At this moment, the young onmyoji of the Izanagi style were indeed in chaos.
They had no idea why the Izanagi would suddenly be hit by such a catastrophe.
Naturally, these young people knew nothing about what the Izanagi had done to the Akabane clan.
Back then, they were just a bunch of little brats. Even now, they couldn't be called capable of standing on their own, so how could they possibly know such dark and cruel family secrets?
So yes, they were panicked, and truly confused.
But that didn't mean they were stupid.
Rozen had openly stormed Mount Tengu, broken into the Izanagi stronghold, and said those words right in front of everyone. It wasn't like they didn't have ears—how could they not have heard?
And the massacre of the Akabane clan was certainly not unknown to them.
Now, Rozen was claiming that it was the Izanagi that wiped out the Akabane clan. This left the younger generation of onmyoji in disbelief and unable to comprehend.
That's why they all rushed forward together, hoping to hear the truth from Hinowa.
"Lady Hinowa!"
"Did you know about this, Lady Hinowa!?"
"Was it really Izanagi that exterminated the Akabane!?"
"This has to be a lie, right? It must be a lie!"
"Answer us, Lady Hinowa!"
The young onmyoji shouted desperately at Hinowa while simultaneously commanding their shikigami to fend off the attacking youkai, demons, and monsters.
Each of those cries pierced Hinowa's heart like a blade.
She wanted badly to tell them it was all a lie.
Because she knew very well what kind of beliefs had been instilled in every young onmyoji here since birth.
That was the honor of Izanagi.
They were the pillars of the nation.
They were noble members of the strongest clan.
They were beings second only to the emperor in Japan. Even the military had to bow before them, and the country itself depended on them to stand firm in this world.
They were the heirs to a long and proud lineage, descendants of great onmyoji—noble by birth and pure of blood.
They had always been taught such ideals and took great pride in them.
It could be said that all these young people were born with silver spoons in their mouths and carried a strong sense of family honor, believing that the Izanagi was synonymous with justice and nobility.
Now, suddenly someone was telling them that just because of an ominous sign, their clan tried to take lives, wipe out an entire clan, and committed such cruel and foolish acts. How could they accept that?
The elders probably never wanted to tell them about such darkness, about what Izanagi had done in the name of survival—so they kept their pride intact.
Hinowa, Subaru, and Mutsura had all held strong senses of justice, just like the rest of these young people. But that was only because the older generation had hidden the truth from them, letting them proudly declare the name of Izanagi to the world.
But now, all of that had collapsed today.
"That guy has to be lying!"
"Izanagi would never do something like that!"
"He must be mistaken!"
"Lady Hinowa! Please go clear up this misunderstanding!"
The young onmyoji cried out, clinging to disbelief and desperate to preserve their clan's name.
But unfortunately...
"I wish it was a misunderstanding too!"
Subaru joined the fray, resisting the attacking demons while shouting with anguish.
"But this is the damn truth, you bastards!"
As he shouted, tears streamed down Subaru's face.
"Damn it! Is this retribution!?"
Mutsura also cried.
You must understand—they too had been devastated when they learned the truth. They didn't want to believe it either. They couldn't imagine what would become of their relationship with Rozen once he learned the truth. At one point, they nearly raised their mana against Domon Kira, only to be suppressed by their families.
In reality, both Subaru and Mutsura were deeply tormented—no less than Hinowa. If it hadn't been for their concern for her, they would have long since exploded at their families and lashed out at Kira.
Recalling those days in the forbidden lands when Rozen stood up for everyone, and the days they spent together at the academy, neither Subaru nor Mutsura could believe their family had done such horrible things to his family.
Now, with the Hyakki Yagyō in full force and Izanagi in flames, they could no longer hold it in and let out their pain.
The young onmyoji around them also wore twisted expressions—some even broke down crying as their illusions of their clan shattered.
"What the hell were those old geezers thinking!?"
"Even if it was an omen, they can't just go and wipe out an entire clan!"
"That kind of thing is unforgivable!"
"Who did it!? Who was responsible!?"
"Make them come out and face justice!"
The younger onmyoji shouted one after another.
That was the only stance they could take now.
But...
"...It's useless." Subaru said bitterly. "The clan head already said it—among those sent on that mission that day, only one is still alive."
"That's right!" Mutsura added painfully. "The rest either perished in the flames with the Akabane or committed seppuku upon returning—they all took their own lives out of guilt!"
Hearing this, everyone widened their eyes and froze.
At that moment, someone recalled something.
"In the past few years, quite a few onmyoji in the clan died or fled unexpectedly… Could some of them have been among those who took their own lives...!?"
That one sentence silenced everyone.
They finally began to understand the truth behind it all.
To protect the survival of the clan, the Izanagi members had no choice but to strike at the Akabane.
And those who carried it out weren't without guilt. It was for their family, for their clan, that they took that step.
But after committing the grave crime and achieving their goal, they all chose death without hesitation.
Because in protecting their own family, they destroyed another's. In saving their clan, they destroyed someone else's—they had to pay with their lives, to atone.
"Bastards…"
"Damn it all!"
The young onmyoji wept and screamed, looking at the flaming ruins of Izanagi, tears running down their faces.
They no longer knew what to do—what they should do.
At that moment, from the inferno and among the monsters, a shrill roar rang out.
"You little Akabane brat…!!!"
Along with that furious scream, a figure led several hundred powerful shikigami and burst through the encirclement of demons.
"Grandmother…!"
Hinowa, lost in despair, looked up sharply and cried out.
There stood Domon Kira, howling in grief and rage.
"You think you can destroy my Izanagi!?"
"You'll have to go through me first!"
"Die!!!!"
Kira charged forward, commanding her hundreds of shikigami as she broke through the monster siege.
And there—walking calmly toward her as if no one else existed, was the young man in a jet-black coat, holding in his hand a sacred sword burning with the flames of the sun.
His eyes held both calm and mercilessness.