In that instant, the expressions of all the First-Class Onmyoji in the conference room changed dramatically, their gazes turning toward Miyoshi Tougo.
There was no helping it—Miyoshi Tougo's words were simply too shocking.
"Something terrifying?"
"The Onmyo Agency is finished?"
"This… this has to be a joke, right?"
Kogure Zenjirou, Yamashiro Hayato, and Yuge Mari all furrowed their brows—some narrowed their eyes, some looked skeptical, while others were outright terrified, unable to believe what Miyoshi Tougo had just said.
Amami Daizen, however, wore a grave expression.
Miyachi Iwao remained silent.
Kagami Reiji's eyes gleamed with interest instead.
Everyone reacted in their own way—except for Kurahashi Genji, who remained with his eyes closed, silent as ever.
Frankly, if anyone else had said what Miyoshi Tougo had just stated, nine out of ten people would have dismissed it as nonsense, with the remaining one only half-believing it at best.
But seeing Miyoshi Tougo's deeply troubled expression and uncertain gaze, even if they didn't immediately take his words at face value, they all treated them with the utmost seriousness.
This was because Miyoshi Tougo was a Special Spirit Investigater—the strongest one at that. His exceptional ability to "see" spirits was beyond the comprehension of others.
At the very least, within Tokyo, whenever a Phase 3-level Spiritual Disaster emerged, Miyoshi Tougo could always pinpoint its movements through his Spirit Sight, detecting the disturbance in the spiritual veins.
That was a citywide observation, spanning all of Tokyo.
Of course, this was partially due to the relative ease of observing disruptions in the spiritual veins, but ordinary Spirit Investigater could only detect localized disturbances at best. As for regular Onmyoji, they likely wouldn't notice even if the spiritual veins became completely chaotic. This alone demonstrated how rare and extraordinary Miyoshi Tougo's Spirit Sight truly was.
Furthermore, Miyoshi Tougo's Spirit Sight allowed him to locate specific individuals amidst a sea of people by tracking their spiritual energy. Even if they used Invisibility Jutsu to conceal their aura, he could still detect them—unless their technique reached the level of Ohtomo Jin's.
Even then, if Ohtomo Jin got too close, his Invisibility Jutsu would still be exposed before Miyoshi Tougo.
Because of this, many within the Onmyo Agency had proposed transferring Miyoshi Tougo to the Magic Crimes Investigation Department—his ability was simply too invaluable when it came to hunting down jutsuryoku criminals.
In fact, when Rozen had attempted Divine Descent, the first to notice something amiss had been Miyoshi Tougo. It was thanks to his report that the Onmyo Agency was able to act immediately, dispatching a large force to track Rozen down. They successfully located him just as he completed the descent, giving him no chance to escape, leading to his eventual capture by the Exorcism Bureau and imprisonment in the Onmyo Agency.
With all that in mind, if Miyoshi Tougo was now saying—wearing such an ashen face—that an extremely terrifying presence had descended upon Tokyo, so much so that a single misstep could spell the end of the Onmyo Agency, there was no way the others could ignore it.
Amami Daizen was the first to speak.
"What exactly is going on? Explain in detail, Miyoshi."
As the head of the Magic Crimes Investigation Department, he asked in a calm but firm tone.
Everyone else also turned their attention to Miyoshi Tougo, waiting for his response.
Even under such scrutiny, Miyoshi Tougo's expression remained grim. He even seemed hesitant, his voice low as he spoke.
"I told you—I don't know how to describe it." Miyoshi Tougo said quietly. "But I saw an incredibly terrifying spiritual energy descend upon Tokyo—something truly, truly frightening."
He kept repeating the same point.
"H-how terrifying are we talking about?"
Yuge Mari swallowed nervously and asked.
"Can you describe it in more detail, Special Investigater Miyoshi?"
Yamashiro Hayato pressed him for answers.
"Could it be that he's already been scared out of his wits?"
Kagami Reiji mocked.
"Special Investigater Miyoshi."
Even Kogure Zenjirou fixed his gaze on Miyoshi Tougo.
"Well, calm down for now, Miyoshi. You're not usually the type to lose your composure like this."
Even Miyachi Iwao smiled wryly.
But Miyoshi Tougo did not change his stance.
"That's because none of you saw it." He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Anyway, I've said everything I can. Once you see it for yourselves, you'll understand how I feel."
Saying this, Miyoshi Tougo lifted his gaze to look at everyone.
"There's only one thing I can tell you."
"And that is—while the scale is vastly different, the feeling of that spiritual energy was unmistakable."
"If I'm not wrong, it's the same as the one the Onmyo Agency captured a year and a half ago."
"That's right—it's Tsuchimikado Akikan."
The moment those words fell…
"...!"
Every First-Class Onmyoji in the room shot to their feet.
"Him…!?"
Yuge Mari gasped.
"Tsuchimikado…!"
Kogure Zenjirou's eyes sharpened as he stood up.
"That brat is back?"
Even Amami Daizen was shaken.
"..."
Miyachi Iwao raised his head, unconsciously touching the scars on his body.
As for Kagami Reiji, he first froze, then suddenly exuded a bloodthirsty, beast-like aura.
"That little bastard finally came back…!?"
Kagami Reiji stood abruptly, his face contorted in a mix of rage, hatred, resentment, and an almost crazed joy.
Seeing the intense reactions of those around him, Yamashiro Hayato—who had never interacted with Rozen before—was momentarily stunned.
"Tsuchimikado Akikan?"
Of course, Yamashiro Hayato had heard that name before.
"The former reincarnation of Yakou who was captured for engaging in forbidden practices a year and a half ago? The one who caused chaos in the Onmyo Agency, broke out of his cell, and was later thrown under the bus by the Tsuchimikado clan as a scapegoat for Yakou?"
Yamashiro Hayato pondered aloud.
But no one responded to him.
"Oi! Old man! Are you serious? That bastard really came back?"
Kagami Reiji demanded.
Miyoshi Tougo was unsurprised by his reaction.
"At the very least, the feeling of this spiritual energy is identical to the one from a year and a half ago. The only difference is the scale—it's like heaven and earth. Also, the divine energy I saw back then is mixed in with this presence, along with the dragon aura unique to the Tsuchimikado family. I'd say there's a 90% chance that it's him."
Miyoshi Tougo stated.
"Perfect."
Kagami Reiji's lips curled into a sinister grin. Without hesitation, he turned to leave.
And he wasn't the only one—Kogure Zenjirou also cast a cold glance around the room before following suit.
But just then, Miyachi Iwao and Amami Daizen stepped forward to stop them.
"Stop right there, Kagami! No reckless moves!"
Miyachi Iwao barked.
"Kogure!"
Amami Daizen shouted sternly.
But the two ignored them entirely, heading straight for the door.
Until—
"All of you, stop."
Kurahashi Genji finally opened his eyes, his voice icy and commanding.
At his words, Kogure Zenjirou and Kagami Reiji finally halted in their tracks.