The night was deep. Shinji's figure moved through the mountain forest, heading toward the next target.
The red comb in his robe was vibrating, more intensely than ever before.
"Hey." Yura's voice came from the comb. "What you said earlier… did you mean it?"
"What said?"
"About… me also being one of those who killed the thunder beast."
Shinji didn't slow his pace.
"It wasn't just politeness," he said bluntly. "Without your hair to channel the lightning, I couldn't have killed that thunder beast."
This was also, of course, the time to raise her affection.
Shinji was very familiar with this.
He had more or less figured out this comb demon's personality, cold-blooded, yes, and as a tsukumogami she had no blood at all.
But at the same time, she was also tsundere.
As a demon born from a comb left untouched for ages, she actually really wanted attention.
As expected.
Silence.
The little skull on the comb turned, as if digesting his words.
"Hmph." Yura's voice turned prickly. "So you're saying… I'm stronger than those Kyoto losers?"
"At least stronger than that thunder beast," Shinji said smoothly. "Because it's dead, and you're still alive."
Another silence.
But this silence was… nuanced.
[Yura: Affection +2]
[Current Affection: 1 (Budding affection / No longer hostile)]
[For the first time, it thinks being held by you isn't so bad.]
Shinji looked at the prompt.
Finally turned positive.
Only one point, but at least it wasn't negative anymore.
This one really did respond to praise.
"Don't get cocky," Yura's voice came again, with a hint of tsundere pride. "I just don't want those Kyoto guys to have it easy."
"When I recover, you're the first one I'm coming after."
Shinji didn't respond.
He just tucked the comb deeper into his robe and kept moving.
In the Warring States era, in Suruga Province, a thunder beast wrought havoc. Descendant of the ancient thunder god's servants, it lurked beneath the city for three days, summoning lightning, killing and destroying without measure. All feared it.
A demon warrior named Shinji came. He made a forest of blood and bone, and slew it with his blade.
The lord of Imagawa established a shrine in its honor.
Thus, the demon who cut the thunder.
Raikiri.
Strange Tales of Suruga Province
At the same time.
Kaede Village.
Kikyō stood on the watchtower at the village entrance, longbow in hand.
The night wind stirred her black hair. Her white robes and red hakama were especially vivid under the moonlight.
Her gaze was fixed on the west.
There, something was fading.
"The spiritual fluctuation… is weakening," she murmured.
The west was the direction of Imagawa territory. The direction Shinji had headed.
That dense, restless lightning demonic aura was now slowly dissipating.
Like a dying flame.
Like a demon that had died.
"He succeeded?" Kikyō's brow relaxed slightly.
But the next moment, her expression turned grave again.
Because she sensed another demonic aura.
To the north.
That was the direction of the venomous dragon.
And to the south.
To the east.
Three directions, three demonic auras, still restless.
"One by one, then…" She looked toward the distant darkness.
Shinji was probably on his way to the next target now, wasn't he?
She hoped he was safe.
As she looked beyond the village, past the shrine's barrier, demon shadows loomed, demons stood thick and dense.
And more.
Demonic winds surged, spreading for miles.
Shinji was right.
Different skills for different tasks.
Assassination and decapitation, that was for Shinji.
Defense and breakthrough, that was for her. She who excelled at wielding spiritual power, casting spells, and constructing barriers was the true choice for staying behind.
The dark-haired shrine maiden's lips pressed together.
Though she was alone, as always,
This time, she didn't feel that sense of loneliness.
Only waiting.
And anticipation.
So.
The shrine maiden drew her bow.
Waiting for the demons outside to gather enough.
Then.
Boom—
An arrow flew. A hundred demons shattered, turning to ash scattered across the sky, completely purified by pure spiritual power.
At this moment, Shinji was still on the road.
[Phantom Step] used repeatedly, his form like a ghost.
From Imagawa territory to Hōjō territory, about a hundred and eighty miles straight line.
For an ordinary person, this distance would take several days.
For him, only two hours.
But he didn't plan to go straight.
[Inspiration] activated.
The talent he had gained from the Shikon Jewel's pure spirit let him again perceive the flow of spiritual power.
But this time, what he perceived was no longer just the flow between heaven and earth, but the resonance extending outward from what he had already obtained, the subtle repulsion of spiritual power.
The demonic aura extending from the thunder beast's horn.
Since they had all been summoned by Kyoto to surround Kaede Village, there should be some connection between them, more or less.
And now
Shinji could indeed perceive it.
Three faint, almost imperceptible connections.
Like threads and veins.
His target was clear… the southeast of Imagawa territory, south of Kaede Village in Musashi Province. The territory of the Hōjō clan's main seat, Sagami Province, which bordered both Suruga and Musashi.
As he traveled, Yura's voice came again, turning serious.
"The demon leader you're approaching is probably Gaikimaru."
"It's in the south."
"You chose well. It's closer to you than the venomous dragon to the north or the cat demon to the east."
"But I told you, it specializes in illusions. For me, it's not as troublesome as the thunder beast, but for you, it might be harder to deal with."
"Because that one is better at hiding than the thunder beast."
"Hard to say exactly. You'll understand when you see it."
Hearing this, Shinji didn't slow at all.
He just said, "If it's there, I'll find it."
"Let's go meet this big moth."
A hundred-mile dash.
Shinji's speed increased.
Bone spurs shot from his soles, launching him forward.
Each landing covered a hundred yards.
Blood mist seeped from beneath his skin, leaving faint red traces in the air.
These were his markers. His eyes.
Anywhere he passed was within his perception range.
"What are you setting up?" Yura's voice came from his robe.
"A retreat path." Shinji didn't explain further.
He just kept moving.
Target Gaikimaru.
That giant moth demon that could release disorienting scales.
Yura had said it specialized in illusions. Anyone caught in its scales would fall into eternal nightmares.
But Shinji had some recollection of a similarly named demon. It seemed to be the same type as the thunder beast, a same-named demon race that appeared in the original story.
But it didn't matter.
Whatever it was, tonight, he would cut it down.
Boom!
Thunder exploded again and again.
He accelerated.
His figure merged into the night, disappearing into the mountains.
Only the spreading blood mist remained, slowly drifting under the moonlight.