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Published In:
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| Publication Date: October 12, 2022 | |
| Pages: 1 (full color) 18 (black and white) | |
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Manga Summaries
Volume 17
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| Chapters Originally Published in: | |
| Shonen Sunday 2022 Vol. 46 - 2023 4-5 |
Chapter
159: 正式な仕事
Seishikina shigoto
(An Official Mission)
Natsuno dreams, recalling when the small earthenware figure came to speak to her asking her if she wished to live and promising to heal her if she would serve it. She recalls a glinting blue ball of light inside the figure and senses that she knows that light from somewhere. Elsewhere Hakubi tells Soma that the work of the Goko Clan involves assassination and that the young man should be able to carry out these orders now. Soma thinks back to when he was commanded to decapitate Daigo and asks Hakubi if he use the beast in this assassination. Hakubi assures him that he can and Soma feels relieved that he will not have to kill someone with his own two hands as he did to Daigo. Natsuno appears at Mao's home much to the excitement of Nanoka who is happy to see her safe and sound. Mao asks the white-haired woman where she has been, explaining that he has been trying to contact her for some time. Natsuno explains that when she falls asleep she often does not wake for quite a long period of time. Otoya explains that Mao is much the same way, when he sleeps nothing will wake him. Natsuno is touched that Nanoka was worried about her and then asks what had happened that they needed to speak with her. Mao explains that Daigo has returned, however he could tell from his behavior that his soul was missing. Mao explains that Byoki informed them he had found Daigo's missing right arm and reawoken him. Nanoka asks if this could have been the same right arm that Natsuno was seeking. Natsuno confesses that she is not sure, but her orders to retrieve the arm had been rescinded. Mao and Nanoka realize that Natsuno's work has shifted from finding the arm to investigating the circumstances of Sana's death, with both of them suspecting someone with a vested interest must be commanding her. Nanoka is also distressed that the news of Daigo being alive was not surprising to Natsuno. Having be caught up on the events, Natsuno says she has a story to share as well as she passes a newspaper to Mao. The newspaper reports on a young member of parliment suddenly having his throat cut open in the middle of a train station with no one witnessing who did it. The young politician had been investigating political corruption making him an ideal target for an assassination. The newspaper reported that a doctor said the gash in the man's throat looked like it was made by some sort of animal. Nanoka immediately guesses this is the work of Soma, likely at Hakubi's bequest. Otoya points out that beasts are tied to metal users like Hakubi, with birds and flying insects connected to fire, fish and reptiles to wood, humans to the earth, and turtles and crustaceans to water users. Mao and Nanoka lament that Soma has seemingly gone down such a dark path towards becoming an assassin. With that the group heads off to a nearby hospital where Mao reveals that the newspaper stated that the man is still clinging to life after his attempted assassination. Suddenly Mao and Natsuno feel the approaching sensation of something in the wind. Nanoka immediately points out that their ability to sense something approaching suggests that this assassin is untrained in hiding his presence very well. Mao quietly thinks that despite this he can tell Soma has grown more powerful than before. Suddenly the beast appears with Soma on his back and eerie energy radiating from him.
Chapter
160: 覚悟の理由
Kakugo no ryuu
(The Reason for his Resolution)
Confronting Soma, Mao asks if he is there to assassinate the politician at Hakubi's behest. Soma tells him that this is a Goko Clan matter. Soma coldly reminds Mao that he once asked if he would be able to murder a stranger and tells him that Hakubi had him behead a man he did not know, though he does not mention this is Daigo. Nanoka is shocked that Soma could do such a thing. With that the young boy attacks on the back of his beast. Mao slams his sword against the creature is stunned by how hard its hide has become, saying it is like iron. Nanoka decides to try her sword, the Akanemaru, and the long stream of poisoned blood that splashes on the creature's arm wounds it, but cannot sever its powerful flesh. Soma summons small beasts and sends them towards the hospital, but Mao manages to slay them before they can reach the wounded politician inside. Soma is worried about Mao's fires spells knowing that his steely beasts are weak against flames. Natsuno realizes it was perhaps these smaller beasts that cut the throat of the politician. She then uses her earthen spells to attack the beast, but explains that it is too strong for her to penetrate. Natsuno tells Nanoka she must choose, either destroy the beast or kill Soma. Nanoka nervously says they should attack the beast, but Natsuno can only promise to buy her some time. While Mao and Natsuno battles against Soma, Nanoka begins to channel earthen energy into herself in preparation for a powerful strike against the creature. The earthen bell attached to Nanoka's Akanemaru blade starts to jingle and Natsuno tells her it will help her to draw more power from the earth. Soma suddenly realizes that Natsuno is the one orchestrating the battle and he has his beast impale he through the stomach.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: October 18, 2022 | |
| Pages: 18 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
161: 夏野の生死
Natsuno no seishi
(The Fate of Natsuno)
Mao is shocked as Natsuno is run through by Soma's beast, its claw punching straight through her abdomen. Having drawn power from the earth, Nanoka is able to slice the beast's paw off as Mao rushes to help his gravely wounded friend. Nanoka continues the battle, slicing away at the beast as Soma rides on its back. Flying into a furious rage, Nanoka slices the creatures head off, leaving Soma stunned by her sudden ferocity. The beast begins to dissolve but Soma manages to fly away on its decapitated head. Nanoka rushes over to check on Natsuo and is shocked to see she has a hole straight through her, but no blood with Mao commenting it is as if she is a doll. Nanoka realizes this is the same as when the crack appeared in Natsuno's face after their fight with the salamander ayakashi. Mao is stunned that he did not sense that Natsuno was no longer human, but admits that something must have been hiding this fact from him, as Hyakka and Kamon also were not able to sense it. Having fled, Soma reports back to Hakubi, but the solider tells him he is too hesitant to kill. Hakubi tells him that the only reason he had to try to go to the hospital to complete his assassination is because he hesitated the first time he had the politician in his sights. Soma pleads with him for another chance and Hakubi silently decides that the only way the boy will learn to kill is if he kills enough that it becomes second nature. At Mao's doctor's office he has an unconcious Natsuno laying on the floor. Otoya deduces that Natsuno is actually a shikigami now who serves an unknown master. Mao comments on the ill health that Natsuno suffered from before the earthen golem cured her centuries ago. Suddenly clods of earth pound against the door before forcing through and then filling the hole in Natsuno's chest before her eyes suddenly open.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: October 26, 2022 | |
| Pages: 18 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
162: 魂の礼物
Tamashii no reimotsu
(The Vessel of the Soul)
Having woken up, Natsuno admits that she remembers nothing about what happened after she was pierced by the claws of Soma's beast. Natsuno wonders if he soul escaped from the hole in her body, but Nanoka and Mao explain to her that it seems as if her body is made from soil, that clods of dirt flew in through the door to mend the hole in her stomach. Natsuno clarifies that her earthenware body is a container for a soul. Mao asks Natsuno who it was that made this body for her, because whoever it was was skilled enough to hide her nature from not only Mao, but the other onmyoji as well. She explains once more than 900 years ago when she was dying of illness the clay doll approached her and offered her a deal and she and the doll vanished in front of Kamon, who was visiting her in the the sanatorium. She explains that as she fell through the ground she felt as if the soil was replacing her body. She felt something hot and then it was as if she was brought to life. When she woke up she was on the grounds of the Goko Clan's compound, though it was after everything had already burned down. Beyond that, Natsuno says she knows nothing about who restored her or how it was done. Nanoka speaks up, suggesting that perhaps what Natsuno experienced is was the Taizanfukun life-extending technique. Mao points out that on the night the Goko Clan was destroyed Byoki devoured the book containing the Taizanfukun spell and gained the knowledge of how to use it. He suggests that if Natsuno was indeed revived using Taizanfukun, then Byoki must be the one who performed it. Natsuno apologizes for letting Soma escape, knowing that he could have lead them to Shiranui and Hakubi. Mao explains that Shiranui also wants the secret of Taizanfukun, and that he has been pursuing Mao in hopes of getting it. Shiranui believes that Mao knows the Taizanfukun technique due to Byoki merging with him, but Mao says Taizanfukun is in Byoki's head, which escaped. As a result, Mao has no knowledge of the technique. Mao decides that he will try to bait Shiranui into attacking him again and has some of his ayakashi patients begin to spread work that there is a doctor that is able to manipulate life. Soon word travels through the grapevine and some of Renji's contacts with prostitutes tell him about Mao. Renji then passes the word to Shiranui who is shocked to hear that Mao has begun to use the Taizanfukun technique.
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| Publication Date: November 2, 2022 | |
| Pages: 18 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
163: 治療の依頼
Chiryou no irai
(A Request for Treatment)
Kamon speaks with Natsuno and explains that he too has been hearing the rumors of "Dr. Mao, master of the Taizanfukun technique". She explains that they have been spreading the rumor in hopes of luring out Shiranui. She says that she knows Kamon would like to confront Shiranui as well so he can retrieve Masago's corpse. Back at Mao's home, there is word that someone has reached out for an appointment requesting the Taizanfukun treatment. Nanoka is shocked, telling Mao it certainly must be Shiranui, which he calmly agrees with. He says his clinic is too obscure for any normal patient to have tracked down. A rickshaw takes Mao, Nanoka and Otoya to see the patient while Kamon and Natsuno follow in his car. They arrive at a palatial estate and Nanoka watches as the bridge over the lake they cross vanishes behind them. Inside they find the floors flooded with water and Shiranui watching from the top of a staircase. Shiranui immediately tells Mao that he suspected this was a trap to lure him out as Kamon and Natsuno join the others. Shiranui is suprised to see Natsuno is still alive and Kamon explains that is easy enough to cross Shiranui's bridge barrier when he is not casting his magics at the bottom of the ocean. Suddenly, Natsuno asks Shiranui what he knows about Sana's circumstances on the final night of the Goko Clan when everything went wrong. She tells him that she knows Daigo's curse was meant to be a farce so that he could elope in secret with Sana. She explains that after Daigo's death it was several months before Sana died, she did not follow him in death out of a sudden burst of longing. Nanoka is puzzled, saying she believed Sana died because of Daigo's death, but Natsuno corrects her, saying that she suspects Sana already knew what she would do. That she told Hyakka to burn down the treasure hall so the Goko Clan would come to an end, and then shortly thereafter she saw the blue ball of light. Shiranui suddenly realizes something as he begins to put the pieces together. He remembers going underground to confront Yurako, believing she was the one who killed Masago. Yurako told him they were not her creatures that attacked Masago. Nanoka starts to wonder what role Sana could have played in this, that she was the filter for Yurako's demons. Shiranui casually tells them that because Yurako denied killing Masago it could only have meant that it was Sana's demons who killed her. Upon hearing this Mao immediately begins to rage.
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| Publication Date: November 9, 2022 | |
| Pages: 18 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
164: 言葉の毒
Kotoba no doku
(Venomous Words)
Shiranui taunts Mao, telling him that he was far too trusting of Sana, teasing him that he was an orphan who had never seen such a beautiful woman before and fell for her wiles. Shiranui tells Mao that, after the death of Daigo, Sana was no longer so pure and she cursed Masago out of jealousy upon finding out she was going to run away with Kamon. Mao grows furious at Shiranui's cruel taunts and leaps to attack him only to be trapped in a bubble of water. Natsuno pierces the bubble as Kamon pins Shiranui to the wall with his vines. Kamon tells Shiranui that he is too trusting of Yurako's denial, asking if he has any proof that the ayakashi truly did not belong to Yurako. Shiranui scoffs that Yurako did not even know Masago and would have no reason to kill her; he tells them that Yurako lived in a cave all alone, not even realizing how miserable her existance was until she met Mao. Shiranui explains that he had no intention of harming Masago despite the orders from their master telling him to should she try to escape. Natsuno cuts him off, saying that clearly he has nothing useful to tell them. She then tells Shiranui that Mao does not know the Taizanfukun technique, that Byoki has this knowledge. Nanoka and Mao are shocked that she would reveal that ruse and Shiranui angrily uses his water powers to rip the manor apart. Shiranui escapes in a waterspout as Kamon catches everyone on a root as the manor collapses into the water beneath them. Kamon immediately wants to know why Natsuno revealed this information and Natsuno apologizes saying she could not bear to hear Shiranui's poisoned words that were trying to taint Mao's memories.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: September 16, 2022 | |
| Pages: 18 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
165: 光
Hikari
(Light)
Back in the safety of Mao's home everyone discusses their battle with Shiranui, including Natsuno suddenly revealing to him that Mao does not know the Taizanfukun spell. Kamon grumbles that now Shiranui has no reason to pursue Mao and will not be lured out easily again. Nanoka silently ponders Natsuno's approach to things, saying that once she learns something she loses interest in everything else. Nanoka believes that Natsuno is only focused on the indentity of who revived her and does not care much about the other issues everyone else is trying to resolve. Natsuno asks Kamon for his thoughts on Masago's death, curious if he agrees that it was Sana rather than Yurako that killed his lover. Kamon says that he does not take Yurako's words at face value and wonders if Shiranui had something against Sana. Kamon states that no one ever had a bad thing to say about Sana before the collapse of the Goko clan. They wonder if Shiranui's abuse at the hands of the Goko Master made him feel a kinship with Yurako who was also treated terribly by their former master. Natsuno reminds everyone that it was Sana's job to filter the ayakashi, perhaps then she did have some access to them. Kamon wonders if Sana knew about the work of the ayakashi, if she could have been unaware of their killing of Masago. Suddenly Natsuno says she's going to head out and Kamon says he too is going home, commenting that he lost his chance at Shiranui due to Natsuno's comment. Natsuno promises to make it up to Kamon one day as they head out. With that Nanoka and Mao are left alone and Nanoka explains that she does not think that Sana would have killed Masago out of malice. If she had, she would not have killed herself later out of guilt if it had been an intentional murder. Mao asks Nanoka if she is trying to make him feel better and she ads that she knows how upset he was with what Shiranui was saying about Sana. Mao tells Nanoka how special Sana was, that his life was absolute hell as a child, his fellow orphans would be killed in front of him and his life was absolutely empty. He tells her Daigo gave him hope by talking about the Goko Clan, and eventually he was able to join the clan and saw Sana, the first beautiful thing he ever knew in his life. Nanoka thinks to herself she will never compare to the idealized beauty of Sana and Mao sits beside her, thinking that Sana is is light too now, just as Sana was. She tells Mao he does not have to tell her these things and he says he wants her to understand explaining he is alright though he does not tell her how important she is to him. They both tell one another they understand though Otoya says he has no idea what either of them are talking about.
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| Publication Date: November 22, 2022 | |
| Pages: 18 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
166: 化生の匣
Kasei no hako
(The Box of Monstrosity)
A middle-aged servant woman from a wealthy home comes to speak to Mao and Nanoka about an antique chest the master of the house recently purchased. She tells Mao that the man stares at the small box for hours a day neglecting his family and he slowly seems to be changing, having lost a lot of weight. She explains that the chest was allegedly found in the store room of a ruined family when her master acquired it. When they arrive at the man's home they discover he has started to turn into an oni and murdered his wife and others in the home with a sword. When Mao tries to exorcise him the man flees, seizing the cursed box and running away. Three days later Hakubi reports to Shiranui that the "chest of metamorphosis" has been found after centuries without any word on its location. He explains that he needs Shiranui's underlings to help him retrieve it, adding that his own desciples Kagami and Soma are not yet skilled enough and he cannot risk losing the chest. Mao and Nanoka speak about the cursed chest with Mao revealing that it was an item that belonged to the Goko Clan centuries ago. Mao adds that it was not an item kept in the treasure hall with their other precious relics, rather it was something that was used to curse others and he recalls seeing Hakubi being dispatched with it. He recalls hearing about a local lord who was then possessed by an ayakashi and had to be slain. Nanoka asks if there is any way to reverse the process to which Mao states that he has not heard of a way to do so, but wonders if he can retrieve the box from the man who fled with it if he might return to normal. One night Renji and Sasuga are out in search of the box. When Sasuga asks Renji if he has often worked for Hakubi before he tells Sasuga no, but he will work for whomever pays him well. Sasuga says that Shiranui did not seem interested in the box, only his search for a cat which piques Renji's interest. Suddenly Sasuga senses a demonic aura nearby and rushes downt he street only to find Mao battling against the increasingly demonic man who has the box.
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| Publication Date: November 30, 2022 | |
| Pages: 1 (full color) 17 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
167: 匣の行方
Hako no yukue
(The Whereabouts of the Box)
Mao uses his paper talismen against the increasingly transformed man. As Mao battles against the creature Nanoka realizes he no longer has the Box of Monstrosity. Suddenly fire flies begin to appear and explode inside the creatures head as Renji and Sasuga arrive. Nanoka yells at them that they just killed a human being which puzzles Sasuga. Renji is indifferent, telling Sasuga to go and find the missing box. When Mao asks they why the Goko Clan is interested in the chest Renji casually tells him that Hakubi wants it. Suddenly the man-turned-demon jumps up and starts attacking again before running away. Renji is stunned that he could have survived his kakachu. Sasuga realizes that the creature still has the box and uses his water like a blade to slice it apart, revealing the box was inside the man's body. Before Sasuga can retrieve the box however, Nanoka intervenes and the chest falls into the river. Mao leaps in after it as Renji attacks from the bridge, but suddenly something erupts from the water with the chest in its clutches.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: December 7, 2022 | |
| Pages: 19 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
168: 移動する呪具
Idousuru jugu
(The Traveling Cursed Artifact)
The Box of Monstrosity falls from the bridge into the river and as Mao swims down to try and retrieve it a bubbling surge erupts followed by a humongous fish with the cursed chest in its mouth. Having come into contact with the chest the creature took on a monstrous size, sprouts wings and soon flies away. With no reason to continue their fight, Sasuga and Renji withdraw to follow the fish as Mao and Nanoka inspect the ashen remains of the man-turned-monster that they pursued. Nanoka laments not being able to save him as Mao vows to keep the box from falling into Hakubi's hands. Some time later two young boys find the remains of the huge fish decaying in a riverbed and take the box from its rotting corpse. At the Milk Hall, Mao speaks with Kamon and Hyakka about the history of the cursed box and Kamon mentions that during the chaos of the day the Goko clan collapsed Hakubi stole away some of the cursing tools that were hidden in the treasure house. Later the group hears word of another mass murder in the newspaper and presume it might be someone else that has discovered the cursed chest. Investigating, Kamon and Hyakka realize that the Box of Monstrosity did not possess the antique shop owner or the two boys that found the box, instead waiting to possess the head a family before forcing more slaughters. With that, Hyakka's sparrows help find the trail of the powerful cursing tool.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: December 21, 2022 | |
| Pages: 18 (black and white) | |
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