"How interesting. Ghost Gods, Onryo, Yuki-onna, Asura, Ōnyūdō, and Shuten-dōji—legendary Shikigami. But it's a pity they aren't the real ones," Daniel Davis sighed softly, feeling a bit disappointed as he gazed at the numerous Shikigami surrounding him.
He stood within a luxurious manor deep in the mountains, home to the legendary Tsuchimikado clan, Japan's strongest family of Onmyoji. After defeating several Onmyoji masters along the way, Daniel encountered an ambush here.
Daniel wasn't bothered by the ambush itself. What disappointed him was that none of these so-called Onmyoji had Shikigami powerful enough to catch his attention. He had initially hoped to use Command the Spirit to enslave some quality Shikigami as subordinates.
Shikigami in Onmyoji practices can be divided into two types. The first involves controlling spirits, much like the Horse Masters in some traditions. However, just as the Horse Masters have declined in modern times, so too have Shikigami. The second type of Shikigami is akin to talisman-based techniques, where practitioners use Qi to summon a form of the Shikigami. But these summoned beings possess form without true essence.
On his way here, Daniel had mainly encountered the second type of Shikigami. While he did see a few spirits like Kappa or Rokurokubi, these weren't interesting enough to pique his curiosity. He had no desire to control grotesque creatures like severed heads.
This decline was not the fault of the Onmyoji; it was a byproduct of modern society. Powerful natural spirits, which were the original source of most Shikigami, had largely vanished. In today's world, creating strong Shikigami is rare. Modern Onmyoji were only able to create weaker ones, such as Rokurokubi or Kappa, and even making those involved dark rituals, which were difficult to perform without attracting attention.
In a case like Zhao Guizhen, who practiced the Seven Fiends Corpse Technique by murdering innocent children, he ended up being flayed alive by Xiao Zizai for his atrocities.
For instance, the Five Ghost Talisman, a powerful talisman once requiring five souls to create, has been adapted in modern times to use Qi instead. Yet, most talisman masters still prefer the original method, as its power was far superior.
Because the government tightly regulates such practices in China, creating the real Five Ghost Talisman is nearly impossible domestically. Those determined to practice such arts often travel to war-torn regions, where the chaos allows for more freedom to commit such deeds without consequences.
Zhao Guizhen could have done the same—he could have trained his technique abroad, but instead, he chose to kill innocent people at home, sealing his fate.
In the chaotic regions outside China, many dark practitioners use human life and souls to enhance their powers, a far quicker method than traditional cultivation. In those places, dark arts thrive.
"Kill!" the Onmyoji commanding the Ghost Gods shouted, ordering all the Shikigami to attack Daniel. The foremost, Ghost God Zenki, charged with a golden axe, aiming directly at Daniel's neck.
"If you were the real Zenki, I might take you seriously. But you're not." Daniel shook his head slightly, unsheathing his black sword and releasing a hundred-meter-long crescent-shaped wave of sword Qi. With a single swing, half of the encircling Onmyoji and Shikigami were obliterated, Zenki and Goki included, their forms dissipating into floating talisman papers.
Three sword strikes later, dozens of Onmyoji lay dead. Daniel showed no mercy to any of them.
"Blood sacrifice, huh?" After eliminating the Onmyoji, Daniel noticed the blood on the ground seeping into the earth, along with their remaining souls being absorbed. He had a good idea of what was happening.
Boom.
Suddenly, a loud explosion came from the manor ahead. The ground trembled, and a towering figure nearly ten meters tall, blood-red in color, emerged from below. It had the appearance of a barbarian, its face painted with strange oil designs, wearing what seemed to be a fur loincloth, and wielding a massive blood-red spear.
"A natural spirit of cannibals?" The figure reminded Daniel of the information he had traded from the company earlier. In modern society, the birth of natural spirits had become extremely rare. They could only be found deep within ancient forests or mountains, like Shennongjia or the depths of Changbai Mountain.
However, one place where natural spirits still existed in large numbers was Africa, due to its cultural heritage, where various natural spirits could be found.
While these spirits might exist in abundance there, obtaining one wasn't easy. As natural gods, they were often worshipped, and their power was enhanced within their domains. Outsiders attempting to seize them often found themselves doomed.
In some cases, like the followers of Luna's nature-worshiping sects, one might be strangled by plants. But encountering cannibalistic tribes would lead to much worse fates.
In the world of The Outcast, venturing into ancient forests or wilderness was arguably more dangerous than doing so in the Marvel universe, where one wouldn't encounter natural spirits or Qi-trained animals.
Of course, for someone strong enough, such dangers weren't a concern. Wang Erdog, for example, once roamed widely to refine his unique Qi, Flowing Rainbow.
"It's finally here, huh?" As the massive blood-red figure appeared, three elderly Onmyoji emerged from the manor, forming hand seals. Summoning such a powerful Shikigami wasn't something any single Onmyoji could control. Even together, the three seemed strained.
Ordinary Shikigami were easy to handle, especially with a proper contract or mutual agreement, like the spirit of Liu Kunsheng in Changbai Mountain. But a blood sacrifice summon like this was dangerous. One mistake, and the Shikigami could turn on its summoners.
"Command the Spirit." As the blood-red figure raised its spear to attack, Daniel lifted his left hand. The creature roared as its body contorted, collapsing into a blood-red orb, which flew into Daniel's palm. Shikigami were no match for the Command the Spirit technique.
Ugh.
As the blood-red Shikigami was absorbed, the three elderly Onmyoji coughed up large amounts of blood. Their bodies rapidly aged, and they collapsed, lifeless.
"It's polluted beyond saving." Among all natural spirits, those worshiping nature were the best to work with. Those associated with cannibalistic tribes, however, were the worst.
After sensing the Shikigami's condition, Daniel sighed.
"Next up are the ninjas." After taking several books on Onmyoji techniques and destroying the site, Daniel left.
"Samurai, Onmyoji, ninja, priests, monks—such powerful figures, yet their status is so low. It's hard to know what to make of it," Daniel muttered to himself as he stood atop a tall mountain, watching the poor state of the ninjas below through binoculars.
In modern society, while abnormal people faced more restrictions than ordinary people, they still had significant advantages. Even the lowest-ranking abnormal person, as long as they didn't break the law, lived a better life than the average middle-class citizen. Abnormal people working as bodyguards earned far more than regular ones.
In most countries, this was the norm, except in Japan, where ninjas were an anomaly. Not only were they looked down upon compared to other abnormal professions like samurai, Onmyoji, and monks, but they also fared worse than ordinary people.
It was as if the ninja profession had been relegated to the lowest of the low, stuck in a perpetual "sewer" with no way out.
Historically, samurai had been the highest class, able to draw their swords and kill on the street without fear of consequences. Over time, as society progressed, commoners gained more rights and surnames, and samurai could no longer kill at will. But while commoners rose, ninjas remained stuck.
In contrast, the Tang Sect, which also specialized in assassination, had thrived. The difference in their fates was stark, and much of it could be attributed to the ninjas themselves.
Unlike the samurai, who upheld loyalty and honor, even committing seppuku when disgraced, ninjas had no moral code. They worked for whoever paid the most, showing no loyalty or principles. Combined with their short-sightedness, their current status was unsurprising.
This isn't just the case in this world. Even in Demon Slayer, ninjas face similar treatment, and in certain worlds, despite possessing great power, they squander it on petty village conflicts.
If they reformed, ninjas could find a place in modern society. But their stubbornness has kept them stuck in the past.
"Ninjas, huh? They're just another kind of abnormal being." The ninjas Daniel encountered didn't use any of the techniques he had hoped for, like Shadow Clone or Substitution. They were essentially no different from Tang Sect assassins, relying heavily on poison and minor Onmyoji techniques.
Daniel had no interest in these ninjas and didn't desire any of their abilities. They were practically carbon copies of the Tang Sect, focusing on poison skills with supplementary techniques from Onmyoji.
"I've learned this spell but haven't used it yet. Now's a good time to try." Instead of using his black sword, Daniel pulled out his wand and cast the
Fiendfyre spell he had learned from Grindelwald. Though the spell was easy to learn, as evidenced by Crabbe and Goyle's ability to use it, mastering it was another matter entirely. Crabbe had died from losing control of his own Fiendfyre.
In Daniel's opinion, Fiendfyre was far more powerful than the Unforgivable Curses. The only reason it wasn't classified as such was that it could be countered with the right spells, making it less dangerous for other wizards. But against ordinary people, it was nearly unstoppable.
Grindelwald had once intended to use Fiendfyre to destroy all of Paris, but he was stopped by Flamel and other wizards. Of course, only someone as powerful as Grindelwald could use the spell on such a scale—Voldemort couldn't compare.
But that was in the world of Harry Potter. In a world without counter-spells, the full power of Fiendfyre could be unleashed, just as Daniel was about to do.
As Daniel waved his wand, red flames began to swirl around him. With his current level of power, controlling Fiendfyre was no challenge.
With a screech from the sky, the flames transformed into a massive phoenix, hovering above. Under Daniel's command, the fiery bird swooped toward its target.
"It's over." Watching the roaring flames consume everything below, Daniel sighed and prepared to leave. Despite the destruction, he hadn't harmed any innocent civilians.
"The Three Sacred Treasures turned out to be fake." Out of curiosity, Daniel checked on Japan's famed Three Sacred Treasures. According to his intelligence, the treasures were actually powerful artifacts, but the ones he examined showed no signs of magic.
"Either they've been hidden, or they were lost during the war." As powerful artifacts, the treasures had once demonstrated their might in battle, but their whereabouts had since become unknown.
"It's time to visit the Harry Potter world." Back in his villa in the capital, Daniel glanced at the latest news on the abnormal network. After making a few arrangements, he left for the Harry Potter world to use the Time Turner and complete his training in the Eight Miraculous Skills.
With the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald, by his side, the second Dark Lord, Voldemort, never caused much trouble in the wizarding world.
"Ying Zheng is still Ying Zheng; no outsider can control him." After completing his objectives in the Harry Potter world, Daniel traveled to the Qin's Moon world, where the city of Xianyang was filled with a somber atmosphere. Ying Zheng had declared war on Korea.
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