"Clan Head!"
"Clan Head!"
Seeing that Domon Kira actually agreed, everyone from the Izanagi cried out in shock.
However, Domon Kira, as if determined not to regret it, raised the parchment scroll in her hand.
"The name of Domon will forever represent the principle of Yin and Yang, and it shall remain the backbone of the Izanagi!"
Domon Kira didn't seem to be speaking to anyone in particular. It was like she was crying, loudly proclaiming:
"My entire life has been spent for the sake of these two names. In this era where Western machinery has begun to infiltrate our nation, running rampant, and foreign missionaries constantly seek to replace our position—trying to let Western faith supplant the Yin-Yang philosophy—I made a firm decision, to risk everything, to walk this path… all for the sake of protecting Domon, protecting Izanagi, and protecting our people!"
This old woman clung to that belief, which was why she spared nothing—whether it meant becoming the Witch of the Roses or being branded the murderer of a whole clan.
Thus, while others may not have accepted the abandonment of the Izanagi name, none could accept it less than Domon Kira herself.
But...
"Everything that happened today, and the ominous signs that never disappeared even after the extermination of Akabane, all tell me that everything I've done brought no benefit to the clan or our people—on the contrary, it planted the seeds of calamity!"
At that point, even Domon Kira couldn't help but laugh madly.
Laughing through a stream of tears.
"It was I who provoked a group like the Order!"
"It was I who personally created such a terrifying enemy!"
"And in the end, all that I've done has led to an Izanagi engulfed in flames, and to the cries of all the women and children here!"
Given that, what choice did Domon Kira have?
"Akabane was annihilated, yet even with their destruction, those who inherited their ideals still walk this world, and are even renowned by it!"
"Izanagi survived, yet the result is nothing but ominous despair!"
"If this is what you call retribution—what is called destruction before rebirth—then perhaps today is the moment Izanagi must fall to rise anew!"
Declaring thus, Domon Kira bit her finger, letting her blood drip onto the scroll in her hand.
"Zing!"
The characters on the parchment suddenly began to glow, one after another.
"Boom!"
The ancient scroll left Domon Kira's hand, floating mid-air, and abruptly burst into flames, turning to ashes.
"————"
At that moment, everyone of the Izanagi felt a strange force flow into their bodies, merging with their blood.
It was proof that the contract had taken effect.
"From this day forward, Izanagi shall cease to exist!"
Domon Kira turned her head to look at Rozen.
"I hope Akabane will uphold the contract—to accept my people, to protect my people, and allow them to live on."
As she spoke, her face revealed an expression of relief.
Seeing this, Rozen's eyes flickered. He neither responded nor reacted—only remaining silent.
"Release!"
Domon Kira suddenly formed a seal, and a miasma surged behind her, forming a massive earth spider.
"Hiss!"
The spider hissed, baring its ferocious jaws, and pounced—swallowing Domon Kira whole.
"Splurt!"
It was as if something had been crushed. A tearing sound echoed from the spider's mouth, and endless blood poured down from its fangs.
"Clan Head!"
"Clan Head!"
Led by Kamo and Yuge, all the people of the Izanagi were horrified. They frantically rushed toward the spider.
"Grandmother!"
Hinowa, having witnessed this with her own eyes, felt her mind go completely blank.
Domon Kira had taken her own life.
As a criminal of the clan, and the one responsible for the massacre, she committed suicide to atone.
Realizing this, grief overwhelmed Hinowa.
Her spirit had already been under torment for the past two months, and her body had become extremely weak. Now, this sudden blow caused her head to tilt—and she collapsed unconscious.
"Young Miss!"
"Young Miss!"
Subaru and Mutsura quickly caught Hinowa, calling her name desperately.
"Clan Head!"
"Young Lady!"
The members of the Izanagi watched as the two generations of the Domon main house—one dead, one collapsed—fell before them. They rushed to their sides, breaking down in grief, crying out one after another.
The entire Izanagi was shrouded in sorrow and anguish, with cries resounding in all directions.
Meanwhile, all the demons, spirits, and monsters around had vanished without a trace, at some unknown point.
Rozen looked on, his gaze passing over each of the Izanagi clan members and landing on the unconscious Hinowa, lying in the arms of Subaru and Mutsura. His eyes were filled with complexity.
As for Domon Kira's death, Rozen felt no emotional fluctuation.
As the culprit behind the massacre of his entire clan, Domon Kira dying to atone was something entirely foreseeable.
But toward Hinowa, Rozen truly didn't know what kind of attitude he should have.
From beginning to end, he hadn't even looked at her directly.
Because Rozen also knew what Hinowa had gone through.
After all, Rozen had someone close to her all along.
"Rozen-sama."
A petite figure appeared silently behind Rozen, calling him softly.
It was none other than Serenity.
Previously, Rozen had sent Serenity to infiltrate the Izanagi for reconnaissance, so of course she had always been here.
Everything that Hinowa had endured over the past two months, and the fact that all those within the Izanagi who had taken part in the Akabane massacre had now committed suicide—this intelligence had all come from Serenity.
She had been hiding within the Izanagi the whole time—no, more precisely, hidden right by Hinowa's side, secretly watching over the girl on Rozen's behalf.
Even during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demon just now, even if Subaru and Mutsura hadn't protected Hinowa, she would have been fine—because Serenity was watching from the shadows.
However...
"Once I decided to seek justice from the Izanagi and decided how to handle them, there was no way Hinowa could come out unscathed."
Rozen murmured.
"No… Maybe from the moment we met each other, it was already fated that Hinowa would be hurt."
The downfall of the Akabane clan and the Izanagi had been set in motion back then.
The meeting between Rozen and Hinowa—perhaps it was destined to be a tragic fate from the very start.
Rozen took something from his pocket.
It was a ribbon with a small bell attached.
It was the token of affection Hinowa had given Rozen when they were children.
"Seems I'm not meant to receive this."
Rozen sighed, loosened his fingers, and let the ribbon fall.
But before it could touch the ground, a breeze blew past, catching the ribbon and gently drifting it into Hinowa's arms—landing in her hands.
Rozen had already vanished from the spot.
And on this day, the Izanagi vanished as well.
From this moment on, there would be no more Izanagi in this world.