Underground.
Deep beneath the Imagawa main castle, there was a massive cavern.
This cavern was not naturally formed—it had been excavated by some force. The walls were covered in black scorch marks, traces left by lightning burns.
The air was thick with the smell of burning.
Acrid and sharp.
In the center of the cavern crouched a giant beast.
The thunder beast.
Its form resembled a white wolf magnified tenfold, yet it was not a wolf.
Its limbs were thick, its claws like forged steel, each tip gleaming with purple electricity. Its fur was white, like lightning itself, with faint purple patterns flowing beneath.
Like veins.
Or traces of celestial lightning solidified underground.
This was the divine beast said to serve the thunder god in ancient legend though not the legendary beast itself, just a descendant, a continuation of that ancient bloodline. But possessing that ancient divine blood was enough to easily place it among the ranks of high-tier demons.
Now, this thunder beast lay on the ground, its eyes closed.
Resting.
And waiting.
'The task that lord gave me is simple.
Lurk beneath this human castle, release lightning at intervals and create panic and death.
No need for large-scale killing. Just, at this critical moment when the two countries are at war, sustain a constant, steady production of fear within one of them.
That fear will unsettle people, condense into resentment.
And resentment will breed demons.
Demons will create more fear.
A cycle.
A perfect cycle from within.'
The thunder beast was satisfied with this task.
It didn't need to appear. Didn't need to fight. Just stay underground and release some lightning now and then.
Safe, effortless and still complete the mission.
As an old demon who had lived for centuries, it had long learned how to preserve itself.
Once, long ago, it had been too brash. It had tried to attack a human noble to feast on their flesh. Not only did it fail, but those damned onmyōji had cornered it, nearly purifying it, almost costing it its life.
After that, it had learned.
Hide when possible. Stay concealed.
Strength wasn't for show, It was for survival.
It had already scouted the monks in this castle.
A useless bunch.
The strongest among them could barely sense its presence, let alone find its exact location.
And harming it? Impossible.
So it could rest easy here. Slowly release lightning and slowly accumulate resentment.
When the resentment was sufficient, that lord would come to harvest.
Then it would be rewarded.
Maybe even break through its current bottleneck.
The thunder beast was thinking about this, its lips curling slightly.
A smile. Though on that beastly face, it looked more like a snarl.
But just then
Its body suddenly stiffened.
A strange presence flowed toward it from all directions.
The presence was faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible. But it still sensed it.
Because that presence was too distinctive.
Demonic aura.
And blood.
And.... bone.
"What?" The thunder beast's eyes snapped open.
It saw.
From the cracks in the cavern walls, from the fissures in the ground something was emerging.
White.
Sharp.
Like plant roots.
Or bone spurs.
One, two, ten, a hundred.
Those bone spurs grew at a visible rate, approaching from all directions.
"What is this thing—"
The thunder beast rose to its feet. Lightning surged around it.
It swung its foreclaw, sending a bolt of purple lightning.
The bolt struck the nearest bone spurs, shattering them to pieces.
But more spurs surged forward.
Filling the gaps left by the fragments. As if they could never be fully destroyed.
"Damn it—" The thunder beast's expression shifted.
It realized something was wrong.
These bone spurs weren't natural. Someone was controlling them.
Someone was forcing it to emerge.
"Who!" It roared.
Its voice echoed through the cavern, shaking loose rubble from the walls.
No answer.
Only more bone spurs.
And blood mist.
A faint red haze seeped through the gaps between the spurs, spreading through the air.
The blood mist wasn't aggressive, but the thunder beast felt a sense of unease.
As if something was watching it.
As if something had it in its sights.
That something wasn't powerful, but it was 'tenacious.' Troublesome!
"I can't stay here anymore!" The thunder beast made its judgment.
Its body transformed into a bolt of purple lightning, charging toward the surface.
Boom—!
The ground exploded.
In the center of the Imagawa main castle, a massive pit suddenly appeared. The surrounding area had been cleared of people, as if preparations had been made long ago, leaving only an open space.
A thunderbolt from a clear sky.
Literal thunder from a clear sky.
Dust billowed!
The thunder beast burst from the pit, its massive form looking especially ferocious under the moonlight.
It had finally left the underground lair where it had stayed for three days. Finally emerged into the open.
And then—
It froze.
What it saw was a world woven from red and white.
Red blood mist shrouded the entire castle, spreading from within to beyond the walls, like a thin veil of gauze.
White bone spurs erupted from the ground, from rooftops, from the castle walls, dense, like a forest.
No, not a forest.
A cage.
A massive cage woven from blood and bone.
And it was at the center of this cage.
"This—" The thunder beast's pupils contracted.
It looked up sharply.
At the highest point of the castle, atop the tenshu, stood a figure.
Grey robes, white hair.
Two blades in hand.
That figure looked down at it, red eyes standing out sharply in the night.
"Finally forced you out." That figure spoke.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear in the thunder beast's ears.
The thunder beast's eyes went wide.
It recognized that figure.
That was—
"Nakai Shinji!?" The thunder beast roared the name.
Yes, it knew that name.
As one of the vanguards sent by the Kyoto power, of course it knew the other vanguards' intelligence.
And it knew of the troublesome presence that had recently appeared in the Kantō region.
A demon warrior who had killed Suda Shigenobu.
A demon who traveled with the shrine maiden of Kaede Village.
The one who had killed four of the Shichinintai days ago.
It hadn't expected this one to come after it directly.
Then,
The figure above smiled.
That smile, against the backdrop of blood mist and bone forest, was especially eerie.
"That's right," he said.
"Remember this name."
"It belongs to the one who kills you."
The demon, Nakai Shinji.
Also, the demon god, Nakai Shinji.
Boom!
Lightning rose again, fell again.
But this time, its target was no longer aimlessly creating resentment. It surged violently toward the figure standing high above!
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