of Katagiri Aira appeared in the room in her skimpy outfit as she asked her master. Yakou, who noticed the stare that she was giving him, made him look at her as he grabbed her by his mini tie and kissed her.
She moaned into his kiss as she rubbed her thighs together.
Poor Aira was forced to be bound to a chair and forbidden to touch herself while watching how he, Marie, and Marika were having sex for several hours straight. Marie was even cruel enough to give her a chastity belt just to make the situation even more agonizing for her.
Yakou pinched her pierced nipples as he released the Head Maid.
"Now go and be good and I will fuck you like no tomorrow in the evening."
He whispered into her ear, which made Aira shudder from pleasure... even though she was technically only a concubine of his, Yakou actually liked Aira very much to the point where his feelings toward her were no less than toward his partners.
If he didn't know that she greatly enjoyed playing as a maid, he would have long ago taken her as his official partner.
***
Several Hours Later, Greater Ballroom of the Mamiya Mansion
"Long story short, I will be personally present during the second phase of the meeting."
The meeting in Tokyo between USFA and Huaxia would have two phases. The first one would be the most formal and would discuss some topics that could be discussed openly. Things that could be said in front of cameras, but nothing that was considered important to the people in charge.
The second phase was the most important, because it was during this phase that they would decide on the most important aspects of the agreements and the new form of the global order.
"That will create huge pressure on the Huaxia side."
Matthew Tyler was initially a General in the U.S. Army in charge of Special Operations at the Pentagon and participated in the creation of the Mage-Knight Blazer Corps Regiment. The sole reason why Grey chose him as his VP was his military history and achievements...
Not to mention, Tyler was also an Executive-Level member of the Illuminati Society, which was another of the reasons why he ended up as the Vice President of the United States of America when it was still the USA.
"That's the point... Luo Hao doesn't actually care that much about the development of the Huaxia and won't show during the negotiations. She is far more interested in the development of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains than the nation that was created with her help. Nevertheless, with that, we can squeeze more benefits for the USFA."
Yakou said as he sat together with Matthew Tyler over a cup of Japanese tea and some traditional snacks that were prepared by the cooks at the Mamiya Mansion for their meeting.
"That could work... Lu Yinghan would give you face, and we can secure the benefits and objectives needed for the alliance to work."
Even though Matthew Tyler wasn't politically the most apt person around, he had some level of acumen, and he had qualified people working under him.
"So what did the Department of State put together as the important objectives for the meeting?"
Yakou asked because there was, for sure, a list of objectives that the Department of State would put together for its negotiations, which the USFA should and must secure during those negotiations.
"The first and foremost priority is to secure the status quo in the Pacific so that Huaxia won't try to attack and annex the Empire of Japan and the Empire of Korea. Then there is the matter of dividing the areas of influence within the region and across Asia. Aside from that, there are other things like cooperation on the development of the Magitech, exchange of knowledge, cooperation in the economic, military, and supernatural matters... and many more."
There was a rather extensive list of what would become part of their negotiations, but only a few things were marked as ones that needed to be obtained at all costs. While the heavy majority was just a variable... depending on how the negotiations would go, they would select an approacch ot them.
"There is certainly a lot of it... Also, during the negotiations, after we start behind closed doors, Katahara Metsudō would handle the ones for the Empire of Japan, speaking only with him and not the Prime Minister or representatives of the Imperial Family."
Yakou said as this was another power play that he cooked up with the old man Katahara, because Katahara Metsudō would be present during the meeting. Though the official representatives for the Empire of Japan were the Prime Minister Yashimoto and some delegates from the Imperial Household.
"As you wish... it would be simpler to speak with the ones that are holding real power in their hands."
In the current state of the Empire, the real power was already in the hands of the Kengan Association and resurfaced factions. Aside from the Kengan Association that devoured the bulk of forces and influence of the History Compilation Committee, there were the Kure Clan, Nakiri Clan and Sōma Clan.
The Onmyōji Clans, Nakiri and Sōma, had already carved out their areas of influence, while the Kure Clan directly took over the entire Kyoto as its territory. In the end, they were already pretty close to the old Imperial Capital of the Empire, and they had the power to hold onto that.
Right now, the Kure Clan was the most powerful singular faction in all of Japan and the most powerful Clan-based faction in all of Asia. Well, it was only a matter of time until Kure Raian became a Martial Saint, and from what Yakou saw, he would be an absolute monster among the other Martial Saints.
Yakou personally invested in Kure Raian because he promised to help him find a suitable Heirloom that met his needs. Even though he admitted that Raian had a few screws loose in his head, there was no denying that he was an exceptional Martial Artist and Assassin.
"But what about Koreans? I heard that there is some internal turmoil in the Empire."
He asked because he heard that there were some internal conflicts within the Korean Empire, but he didn't know the exact details.
"That is getting more complicated, and it's something out of our hands... it seems that there are some internal conflicts between the Scavenger Guild, White Tiger Guild, and Hunters Guild. We don't really know what the origin of those conflicts is, but it's something related to one Tomb that is related to the former Imperial Family of the Korean Empire, and only the members of the Imperial Family can open it."
Hearing what Tyler said made Yakou pause because there was something suspicious about that. And the fact that it included the top three Korean Guilds was even more suspicious, because none of the three Guilds were weak.
The concept of the Guilds was more prevalent in Asia, sans China, now Huaxia, and in Africa, because there was a total lack of oversight from some powerful hegemonies, which allowed people to run wild and do what they wanted.
Yakou heard about all three Guilds because they were the strongest factions that had all seats on the Regency Council. Among them, the Scavengers Guild was the youngest, as it was only a few decades old, because it was established some time after the end of the Cold War.
The Hunters Guild and White Tiger Guild, on the other hand, were long-established Guilds that were several centuries old and had long-standing traditions in the Martial Arts, Spirit Arts, Magic, and Daoism.
Especially, the White Tiger Guild had some connection with the Nakiri Clan, as both of them were under the patronage of the White Tiger. Meanwhile, the Hunters Guild specialized in cultivating the "Hunters"... highly specialized warriors who were experts at tracking and killing targets or carrying out specialized assassination missions.
"Aren't all of them already dead?"
The Vice President of the United States of Federal Americas just nodded in agreement to the question as he proceeded with the explanation. It was known that the Cha Family was related to the former Imperial Family, but not close enough to open the Vaults or Tombs that were directly tied to the Bloodline of the Imperial Clan.
"Yes, they are, but the Scavengers Guild wants to break in through force, while the Hunters Guild and the Cha Family are strongly opposing it. White Tiger Guild chose to remain neutral in the moment, but who knows what they would choose. At the same time, it's clear that the Scavengers Guild was also working with someone outside of Korea to break into the Tomb, and we have identified two sources of the external cooperation... first is now defunct History Compilation Committee, but the second is most probably Royal Arsenal."
The moment Yakou heard the name Royal Arsenal, he was getting a headache, because it was the Magic Association under the 4th Campione - Alexander Gascoigne, the Black Prince, Alec.
Notorious thief and robber, who liked plundering Tombs and historical sites for anything of value or just for fun. The entire concept of the Tomb Raiders that the USFA and Illuminati Society were heavily investing in and cultivating was actually largely inspired by the behavior of Gascoigne.
"That makes the choice for USFA rather easy, right?"
Yakou asked rhetorically because there was no way he would be working together with the same people who were receiving support from the History Compilation Committee or were in cahoots with Gascoigne's goons.
"It's highly possible that someone from Korea would ask us for help against the Scavenger Guild. If shielded by the collective agreement between Your Majesty, Marquise and Martial Ruler, there is no possible chance for the 4th Campione to intervene on behalf of a faction that's not even under his command."
Tyler, as Vice President of the United States of Federal Americas, was still pretty cunning and knew that the Summit would be used as an opportunity by someone from the Cha Family or the Korean Magic Association to ask to deal with the possible pressure of the Campione.
If that was taken out of the equation, then they would handle the Scavenger Guild by themselves as it wasn't a threat. Even though the Scavenger Guild was certainly powerful, it had only one Martial Saint who apparently reached that level through rahter questionable means.
Hwang Dongsoo.
It wasn't much of a secret that the entire Scavenger Guild was on a slight decline, and because the power of the Guildmaster couldn't be compared to the other two top Guilds in Korea or the Korean Magic Association, they were being slowly but steadily suppressed by the other factions.
Not to mention, their Guild wasn't much liked in the first place, because many thought that they were behaving like thugs.
So it seemed that they were now doing everything that they could to reverse their seemingly inevitable fate of falling into obscurity or being killed off in some clean-up.
"I heard that one of the family members of the Cha Family managed to get into the Hunters Guild and even became Vice-Guild Master?"
Yakou heard about something like that in the reports, but didn't pay a lot of attention previously. If it were indeed true, it would be a huge power shift within the Regency Council, as the Hunters Guild and the Cha Family would become essentially one political block.
If one included the good relationship that the Cha Family enjoyed with the Korean Magic Association, as both were extremely old factions, then it would give them almost total control over the entire Regency Council of the Korean Empire.
"That is indeed correct... and she is also an extremely powerful Magic Knight and swordsman. She is also noted to be a Heirloom User, but we don't know what price Heirloom she is using."
As Yakou was hearing that, he was rather intrigued by her, because there were not many competent and powerful individuals her age. She was certainly rightly called a prodigy, and many predicted that she had the most solid chance of ascending as the Magic Saint.
Even the Knights of the Round Table of the Illuminati Society noticed that more and more people were ascending to the status of Saints or had the potential to become one. Mostly because of the greater amount of Heirlooms and Relics that were becoming more and more common over the years.
Which wasn't that surprising with the Second Coming of the Great Tomb Appearance.
***
Prime Minister's Office, Tokyo, Several Hours Later
Naikaku Sōri Daijin Kantei, or the Prime Minister's Office, is the official workplace of the Prime Minister of Japan.
It was also the place where today's Summit between the United States of Federal Americas and Huaxia Federation would take place, with the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire as secondary participants in the Summit.
Yakou was already within one of the lavish meeting rooms, pretty close to the American Delegation, while pretending to be invisible, which wasn't hard with some spells. From the place where he was standing, he already saw Katahara Metsudō, who was being swarmed by a group of people in suits.
It was clear that many already realized that Katahara Metsudō would be basically the representative for the Empire of Japan and planned to capitalize on that... which Yakou cosdniwered as a grave mistake.
Next to Katahara Metsudō were Katahara Retsudo and Kanoh Agito. One attended the meeting as the Heir of the Katahara Family, who would socialize with the less important people, so they would cover as many people as possible, and Kanoh Agito was Katahara Metsudō's protection detail.
In another corner of the room, Yakou saw representatives from the Korean Empire arriving to the Summit. It was Chairman of the Korean Magic Association and Council Member of the Regency Council, Go Gunhee. He was a muscular old man with gray hair, greenish-gray eyes, and numerous scars on his body.
As a high-ranking government official, he was usually seen wearing a three-piece suit, but despite that, he radiated sheer power and authority.
Huaxia Federation was being represented by its High Chancellor, Lu Yinghan, who was standing in another corner and chatting with the Vice President Matthew Tyler. The entire negotiation was a private thing, which meant that aside from the invited people, there were no others.
This was one thing that everyone agreed upon, as it excluded everyone from journalists to the assistants. Only the people who had the right to speak behind the table would participate in the negotiations.
Yakou was already growing rather bored at this reception until he saw someone whom he didn't really anticipate.
He noticed that Keira was present, wearing her military uniform as a General of the USFA. She was currently raiding the buffet, which featured traditional Japanese, Korean and Chinese food.
Obviously, the level of cuisine in the Summit was at an absolute peak, and Yakou himself spent most of the time either eating or drinking, as there was nothing better to do.
"I thought that you had already left Japan."
Yakou said as he came to the woman, who was also his lover, and they were in some kind of romantic relationship because he really thought that she had left Japan. Surprisingly or not, she had remained within the Empire.
"Nah... I received notice to remain here until the end of the negotiations with the Huaxia... there are some serious concerns in the Pentagon that it could fall and they would invade Japan... of course, this was before your meeting with Luo Hao."
He understood the sentiment from the side of the Pentagon because, from the perspective of the Huaxia, the Empire of Japan was at its weakest. Right now, they were straight away after the Culling Game, which wiped out a significant portion of their Magic Users and Martial Artists, collapsed the biggest supernatural faction, and even though they had Campione, the said Campione was useless.
If the Huaxia Federation really invaded Japan, then the only obstacles were the Kure Clan, Kengan Association, and some of the Onmyōji Clans, but that wouldn't be enough to stop the numbers of Huaxia.
Not to mention the fact that Huaxia had the full support of the Holy Cult of the Five Mountains, which had more Martial Saints than one could count, and many of them were personally cultivated by the Martial Ruler.
So, from that perspective, the Empire of Japan was a particularly suitable target for the Huaxia to invade and conquer, given their historical grievances and ongoing conflicts that still influence the foreign policies of both nations.
"Well, it's rather fortunate then that Luo Hao is pretty reasonable, not?"
Keira stopped eating as she looked at Yakou, who looked like he had grown a second head, but didn't say anything. Just the wording and meaning of the sentence were utterly ridiculous and shouldn't be put together.
Never and ever.
Martial Ruler and reasonable?
"Nevertheless... when this entire mess is finally started? I am becoming bored and want to go home."
Keira complained like a small child because a diplomatic meeting wasn't something that was for her, and she was growing bored. Yakou could actually understand her sentiment, because it was boring and pretentious.
He didn't have the patience and time to withstand countless asskissers and people who were giving him false smiles and compliments. Nothing for him, and fortunately, because of his status as Campione, there were only a very few people who dared to speak with Campione.
"Soon enough... I guess even Tyler is getting annoyed with the entire thing. I still don't understand why Grey chose Huim as VP... that's like choosing you for the position as Secretary of State."
Immediately when he said that, Keira glared at him with her famous death glare, but didn't say anything to that, because he was correct. She would certainly abhor the entire position and everything that came with it.
Even now, when one looked closely, they would notice that Tyler was growing visibly annoyed with the rows of diplomats and officials that came to kiss his ass. Now that the USFA was officially established, its national power was at its highest, and with the dissolution of NATO, many felt that this was a huge opportunity.
An opportunity to get into something new.
But not many realized that these things had already been decided a long time ago by people far more powerful, unknown to the general public.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. If I can ask you to assume your seats so we can officially start the Summit."
The voice of the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshitake rang through the room as everyone took their current seats. The people who were attending the meeting and the USFA-Huaxia Summit were all aware of the supernatural, so many were suddenly shcoked when they saw Campione attending.
Yakou sat down next to the Vice President of USFA, next to his left, as Secretary of State Simmons sat to Tyler's right. Keira sat next to Yakou, mainly so they could speak during the Summit.
As everyone was seated in their assigned seats, the doors to the meeting room closed, and security erected several rounds of Barriers and Wards to prevent anyone from listening in or disrupting the negotiations.
"We are honored to host the USFA-Huaxia Summit today in the name of the Empire of Japan. We are especially honored by the presence of His Majesty the 7th Campione, who will be presiding over the meeting."
When this was being said, it was rather visible that the Huaxia side grew more distressed as everyone looked like they had swallowed a particularly sour lemon. Nobody has predicted the possibility of Campione personally attending their Summit.
Now, some thought that it was a shame that they didn't attempt to persuade Luo Hao to attend, but those who met with the Marital Ruler knew that it would be futile. The 2nd Champion would never participate in something so boring and mundane as the diplomatic meeting and negotiations between two countries.
Then, next, I want to welcome the delegation from the United States of Federal Americas, led by Vice President Matthew Tyler; the delegation from the Huaxia Federation, led by Chancellor Lu Yinghan; and the delegation from the Korean Empire, led by Chairman Go Gunhee. On the side of the Empire of Japan, our side would be represented by Chairman of the Kengan Association Katahara Metsudō."
The last part of that sentence was said with as much strained smile as it was humanly possible, because it was clear that the Prime Minister took it as a personal insult and humiliation that Katahara Metsudō would be representing their nation in the negotiation.
But at the same time, it was also somehow expected.
The Kengan Association was now the sole ruler of the entire Moonlit Side of Japan, and they had the support of the Kure Clan and the Onmyōji Clans in the Empire.
"Now let's start the negotiations."
What followed was a lengthy negotiation between the representatives of the United States of Federal Americas and the Huaxia Federation regarding the peace agreement, the cessation of hostilities, and subversive actions, among other matters.
This phase of the negotiations was mostly between Matthew Tyler and Lu Yinghan, but despite the exceptions, everything was proceeding rather smoothly. Mainly because the Huaxian side got strict instructions from Luo Hao, so they didn't dare to do anything that would attract the ire of their Campione.
And Yakou was actually sitting just a few meters away, which didn't really help the entire thing, because everyone was aware that the Huaxians would be negotiating for more things if not for the agreements between the two Campiones.
In the end, the first phase of the negotiations proceeded pretty well, because both USFA and Huaxia managed to agree on the general framework. It was pretty tough from the start, but over time, they managed to get the common ground and move from there on.
The more troublesome thing was dividing the spheres of influence within Asia and the Pacific, which was a rather hard thing to do... most likely because both sides wanted to carve as much as possible, and then there was still the topic of the Korean Empire and the Empire of Japan.
Those were still technically independent and didn't fall under someone's sphere of influence.
"On the matter of the Empire of Japan and its foreign influence, we are interested only in the Shalal and Kuril Islands for which we have a separate agreement with the Lost Domain."
Katahara Metsudō spoke as the atmosphere grew heated, with everyone now looking surprised, since many had predicted that Japan would try to negotiate for more when they had such strong support from the 7th Campione.
But Katahara Metsudō knew that it was already their limit and sometimes less was more.
Like in this case.
He personally wasn't that interested in expanding the territory of Japan, something that a lot of major players in the Moonlit Side of Japan agreed upon. The Kure Clan found things like controlling territory especially troublesome, and they were rather content with the Kyoto Area that became their territory right now.
Not to mention, showing too much ambition in the expansionary matters would for sure attract the attention of the USFA and Huaxia, which was not something they wanted or needed in their current predicament.
"I spoke with Voban and the Lost Domain will agree to give those islands to the Empire of Japan, sans their population. People living on the islands would be relocated either to the successor states of the Russian Federation or the Lost Domain."
Yakou then added his part, because the annexation of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Islands was something he had already discussed with Katahara Metsudō and Voban, who agreed that the Japanese could take those islands for themselves.
Hearing that the Campione spoke, everyone accepted it as reality.
"Well, if it's the will of the Campiones, then we humbly accept."
Lu Yinghan stated slowly, though none of these territories were the ones that were of interest to the Huaxia Federation. They were far more interested in their neighbors and Southeast Asia and the huge island nations that were in there.
"The Huaxia Federation also acknowledged the sovereignty of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire over its territory. In the exchange, we want the included parties to acknowledge our claim over the rest of Southeast Asia and the Asian Mainland as part of the Huaxia Federation."
Lu Yinghan pushed for the main points that were most important for the Huaxia Federation, which were their claim over the rest of Asia and the entire Southeast Asia. Katahara Metsudō looked neither surprised nor neutral when he heard that, and the same could be said of Go Gunhee.
Despite the fact that the Korean Empire had a large population, its leadership wasn't much interested in expansion. The Korean Guilds were even less so, because they didn't need a larger territory to provide their service and they could operate whenever they wanted.
Meanwhile, the same couldn't be said about the American delegation, because both Tyler and Simmons visibly frowned when they heard that, and even Yakou was rather surprised that Huaxia asked for that in the open.
And it was a lot...
On the other hand, it wasn't like USFA had significant assets in Southeast Asia or in the Asian mainland... not like much has remained from the mainland itself, because Huaxia has already either annexed or conquered most of the countries, and now only some remaining lucky ones are independent.
Still, this was rather a heavy price, because the Huaxia was basically asking to cut the potential income and profits. Of course, the Department of State and the Illuminati Society were already prepared for the request like this because they had already predicted it.
Everyone present here was clear that Huaxia wanted to swallow up the entire Asia to create some sort of Celestial Empire. Unfortunately for them, it was impossible because there were several obstacles in that path, but they could see that if not for the Campiones and the complicated situation, it would be different.
"We can negotiate about that... for the exchange, the USFA would require complete withdrawal of the Huaxian's assets from the Middle East and disputed territories with the Lost Domain."
Not many knew that Yakou was actually negotiating some things on behalf of Lost Domain because Voban didn't want to meet with Luo Hao, but the people under his rule were having some conflicts with Huaxia about territory.
Some places that were under the control of the Lost Domain were being claimed by Huaxia, and in certain regions, it was rather tense, and it even resulted in a number of military standoffs.
When VP Tyler said that, the good news was that the Huaxians were seriously considering the offer, and even though their Middle Eastern assets were important for them, they were not that important, actually.
The Magic Associations in the Middle East were one of the oldest in the world, and they were not easy to deal with. For the Huaxia, it didn't help that the two greatest players in the region, Israel and the Iron Sultanate, were fiercely resisting Huaxian influence.
Over the years, they had suffered a lot of assassinations at the hands of Fida'i of Alamut or the setbacks at the hands of Yehudim Magic Associations that were often cooperating together.
Even though they hated each other, they viewed the Huaxians as foreigners...
"We can agree to the first condition, but the second needs to be discussed thoroughly."
When Yakou heard that, he grinned, because with this, he had fulfilled the request of the Yehhudim Magic Associations and House of Wisdom. And they would pay him in the Magic Lore as they would give him copies of some of their most precious Lore for negotiating this on their behalf.
Even though both the Iron Sultanate and Israel were heavyweights when it came to military power, be it mundane or Moonlit, they lacked the support of the Campione. Thus, the solution was rather simple...
They used their contacts in the government of the USFA, as the old USA was selling weapons to both of them and wanted to meet with the Campione Tsuchimikado Yakou.
The proposal was simple.
He would help to keep the meddling and other actions from the Huaxia out of the Middle East, while they would pay him with Magic Grimoires and Magic Tomes. Yakou agreed almost immediately, because those were some really rare pieces.
The House of Wisdom was the pre-eminent center of learning within the Iron Sultanate. Its libraries, workshops, forges, gardens of exotic and wondrous plants, hospitals, observatories were unmatched. It was one of the factions that had most developed Alchemy, and their Jabirean Alchemists were world famous for their skills in Alchemy and combat prowess on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Yehudim Magic Association was as old as more than two thousand years, and they held some of the greatest collections of the Magic Lore in the entire world. Many of the Grimoires were already considered as lost knowledge in most of the world...
"As you wish, but after the main negotiations are finished."
At the same time, there was also a reason why none of the Campiones came there and tried to come in by force. The Yehudim Magic Association produced one Campione through their existence, and both factions enjoyed good relationships with some Campiones over the course of many centuries.
To the point, where some of them helped strengthen the protections and Wards around their bases, to the point where it was dangerous even for the Campiones themselves. According to the rumors, there were some attempts by Black Prince Alec to raid one of the depositories, but the result of it was unknown.
Though it was agreed upon that Black Prince didn't succeed because he was seen later in Libya and injured... Obviously, nobody dared to question Campione, and the Yehudim Magic Association didn't say a word about what had happened in there.
"Don't sleep."
Yakou whispered to Keira, who was sitting next to him.
The rest of the negotiations proceeded mostly without many problems as Yakou tried to pay attention now that he was present... though if there was another person with attention problems, it was Keira who looked like she would fall asleep at any given moment.
"I am not asleep... but listening to whether the border is located ten meters from the river or fifteen meters from the river is not really for me."
She answered him rather too quickly because she wasn't really asleep, but in fact wasn't that far from it either. He had given her that one because this part of the negotiations really made him regret coming here.
But at the same time, the deal that they made was much better.
"And now we move onto the topic of Africa and influences there."
This caused a few eyebrows to furrow because, for the Moonlit Factions, the entire continent of Africa was like a lawless zone. Practically, anyone who was a criminal, fugitive, or some kind of crook would go there to hide from authorities.
While parts of Northern Africa, due to their proximity to Europe and the Middle East, were somehow monitored and under surveillance, the same cannot be said about the rest. Some Italian Associations from time to time scoured the north of Africa, and the same could be said about the Iron Sultanate and Israel.
But neither of them bothered themselves with that content much.
Yakou, like everyone else, knew that the state of Africa was a result of the consensus.
Basically, the powerful nations and the supernatural faction wanted a place where they could dump or exile their undesirables that they didn't want within their borders or in their prisons.
Changing that status was virtually impossible, yet at the same time, many factions were rather interested in that continent due to the natural resources in Africa. But due to the messed-up situation there, it was mostly impossible to proceed there and start the extraction, much to their needs.
The topic of Africa was especially hard for the Huaxia, because they had a lot of investments and interests there. Hearing that the USFA was willing to discuss the division of Africa was one thing, but Lu Yinghan feared that they would lose the entire continent as their influence.
In the end, after one hour of negotiating, they managed to get a preliminary agreement where they had carved up the entire continent and divided their spheres of influence.
Yakou also noted that he would need to forward this to the Iron Sultanate and Israel, because Moonlit Factions in those countries were interested in certain regions of Africa and Yakou planned to squeeze out more benefits and Lore from them.
He knew that 1st Seat Faust was especially interested in the Alchemy of the House of Wisdom.
Though, aside from that, the rest of the Summit proceeded rather smoothly and without much complications. In the end, the agreement was reached, and all parties were content with what they obtained...
Some obviously more than others, because USFA had their Campione present, so the Huaxia was forced to relent on many things when Tyler said that they were essential for their national interests, and Yakou supported him.
Without the explicit support of Martial Ruler, Huaxians couldn't really put anything on the table, and the USFA was certainly the undisputed winner of the negotiations. Though it wasn't like the Huaxia got the short end of the stick, because they still got basically free rein over their conquest of Asia, and around one half of the African continent became their playground.
Now officially with the support of the United States of Federal Americas, Lost Domain, and other smaller players.
***
Tokyo, Several Days Later
For Yakou, it was already time to leave the Empire of Japan, but before he would be leaving, he promised to spend some time with Kure Karura and Kure Fusui, who were rather sad that he was leaving already.
This was specifically true for Kure Karura because she wanted to have his baby, but they didn't even sleep together much to her dismay. And one needed to know that she was indeed doing everything that she could to achieve that goal.
But most of her efforts were sabotaged by Kure Fusui, who wanted to slow down Karura and secure her own progress to be the first. Even though they were cousins, they were also competitors because they were aware that the first of their children with Campione would become the Patriarch of the Kure Clan.
They were dragging him through some cultural landmarks in Tokyo, but Yakou actually enjoyed the outing pretty much. Kure Fusui was actually attending Tokyo University in Tokyo, so she knew the city very well.
He didn't really understand why professional assassins and Martial Artists like her decided to attend the university, but it wasn't his place to comment on that. He only knew that many of the Kure Clansmen also had civilian jobs in addition to their profession as assassins.
"Where else do you want to go?"
Yakou asked as they were wandering through Tokyo for most of the day, as he wondered where their energy was coming from. Both of them seemed like endless bundles of energy, but he kept that for himself.
"I want to go to Akasuka and buy a new Yukata, and afterward we can go to have a picnic in the Shinjuku Gyo-en."
Kure Fusui stated that she had already thought over their entire date and wanted to go to Akasuka to choose some new Yukatas for which Yakou would pay as he was loaded, and then they would go to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a large public garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally a residence of the Naitō family in the Edo period. In 1872, following the Meiji Restoration, the house and its grounds were converted into an experimental agricultural center, the Naito Shinjuku Experimental Station. It became the Shinjuku Imperial Botanical Garden in 1879.
In 1901, the head of the garden, Hayato Fukuba, asked landscape architect Henry Martinet of the École nationale supérieure d'horticulture in Versailles to remodel the botanical garden into a landscape garden, and Shinjuku Imperial Garden, with its present layout, was opened in May 1906 with the Emperor Meiji in attendance.
Karura didn't really care about where they were going as long as they were together... the two Kure cousins were also preparing lunch. The prospect of the home lunch was rather appealing, and even though two of them were professional assassins, they were also raised to be embodiments of Yamato Nadeshiko.
The Kure Clan was a traditional enviroment that put heavy emphasis on the traditional and very strict upbringing. So, even though Kure Karura and Kure Fusui could handle any weapon, from katana to sniper rifles, they also mastered the areas of cooking, flower arrangement techniques, cleaning, and everything in between.
"Alright."
Kure Fusui smiled happily as Kure Karura kept hugging onto Yakou's right arm. Yakou just patted her head, as Karura was very clingy, like really clingy, though it wasn't like he complained about it.
"So, what exacctly are you studying in the Tokyo University?"
As they were walking through the busy streets of the Tokyo, Yakou was rather curious what she was actually studying.
"Medicine... obviously, I don't want to be a doctor, but in our profession, having extensive medical knowledge is only a bonus. Either for killing your target or patching yourself up, and it also helps with the application of Chi."
Yakou nodded as the explanation made some sense. With the knowledge of modern medicine, she would have a much wider repertoire of killing methods. At the same time, she would be much more efficient in keeping herself alive.
"What about you, Karura? You wanna go to the University after you finish high school?"
He knew that she was currently attending a high school in Kyoto, but she was more bored there than anything... it was mostly out of the obligation so she wouldn't be totally cluelessa bout the outside world and learn how to properly blend in and socialize.
Which were essentially skills for an assassin.
"Dunno... I wanna have your babies in the future!"
She appeared to seriously think about the answer before she said something that was rather expectable from her, as Yakou cringed and Fusui just looked elsewhere.
"And aside from that?"
Yakou tried to divert her attention to somewhere else, which was fortunately successful, because she didn't have a long attention span on the matter.
"Don't know... I never really thought about it..."
She looked really confused right now, which Yakou found pretty cute as he patted her hair, which she enjoyed greatly.
"Karura didn't really need to think about anything, right? Grandfather dotes on her too much, so she is like our little pampered princess of the Kure Clan."
Fusui remarked from the side as Karura looked at her with a dangerous look, that promised slow and painful vengeance. Fortunately enough, before the two of them started bickering, they had already arrived at the Akasuaka, which meant that it was time to choose new Yukatas.
They went straight away to one particular shop, which Yakou wanted to call a hidden shop, because even finding it was a hassle... it was hidden amid the corridors in a building that was far older than all of them combined.
When they entered there, it was like going back through time, as they entered a shop that seemed to be cut out from the past, at least a good two centuries or so.
"Welcome back, Fusui-chan."
They were welcomed by the voice of an old woman who seemed to be in charge of the entire shop, and one didn't need to be a genius to figure out that this was some sort of family business.
This wasn't the first time that Fusui visited this particular shop, because she was actually visiting a lot and buying a lot of clothes. If there was one thing that she liked to spend her hard-earned money on, it was clothes and accessories.
Not only did Fusui have a rather extensive collection of traditional clothes, but she was also spending an outrageous amount of money on various designer brands and keeping up with the trends in the fashion world.
Fortunately enough, the assassination contracts were paying a lot and she could afford to spend her money on that.
"So what are you taking today? And this is your younger sister and boyfriend?"
The old woman narrowed her eyes as she looked at the Kure Fusui and noticed the younger female was a member of the Kure Clan. This one little shop was famous in certain circles for making handmade Yukatas and traditional Japanese clothes with Magical Protection and Inscriptions woven directly into the material.
"Younger cousin and yes. We are here to choose some new Yukatas."
Kure Fusui stated that the old woman just nodded, and without a second word, she went to find a new Yukata and some clothes for Fusui and her cousin to try on. Yakou, who wasn't that much interested in that, decided to sit down and wait until they finished trying on their clothes and everything.
"We are we even here... I don't want to try on new clothes!"
Karura had already complained because, contrary to Fusui, who considered shopping for clothes as her hobby, for Karura, it was nothing short of torture. For her, the choice of clothes and everything like that wasn't that important.
"Because you are constantly wearing that one set like a beggar."
Kure Fusui stated as she looked at her young cousin, who just kept frowning at her.
"And don't frown that much... you will get wrinkles all over your face... at least we can now show our new clothes to our boyfriend."
In the end, that was all that was needed for Karura to obediently nod her head as she then went along with Fusui as they tried several Yukatas and some other clothes while asking for the appreciation and opinion from the resident Campione.
Yakou, who knew exactly 0,00% about fashion or anything even related to it, just said that they looked beautiful, which wasn't really a lie. Both Kure women looked gorgeous, though the clothes were hiding their figures a lot, which was a shame.
Both of them had absolutely killer bodies, which was a result of the years of strict training as assassins.
"After the park, should we go to take a look at the Sensō-ji?"
Yakou asked because after lunch, he still had some time before he would be returning to the USFA. Sensō-ji, officially Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji, also known as Asakusa Kannon, is an ancient Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan.
It is Tokyo's oldest-established temple, and one of its most significant. It was dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and it was the most widely visited religious site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually.
"Why not..."
After leaving the shop with the traditional Japanese clothing, they headed toward the Shinjuku Gyo-en, where they found a nice, silent spot for them to eat. Though everything was already prepared beforehand by the Kengan Association, which secured the entire area.
It was mainly to have zero disturbances during lunch.
Both Kure Fusui and Kure Karura prepare a variety of dishes like Karaage, Tamagoyaki, Korokke, sandwiches with Bluefin Tuna or cold matcha tea... He had to admit that while it wasn't on the same level as the top chefs of the world that he ate with, there was something else...
And even though it may sound stupid and without basis.
One could feel the love and care that the two of them invested in it.
"After you finish the university, are you planning to come to the Federation Fusui?"
Yakou already suspected that Kure Fusui would want to move together with him, and once she did that, Karura wouldn't be that slow either.
"Maybe... do you have enough work for me? I don't want to stay all day in the estate and do nothing."
Even though Fusui often acted spoiled in front of Yakou and enjoyed all the attention nd everything, she was actually pretty independent, and it wasn't her style to live off him.
"Of course... There is always a need for skilled assassins everywhere."
Basically, the only thing that governments all around the world had agreements with the major criminal organizations, hitman agencies, or various other factions was that the professional assassins were forbidden from taking contracts on high-ranking governmental figures.
"That's rather good to hear... it would be a shame if my skills went rusty."
Fusui was actually one of the best snipers in all of Asia, despite her young age... a lot of it could be attributed to the Martial Arts that she was practicing and Gun-Kata she learned.
"Here, darling, try this! I made this personally for you!"
Suddenly, Karura showed him one piece of Karaage as she tried to feed him with the chopsticks that she was holding. He looked at her expression that was so expectant as he relaxed and allowed himself to be fed much to her happiness, Fusui's entertainment and his embarrassment.
Though as she tasted the piece of Karaage, he admitted that it was delicious.
"Wow... that's really good. Give me a few more."
He said after he finished eating the piece, while Karura was happy that she could feed him.
Yakou had to admit that they surely knew how to cook... while it wasn't like food made by the top chef in the world, it had that kind of homely feeling that was impossible to replicate by a professional chef.
"You are really good at cooking, Karura-chan."
She smiled happily, at which Yakou thought that she was really cute... it was almost hard to believe that she was one of the most dangerous assassins on this planet.