Dark Gathering - Ch. 67 - Triumphant Return

[Hikineet]

Thanks for the chapter.

 

[Elenesia]

There's also that group that tried to use the 72 demons to destroy Japan. That seems like another sub-plot that will be expanded on.

My guy, that group of foreigners attack Japan during late Yayoi period(300BC - 250AD) - Kofun period (250 AD - 538AD), roughly 1500 years ago, so whoever their descendants is have long been dead.

Also in irl Ars Goetia, there's no clear power structure or ranking, Marbas may only be the president of hell, one of the lowest rank among the 72 demons, but the general consensus in occult perspective is that Marbas received that rank because he doesn't join Satan/Lucifer when they first rebelled against the heaven. So we can conclude that by no means Marbas itself is a weak demon just because of his low rank.

 

[OnionSoda]

Yayoi is 100% a possesed and class 0 is the actual girl.

 

[DenjinZ]

Yayoi is 100% a possesed and class 0 is the actual girl.

That makes zero sense. Yes, "Replaced" Yayoi has been pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and is such a stone faced actor/actress that they never break character once.

 

[kzaofkkua]

My guy, that group of foreigners attack Japan during late Yayoi period(300BC - 250AD) - Kofun period (250 AD - 538AD), roughly 1500 years ago, so whoever their descendants is have long been dead.

Also in irl Ars Goetia, there's no clear power structure or ranking, Marbas may only be the president of hell, one of the lowest rank among the 72 demons, but the general consensus in occult perspective is that Marbas received that rank because he doesn't join Satan/Lucifer when they first rebelled against the heaven. So we can conclude that by no means Marbas itself is a weak demon just because of his low rank.

We don't know how many demons that group tried to use to attack Japan. It could just be Marbas, or there might be more demons sealed away in other places. Hell, what if that priest looking Replaced guy summons a demon?

 

[nhansieu1]

Man really is the Kenjaku of Dark Gathering 🤣

now let's see whether dude's head was cut by The Sneakiest

 

[LordofAlI]

Ok flashback backstory time!!!!

 

[Strela]

Mfw no Dark Gathering for 4 months

 

[ckcw23]

It's 'Pokemon with Horror Story Ghosts', by that very fact the author could keep it going for 1000 chapters, Conan style.

There’s still the rest of the other haunted spots in Japan, I hope to see what’s in Hokkaido and Okinawa, to see what demons the author will show from Ainu and Ryukyuan mythology.

 

[Pepsioverdose]

I got goosebumps when yayoi talks about getting other bigshots on her rosters.

I think it’s quite a big risk for yayoi leave the Demon Sergeant to guard the house by himself, not to mentioned hes not fully recovered. I cant even imagine how shitty it would be if The Replaced somehow got control over him.

 

[DenjinZ]

I got goosebumps when yayoi talks about getting other bigshots on her rosters.

I think it’s quite a big risk for yayoi leave the Demon Sergeant to guard the house by himself, not to mentioned hes not fully recovered. I cant even imagine how shitty it would be if The Replaced somehow got control over him.

It is a risk, but his abilities make him the best to fight and/or trap them for questioning.

 

[haunterex]

Demon Sergeant already has a great self-recovery, and that right now is boosted by that energy point where he is, and by that time probably that house is stuffed with dead soldiers (Ok that they are canon fodder but they have their use)

 

[kzaofkkua]

How much do you want to bet the arm crawled back to the Replaced by itself?

 

[RiverSticks]

I think it’s quite a big risk for yayoi leave the Demon Sergeant to guard the house by himself, not to mentioned hes not fully recovered. I cant even imagine how shitty it would be if The Replaced somehow got control over him.

That's certainly true, the Replaced getting an unkillable Graduate would suck, but I think it's a safe bet.

The Sergeant's entire curse is that he wants to pass on but can't. His soul was literally dragged to hell and all it did was spit him back out

As for corruption or mind control, we can rely on the Sergeant's morals and that super clingy and super creepy "thing" keeping him strong and "alive". Do note that this "thing" was so fucked even the battle junkie Tai thought it was troublesome

 

[gamria]

Oh the woes of real life that've obstructed the joys of my life...

Chapter 67

As expected, this chapter serves as a junction between arcs. Except, this is the first time we're transitioning from one major campaign to another, with loads of info to mark the occasion.

The Kamiyo's
I know with the previous chapter many speculated that Eiken the second son is Replaced, but I can safely say none of us ever expected he got Replaced by his own grandpa who was still alive.

To put into words how despicable Sougen's crime is:

• Nankabo's ridiculous feat of re-imprisoning all the freed spirits that should've passed on ironically rendered Sougen's primary motive of evading their wrath moot, and hence the crime very unnecessary in principle.
• Seimei was already interceding with the various victim spirits to quell much of their wrath, and his mercy got disrespected like that. Really sucks that without living collaborators like Tamamura and Yayoi, his ability to intervene in the affairs of the living is super limited.
• The ancient contract has ended and no more women or anyone else from the clan need to be sacrificed anymore. And this guy goes and plundered his grandson in body and soul anyway.
• While father Reijirou has risk himself so the Kamiyo Clan stands a chance of going clean and normal, Sougen effectively runs away. He got to enjoy all the divine power but escapes when responsibility came calling, the coward.

And now his only purpose in life is to get his petty salty runback on a nine year old preteen. It's not only heinous, it's pathetic.

Poor Ai, losing one brother is bad enough, now she lost a second one. Hope she gets a chance for payback.

Furthermore, with Sougen's continuing villainy, this could make Tamamura and Mei's future roles interesting. And we’ll be visiting Kyoto again in the future for sure, just to see how incensed Seimei is feeling.


Housing Crisis
Well this is fun, Houzuki Residence now has a new little sister. And hey, Keitaro now only needs to visit one place to tutor both of his students at once, differing schedules notwithstanding (and Eiko gets to see him more often...)

And while we're on topic, does Kondou-sensei have Ai's casual wardrobe ready, or will he ask readers to submit outfits again?

--

This stings, the Graduate Dorm can no longer be used to recover the majority of the spirits in our lineup. Good thing Sergeant still has a use for this place, and returning the Maiden to her home at H Castle Ruins should still work for her.

While yes, this presents the chance for new Graduates to take the spotlight, I do hope we can secure a new Dorm soon. And I was so looking forward to a reward party for a battle well-fought...

Also, with Yayoi defeating Taisui Xingjun and now the right arm got retrieved, is her ruse with the Replaced officially over? Any of them still buying her act she's on their side?


Clearing Tokyo
Glad we got the silhouettes for the remaining Classes 0 and 3. I’m curious about Class 3’s circular object in their hands, likely an orb since mirrors are already Oiran’s motif.

Of the 7 spots listed in Tokyo, we have these remaining ones left:

1. K Bridge (SS Rank)
2. S Park (A Rank)
3. D Temple (B Rank)
4. Old K Tunnel (S Rank) – notably the residence of the spirit responsible for Replacing Shami the younger (and killed the police officers at the station post-Old I Watergate)
5. Z Cemetery (A Rank) – if the claims that Shami the younger cleared this spot are actually true, no longer relevant

While it’s tempting to think that we’ll straight up retrieve all four remaining Graduates and clear all of Tokyo, somehow I don’t feel like that’s how it’d play out.

• For one, I can’t see Yayoi getting all these remaining secret weapons just yet. Not before her newly captured Kyoto spirits get to recover and show their worth; not before they become effectively overpowered and obsolete by her already-proven soldiers.
• For two…our first romp across Tokyo involved clearing 3 + 2 spots for a gathering of six spirits. Even if we assume Yayoi wouldn’t retrieve any other Graduates to clear D Temple (B Rank), that’s still at least 4 + 2 spots. Out of concern for pacing, I can’t see this second romp being longer than our first, it’d wind up feeling bogged down.

Instead, here’s how I predict the flow:

1. S Park. We’ll emancipate Class 1 Samurai and use it to take this A Rank haunt on.
2. D Temple. As a B Rank haunt, perhaps between Hariti’s Finger (which should still be with us as a Bunrei?), Marbus’ Ring and the S Tunnel Ghost, we have sufficient firepower to handle this?
3. K Bridge. Emancipate Transcendent Jizo and have ourselves a legendary SS Rank match.
4. Old K Tunnel. As the residence of a Replaced enemy, showing hostility to them will be a point of no return, and a Replaced is likely too cognizant and dangerous to keep around even as a captive (let alone as a Graduate to be employed in battle). This calls for annihilation, and we could even bring Shami the elder with us to avenge her sister.

For the record, the first line in the bottom panel here more accurately means "We'll release/emancipate them as necessary/based on our needs,". I think it’d be more enticing if Classes 0 and 3 winded up remaining in reserve, such that when they’re finally retrieved, you'll know the situation is really dire if they're needed.


Rehabilitation and Prototyping
This will be fun, learning about Yayoi’s time in the hospital and how she learnt her craft and homebrewing methods. Hope we’ll get an explanation on how she got so knowledgeable about the curses and ghost encounters too.

I approximate we’ll merely spend 1 or 2 chapters on this before returning to the present, shouldn't take too long.

What’s curious is that by the time this flashback is over, we’d know more about the secretive Class 0 than Class 3. Not a complaint, but how did we wind up in this situation?


Last Remarks
Our visit to Kuubou’s battle site was briefer than expected, but by acquiring that piece of Kuubou flesh, perhaps we finally have our Pokedex for tracking the roaming spirit’s location?

We better get a new Graduate Dorm soon, if only to get Tai Sui back to sufficient vitality so we can inquire him about Keitaro and Eiko’s curse, and how it compares to his strength.

But for now until Kondou-sensei’s return in April, be it visiting haunted spots or resting up, I pray he’ll come back refreshed and in good spirits! Heck, nowadays it's pretty regular for Jump SQ authors to take breaks.

 

[Elenesia]

Oh the woes of real life that've obstructed the joys of my life...

Chapter 67

As expected, this chapter serves as a junction between arcs. Except, this is the first time we're transitioning from one major campaign to another, with loads of info to mark the occasion.

The Kamiyo's
I know with the previous chapter many speculated that Eiken the second son is Replaced, but I can safely say none of us ever expected he got Replaced by his own grandpa who was still alive.

To put into words how despicable Sougen's crime is:

• Nankabo's ridiculous feat of re-imprisoning all the freed spirits that should've passed on ironically rendered Sougen's primary motive of evading their wrath moot, and hence the crime very unnecessary in principle.
• Seimei was already interceding with the various victim spirits to quell much of their wrath, and his mercy got disrespected like that. Really sucks that without living collaborators like Tamamura and Yayoi, his ability to intervene in the affairs of the living is super limited.
• The ancient contract has ended and no more women or anyone else from the clan need to be sacrificed anymore. And this guy goes and plundered his grandson in body and soul anyway.
• While father Reijirou has risk himself so the Kamiyo Clan stands a chance of going clean and normal, Sougen effectively runs away. He got to enjoy all the divine power but escapes when responsibility came calling, the coward.

And now his only purpose in life is to get his petty salty runback on a nine year old preteen. It's not only heinous, it's pathetic.

Poor Ai, losing one brother is bad enough, now she lost a second one. Hope she gets a chance for payback.

Furthermore, with Sougen's continuing villainy, this could make Tamamura and Mei's future roles interesting. And we’ll be visiting Kyoto again in the future for sure, just to see how incensed Seimei is feeling.


Housing Crisis
Well this is fun, Houzuki Residence now has a new little sister. And hey, Keitaro now only needs to visit one place to tutor both of his students at once, differing schedules notwithstanding (and Eiko gets to see him more often...)

And while we're on topic, does Kondou-sensei have Ai's casual wardrobe ready, or will he ask readers to submit outfits again?

--

This stings, the Graduate Dorm can no longer be used to recover the majority of the spirits in our lineup. Good thing Sergeant still has a use for this place, and returning the Maiden to her home at H Castle Ruins should still work for her.

While yes, this presents the chance for new Graduates to take the spotlight, I do hope we can secure a new Dorm soon. And I was so looking forward to a reward party for a battle well-fought...

Also, with Yayoi defeating Taisui Xingjun and now the right arm got retrieved, is her ruse with the Replaced officially over? Any of them still buying her act she's on their side?


Clearing Tokyo
Glad we got the silhouettes for the remaining Classes 0 and 3. I’m curious about Class 3’s circular object in their hands, likely an orb since mirrors are already Oiran’s motif.

Of the 7 spots listed in Tokyo, we have these remaining ones left:

1. K Bridge (SS Rank)
2. S Park (A Rank)
3. D Temple (B Rank)
4. Old K Tunnel (S Rank) – notably the residence of the spirit responsible for Replacing Shami the younger (and killed the police officers at the station post-Old I Watergate)
5. Z Cemetery (A Rank) – if the claims that Shami the younger cleared this spot are actually true, no longer relevant

While it’s tempting to think that we’ll straight up retrieve all four remaining Graduates and clear all of Tokyo, somehow I don’t feel like that’s how it’d play out.

• For one, I can’t see Yayoi getting all these remaining secret weapons just yet. Not before her newly captured Kyoto spirits get to recover and show their worth; not before they become effectively overpowered and obsolete by her already-proven soldiers.
• For two…our first romp across Tokyo involved clearing 3 + 2 spots for a gathering of six spirits. Even if we assume Yayoi wouldn’t retrieve any other Graduates to clear D Temple (B Rank), that’s still at least 4 + 2 spots. Out of concern for pacing, I can’t see this second romp being longer than our first, it’d wind up feeling bogged down.

Instead, here’s how I predict the flow:

1. S Park. We’ll emancipate Class 1 Samurai and use it to take this A Rank haunt on.
2. D Temple. As a B Rank haunt, perhaps between Hariti’s Finger (which should still be with us as a Bunrei?), Marbus’ Ring and the S Tunnel Ghost, we have sufficient firepower to handle this?
3. K Bridge. Emancipate Transcendent Jizo and have ourselves a legendary SS Rank match.
4. Old K Tunnel. As the residence of a Replaced enemy, showing hostility to them will be a point of no return, and a Replaced is likely too cognizant and dangerous to keep around even as a captive (let alone as a Graduate to be employed in battle). This calls for annihilation, and we could even bring Shami the elder with us to avenge her sister.

For the record, the first line in the bottom panel here more accurately means "We'll release/emancipate them as necessary/based on our needs,". I think it’d be more enticing if Classes 0 and 3 winded up remaining in reserve, such that when they’re finally retrieved, you'll know the situation is really dire if they're needed.


Rehabilitation and Prototyping
This will be fun, learning about Yayoi’s time in the hospital and how she learnt her craft and homebrewing methods. Hope we’ll get an explanation on how she got so knowledgeable about the curses and ghost encounters too.

I approximate we’ll merely spend 1 or 2 chapters on this before returning to the present, shouldn't take too long.

What’s curious is that by the time this flashback is over, we’d know more about the secretive Class 0 than Class 3. Not a complaint, but how did we wind up in this situation?


Last Remarks
Our visit to Kuubou’s battle site was briefer than expected, but by acquiring that piece of Kuubou flesh, perhaps we finally have our Pokedex for tracking the roaming spirit’s location?

We better get a new Graduate Dorm soon, if only to get Tai Sui back to sufficient vitality so we can inquire him about Keitaro and Eiko’s curse, and how it compares to his strength.

But for now until Kondou-sensei’s return in April, be it visiting haunted spots or resting up, I pray he’ll come back refreshed and in good spirits! Heck, nowadays it's pretty regular for Jump SQ authors to take breaks.

You made several good points there and I agree with everything. As far as I know, Yayoi had been using ancient Taoist sorcery method using spirits to create prototype graduate, called Gu(Mandarin) or Kodoku(Japanese), a very old sorcery that was widely used as early of Jin Dynasty. So whoever taught Yayoi her craft must be someone really extraordinary and knowledgeable about the dark arts.

As for Seimei's case, dude must be furious af that all his hard work just goes down the drain. Those who read about Seimei's deed in Konjaku Monogatarishu will know how terrifying he really is in dealing with his enemy. No wonder he is known as the best Onmyoji that managed to keep his influence in Imperial court for quite a long time.

And the reason why I fell in love so hard with this manga is because the author spent enormous amount of times reading and understanding about Onmyodo and such. This was shown in confrontation of Kuubou Vs Taisai where Taisai was seen using sub-divination techniques called Rikujin Shikisen under Da Liu Ren, where the arrangements of Juni Tensho changed according to what Taisai was trying to predict.

 

[Forikorder]

Oh the woes of real life that've obstructed the joys of my life...

Chapter 67

As expected, this chapter serves as a junction between arcs. Except, this is the first time we're transitioning from one major campaign to another, with loads of info to mark the occasion.

The Kamiyo's
I know with the previous chapter many speculated that Eiken the second son is Replaced, but I can safely say none of us ever expected he got Replaced by his own grandpa who was still alive.

To put into words how despicable Sougen's crime is:

• Nankabo's ridiculous feat of re-imprisoning all the freed spirits that should've passed on ironically rendered Sougen's primary motive of evading their wrath moot, and hence the crime very unnecessary in principle.
• Seimei was already interceding with the various victim spirits to quell much of their wrath, and his mercy got disrespected like that. Really sucks that without living collaborators like Tamamura and Yayoi, his ability to intervene in the affairs of the living is super limited.
• The ancient contract has ended and no more women or anyone else from the clan need to be sacrificed anymore. And this guy goes and plundered his grandson in body and soul anyway.
• While father Reijirou has risk himself so the Kamiyo Clan stands a chance of going clean and normal, Sougen effectively runs away. He got to enjoy all the divine power but escapes when responsibility came calling, the coward.

And now his only purpose in life is to get his petty salty runback on a nine year old preteen. It's not only heinous, it's pathetic.

Poor Ai, losing one brother is bad enough, now she lost a second one. Hope she gets a chance for payback.

Furthermore, with Sougen's continuing villainy, this could make Tamamura and Mei's future roles interesting. And we’ll be visiting Kyoto again in the future for sure, just to see how incensed Seimei is feeling.


Housing Crisis
Well this is fun, Houzuki Residence now has a new little sister. And hey, Keitaro now only needs to visit one place to tutor both of his students at once, differing schedules notwithstanding (and Eiko gets to see him more often...)

And while we're on topic, does Kondou-sensei have Ai's casual wardrobe ready, or will he ask readers to submit outfits again?

--

This stings, the Graduate Dorm can no longer be used to recover the majority of the spirits in our lineup. Good thing Sergeant still has a use for this place, and returning the Maiden to her home at H Castle Ruins should still work for her.

While yes, this presents the chance for new Graduates to take the spotlight, I do hope we can secure a new Dorm soon. And I was so looking forward to a reward party for a battle well-fought...

Also, with Yayoi defeating Taisui Xingjun and now the right arm got retrieved, is her ruse with the Replaced officially over? Any of them still buying her act she's on their side?


Clearing Tokyo
Glad we got the silhouettes for the remaining Classes 0 and 3. I’m curious about Class 3’s circular object in their hands, likely an orb since mirrors are already Oiran’s motif.

Of the 7 spots listed in Tokyo, we have these remaining ones left:

1. K Bridge (SS Rank)
2. S Park (A Rank)
3. D Temple (B Rank)
4. Old K Tunnel (S Rank) – notably the residence of the spirit responsible for Replacing Shami the younger (and killed the police officers at the station post-Old I Watergate)
5. Z Cemetery (A Rank) – if the claims that Shami the younger cleared this spot are actually true, no longer relevant

While it’s tempting to think that we’ll straight up retrieve all four remaining Graduates and clear all of Tokyo, somehow I don’t feel like that’s how it’d play out.

• For one, I can’t see Yayoi getting all these remaining secret weapons just yet. Not before her newly captured Kyoto spirits get to recover and show their worth; not before they become effectively overpowered and obsolete by her already-proven soldiers.
• For two…our first romp across Tokyo involved clearing 3 + 2 spots for a gathering of six spirits. Even if we assume Yayoi wouldn’t retrieve any other Graduates to clear D Temple (B Rank), that’s still at least 4 + 2 spots. Out of concern for pacing, I can’t see this second romp being longer than our first, it’d wind up feeling bogged down.

Instead, here’s how I predict the flow:

1. S Park. We’ll emancipate Class 1 Samurai and use it to take this A Rank haunt on.
2. D Temple. As a B Rank haunt, perhaps between Hariti’s Finger (which should still be with us as a Bunrei?), Marbus’ Ring and the S Tunnel Ghost, we have sufficient firepower to handle this?
3. K Bridge. Emancipate Transcendent Jizo and have ourselves a legendary SS Rank match.
4. Old K Tunnel. As the residence of a Replaced enemy, showing hostility to them will be a point of no return, and a Replaced is likely too cognizant and dangerous to keep around even as a captive (let alone as a Graduate to be employed in battle). This calls for annihilation, and we could even bring Shami the elder with us to avenge her sister.

For the record, the first line in the bottom panel here more accurately means "We'll release/emancipate them as necessary/based on our needs,". I think it’d be more enticing if Classes 0 and 3 winded up remaining in reserve, such that when they’re finally retrieved, you'll know the situation is really dire if they're needed.


Rehabilitation and Prototyping
This will be fun, learning about Yayoi’s time in the hospital and how she learnt her craft and homebrewing methods. Hope we’ll get an explanation on how she got so knowledgeable about the curses and ghost encounters too.

I approximate we’ll merely spend 1 or 2 chapters on this before returning to the present, shouldn't take too long.

What’s curious is that by the time this flashback is over, we’d know more about the secretive Class 0 than Class 3. Not a complaint, but how did we wind up in this situation?


Last Remarks
Our visit to Kuubou’s battle site was briefer than expected, but by acquiring that piece of Kuubou flesh, perhaps we finally have our Pokedex for tracking the roaming spirit’s location?

We better get a new Graduate Dorm soon, if only to get Tai Sui back to sufficient vitality so we can inquire him about Keitaro and Eiko’s curse, and how it compares to his strength.

But for now until Kondou-sensei’s return in April, be it visiting haunted spots or resting up, I pray he’ll come back refreshed and in good spirits! Heck, nowadays it's pretty regular for Jump SQ authors to take breaks.

With seimei it's possible it was a trap, he knew they'd feed him the souls and set up some kind of trap, perhaps something related to that freaky ritual he was doing with the generals a couple chapters back