The main residence of the Eastern Yokai Faction, styled in traditional Japanese architecture, was usually enveloped in zen-like tranquility. But tonight, that tranquility was replaced by a tension that made the breath of the yokai servants catch in their throats due to the presence of a creature that had resided for several days in their residence.
Inside the main tatami room, Nurarihyon sat cross-legged, half of his frail body wrapped in thick bandages layered with healing spells. Thin smoke curled lazily from the pipe in his uninjured hand.
Across the low wooden table sat the main culprit who had left him battered and bruised. The creature who called himself Nagatobimaru.
"So, what I can conclude from your story is this…" Nurarihyon began slowly.
"You died… and then woke again after fighting alongside a human named Ushio—the wielder of an ancient weapon known as the Kemono no Yari."
He exhaled a thin stream of smoke.
"You claim that yokai and humans united to fight a being called Hakumen no Mono… a creature capable of twisting human desire, creating monsters… and even in a weakened state, one that could sink the entire land of Japan."
That's insane! Nurarihyon cried inwardly.
Even after more than a thousand years of life, Nurarihyon had never heard of such a thing.
He had witnessed firsthand the changing times, from villages razed by war turning into modern cities packed with buildings towering into the sky. Sacred forests cleared to become human residences, and volcanoes transformed into tourist attractions. But during that time, he had never heard of, let alone seen, the existence of a creature as terrifying as Hakumen no Mono.
Moreover, about the Kemono no Yari, a weapon that sounded like an absolute calamity for the existence of the yokai.
"Please forgive me, it's not that I doubt you," he said carefully, "but I had absolutely no knowledge that something like this ever happening in my lifetime."
Tora—who was sitting cross-legged and taking up almost half the room—seemed not to care at all.
He gulped down an entire barrel of the clan's high-quality sake in one go, then wiped his mouth with the back of his furry hand.
"How ignorant," he snorted. "Where were you when the world was burning, old man?"
Hearing Nagatobimaru's sneer, the veins in Nurarihyon's temples throbbed violently.
'Ignorant, you say?!' Nurarihyon cursed inwardly.
'Does he not think that he could have been sleeping for too long and not realized that he woke up in a vastly different era?! I might not have even been born when all that nonsense happened!!!'
However, before Nurarihyon could spat out his protest, the sliding door of the room opened violently.
A crow yokai (Karasu Tengu) dressed in black like a ninja, fell prostrate on the tatami.
His breath was hurried and his face as pale as paper.
"B-Boss! Please forgive my impudence!" the agent reported with a voice trembling violently.
Nurarihyon clicked his tongue, forcing down his irritation.
"Well? Report."
"Y-Yes, Boss! We spread our entire spy network to all corners of Japan. For the weapon called Kemono no Yari, nothing. There isn't a single supernatural artifact with such a deadly description in any faction's records."
Hearing that one piece of good news, Nurarihyon sighed in relief. It was a different story for Tora, who snorted in annoyance, although he had actually suspected this.
If the Beast Spear really existed in this world, his nose would have smelled its rust and blood from the start.
"However... for the name 'Ushio'..." The Karasu Tengu agent swallowed hard, handing over a sealed brown folder.
"We found one very specific match. Named Ushio Okazaki."
Tora's eyes widened slightly. The corners of his lips twitched into a thin grin.
"So you really are here, huh."
"Good work," Nurarihyon nodded.
"Then why are you trembling like that? Where is the target located?"
"T-The problem is the location!" the Tengu stammered. "The target resides in Kuoh City—territory of the Devil Faction!"
Cough! Cough!
Nurarihyon choked on his pipe.
"Kuoh?! The domain of the Gremory and Sitri heirs?!"
"T-That's right, Boss! That's why our agents immediately withdrew! We didn't dare to delve any deeper into the details of this target named Ushio. Just being around the city borders almost got our agents detected by the familiars and servants of the Sitri family!" the Tengu reported defensively.
So panicked about potentially triggering a diplomatic war between factions, the intelligence officer didn't even realize that the profile of "Ushio Okazaki" in the document was the profile of a five-year-old girl who was seriously ill. Not a warrior wielding a mystical spear.
Nurarihyon pinched the bridge of his nose, which was suddenly throbbing with pain.
He looked at Tora, who seemed indifferent and was already preparing to stand up.
"Calm yourself, Nagatobimaru. You can't just stroll in there," Nurarihyon firmly stopped him.
Tora stared at the old man with a murderous gaze.
"Are you going to stop me?"
"That's not it, you animal!" Nurarihyon retorted.
"Listen, Kuoh City is a very sensitive zone. It's the territory of two High-Class Devils. And the main problem isn't them... but you."
Tora raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you realize how dangerous your aura is?" Nurarihyon continued, pointing his pipe towards the giant body.
"You are a pure incarnation of Yin energy. Your aura is extremely dangerous. In our place, that kind of aura acts like a giant flare in the darkness that will attract low-level spirits, Jibakurei (earthbound spirits), and Onryō! (vengeful spirits)"
Nurarihyon recalled how the Aokigahara Forest was now filled with Onryō and had turned into a dangerous red zone after their battle because of the residue of Tora's aura.
"If you enter Kuoh City, your presence will disrupt the city's spiritual flow. Small spirits will evolve, Jibakurei and Onryō will appear, and the negative emotions of ordinary humans will explode! The rate of crime, traffic accidents, and cases of possession will increase drastically around you! The devils who rule the area will not stand idly by and watch their city be passively destroyed by your presence!"
Nurarihyon glared sharply.
"Entering there in this state is the same as sounding the war drums with the Underworld!"
Silence swept through the room for a moment. The Tengu agent held his breath, afraid that the monster in front of him would go berserk and flatten their residence.
However, Tora slowly rose to his feet. His large muscles creaked. A fanged grin adorned his ferocious face, radiating the arrogance of a prehistoric Yokai that never bowed to the laws of any world.
"So?"
Tora snorted dismissively.
"It's not my problem if the creatures you call devils are scared."
Lost for words, Nurarihyon sighed a very, very long sigh before finally relinquishing his sanity.
"I'm coming with you. Whether I die at your hands or at the hands of those damned devils, the result is the same. At least I can try to prevent you from being too reckless," Nurarihyon concluded resignedly.
Nurarihyon then turned to the corner of the room, specifically towards Magari who was engrossed in chewing on a smoked tuna in her favorite bowl.
The nine-tailed Yokai cat had been trying hard to make herself invisible and blend in with the shadows of the room.
Realizing that Nurarihyon's sharp gaze was locked on her position, Magari immediately turned around and ran frantically. But before she could run far, the old man's wrinkled hand had already grabbed the scruff of her neck.
"Come on, Magari, let's take a trip to the Devil territory," Nurarihyon said with an innocent smile.
Magari struggled frantically in her boss's grip, trying to break free with all her might.
"No, no, no! Let me go! I'm only 800 years old! I'm still too young to die!" she shrieked hysterically.
Ignoring the theatrical drama of boss and subordinate, Tora squatted down.
Without warning, he immediately jumped forcefully, piercing the roof of the tatami room and shattering the wooden ceiling into pieces.
The giant monster shot across the night sky, leaving behind thick clouds of dust and a strong wind towards Kuoh City.
Leaving Nurarihyon wiping his face full of wood fragments, before finally exploding with mounting rage.
"AT LEAST USE THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL YOKAI, YOU ANIMAL!!!"