After making his decision, Nurarihyon immediately summoned the fighters among his subordinates.
These included Gyūki, Karasu Tengu, Kubinashi, and the others. Every one of them was an accomplished fighter who could contribute greatly to the coming battle.
Nyanko-sensei and Natsume also joined them.
Nyanko-sensei, in particular, had already accumulated a bellyful of anger after being harassed by Hagoromo-Gitsune's subordinates and ambushed by Tsuchigumo.
Now that he had an opportunity to release it, he naturally would not miss out.
That evening, after all of the Nura Clan's combat forces had gathered, Rowan opened a door and brought the Heroic Spirits and the members of the Nura Clan directly to Kyoto.
The reason they acted at night was because yokai could only display their full strength after darkness fell.
Originally, Nurarihyon had planned to use the treasured ship he had kept for many years to transport Rowan's group to Kyoto.
However, Rowan felt that the ship was too slow.
The Door-Door Fruit was far more convenient.
All he had to do was open a door, and they had arrived.
This shocked Nurarihyon. He knew Rowan possessed the ability to create doors, but he had never expected it to be so absurd that Rowan could open one all the way from Tokyo to Kyoto.
In reality, never mind Tokyo to Kyoto—Rowan could even open a door from Japan to America.
The power of the Door-Door Fruit far exceeded Nurarihyon's imagination.
After arriving in Kyoto, Rowan turned to Nurarihyon and asked, "Do you know where Hagoromo-Gitsune and her subordinates are?"
Nurarihyon laughed.
"You can rest assured about that. I've already caught the scent of that filthy fox."
He and Hagoromo-Gitsune were bitter enemies of long standing.
Although one lived in Tokyo and the other in Kyoto, each knew exactly where the other was.
The reason they had never erupted into a violent conflict before was partly because the broader situation did not permit it, and partly because neither side was confident they could defeat the other.
Thus, even though they knew of each other's existence, neither had immediately made a move.
But things were different now.
With so many powerful helpers, Nurarihyon naturally would not hold back. He immediately led everyone toward Hagoromo-Gitsune's stronghold.
In the original plot of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Hagoromo-Gitsune had once again given birth to the Nue—also known as Abe no Seimei—beneath Nijō Castle, one of Kyoto's famous historical landmarks.
Only for Abe no Seimei to turn around and send her straight to Hell to suffer.
In this chaotic crossover world, Rowan discovered that Nurarihyon was still leading them toward Nijō Castle.
It seemed that Hagoromo-Gitsune truly regarded the place as her home.
…
At the same time, inside Nijō Castle,
the dense night shrouded the entire castle in darkness.
Deep inside Ninomaru Palace, every candle had been extinguished.
Hagoromo-Gitsune lay upon a silk-covered bed, yet she could not fall asleep.
Her black hair spread across the bedding like a waterfall, slowly writhing as if it possessed a life of its own. Her nine fox tails swayed restlessly behind her.
For some unknown reason, an inexplicable irritation had been lingering in Hagoromo-Gitsune's heart all night, refusing to disappear.
She did not know where this restlessness came from.
Perhaps it was related to Tsuchigumo.
Earlier that day, she had received information that Tsuchigumo had disappeared after entering Tokyo. All contact with him had been completely severed.
Logically, she should not have worried about Tsuchigumo.
Tsuchigumo was extremely powerful. Aside from her son, there were very few beings who could oppose him.
Yet his sudden disappearance still cast a shadow over her heart.
What exactly was hidden in Tokyo?
Why had Kidomaru, Ibaraki-dōji, Kairouta, and even Tsuchigumo disappeared one after another?
Vaguely, she could feel a sense of danger slowly closing in on her.
But Hagoromo-Gitsune could not determine where that danger originated.
The only thing she could be certain of was that it did not come from the Keikain family in the west.
Those onmyoji were troublesome, but her arrangements had already tied their hands and feet.
Hagoromo-Gitsune hated this feeling of uncertainty.
It was precisely the unknown that caused her unease.
Who exactly is opposing me?
Hagoromo-Gitsune continued thinking. One enemy after another surfaced in her mind, only to be gradually eliminated from consideration.
Just then—
Boom!
A tremendous noise suddenly came from the direction of Nijō Castle's main gate.
The sound was deep and powerful, like a gigantic drum being struck in the depths of the earth. It passed through wood, stone, soil, and water, penetrated layer after layer of barriers, and directly shook the very foundations of the castle.
Hagoromo-Gitsune was startled.
Before she could react—
Boom!!
A second tremendous impact rang out.
The wooden floor of Ninomaru Palace began to tremble, rippling like the surface of water. Wind chimes beneath the corridors rang despite the absence of wind. Wooden prayer plaques fell from their racks one after another, their splintering sounds as dense as rainfall.
Hagoromo-Gitsune abruptly sat up.
Her fox tails spread behind her as black yokai energy poured out like mist, instantly filling the entire bedchamber.
All of Nijō Castle erupted into chaos as one yokai after another awakened.
From Kyōkotsu to Gashadokuro, from Minagoroshi Jizō to Hakuzōsu, voices rang out one after another.
"What was that?"
"What happened?"
"Someone is attacking! We're under attack!"
Boom!!!
At the same time, a third deafening impact rang out, as though heaven and earth were collapsing.
Every gate, every support beam, and every roof tile in Nijō Castle trembled beneath the sound.
The golden decorations of the Karamon Gate rattled violently. Columns of water erupted from the moat. The earthen walls surrounding the castle undulated like waves, sending plaster flying everywhere.
The barriers surrounding Nijō Castle shattered.
The main gate instantly exploded into countless pieces.
Hagoromo-Gitsune's figure flickered, and she appeared atop the watchtower of the Karamon Gate.
The night wind whipped her black hair through the air, while her nine fox tails burned behind her like black flames.
She looked toward Nijō Castle's main entrance.
Something was surging along the distant horizon.
Yokai aura.
A vast flood formed from the combined auras of countless yokai.
It was as black as ink and rolled forward like an ocean tide, pressing in from the edge of the horizon.
Within the overwhelming torrent of yokai aura, countless bizarre silhouettes flickered in and out of sight.
Long-necked Rokurokubi, seductive Kejoro, Yuki-onna radiating freezing air, the tall and imposing Gyūki, the headless Kubinashi, Karasu Tengu flying through the sky, and Karakasa-obake spinning their umbrellas…
One yokai after another surged forward like waves.
A Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
This was a genuine Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
And at the very center of the flood stood a short old man.
Every yokai gathered behind this old man.
Each of them was taller than him.
Each of them was larger than him.
Yet all of these yokai willingly followed behind him, making the old man appear incomparably powerful.
Even more strangely, there was not the slightest hint of disharmony in the scene.
It was as though this was simply how things were meant to be.
The old man carried a katana over his shoulder, the unusually elongated shape of his head particularly striking beneath the moonlight.
Hagoromo-Gitsune recognized him at a glance.
Although the old man was no longer as tall, handsome, and dashing as he had been back then, his contemptuous attitude toward the world and carefree defiance had not changed in the slightest.
"Nura… Rihyon!!!"
Her shrill scream instantly echoed above Nijō Castle and rang in the ears of every yokai.
Nurarihyon naturally heard the roar.
He raised his head and looked toward the place where the voice had come from, spotting the woman standing atop the Karamon Gate.
His lips parted.
His voice seemed to cross mountains and forests, passing through several centuries before exploding beside Hagoromo-Gitsune's ears.
"Hagoromo-Gitsune, I'm fucking here!!!"
His voice rolled across the heavens like thunder.
Every street and every traditional townhouse in Kyoto trembled.
Dense ripples spread across the surface of the Kamo River. Layers of pine needles fell from the forests of Arashiyama. The thousand torii gates of Fushimi Inari vibrated with a deep humming echo.
Seven streets away from Nijō Castle, the ancient Shishinden Hall within the Imperial Palace shook faintly. Sleeping flocks of pigeons took startled flight, spreading into a panicked blanket of white beneath the moonlight.
Farther away at Tō-ji, the finial atop the five-story pagoda released a soft ringing sound in the night wind, as though responding to the roar that had crossed time and space.
The entirety of Kyoto awakened beneath this declaration.
Hagoromo-Gitsune's red-gold pupils abruptly contracted.
She truly had not expected Nurarihyon to attack at this particular moment.
There would inevitably be a battle between her and Nurarihyon, but it absolutely should not have happened now.
She was not ready.
And Nurarihyon should not have been ready either.
Yet for some inexplicable reason, Nurarihyon had come.
He had openly marched from Tokyo with his entire Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
Even more absurdly, Hagoromo-Gitsune had received no warning whatsoever along the way.
Logically speaking, there was no possibility that Nurarihyon could parade through the streets with hundreds of yokai without alerting her spies.
Yet reality had delivered Hagoromo-Gitsune a resounding slap across the face.
"Nura… Rihyon…"
She spoke his name once again, her voice filled with resentment, shock, and fury.
Her fox tails lashed violently through the air, each strike creating a sharp crack.
In the distance, the tide of yokai accelerated.
At the very front, the carefree old man slowly raised the long blade in his hand. The moonlight reflected from its edge like a crack splitting the night sky above Nijō Castle.
Atop Nijō Castle, Hagoromo-Gitsune's nine black tails rose high into the air. Her black hair surged upward like a waterfall flowing in reverse, while her yokai energy poured outward in violent waves.
The sky above seemed to divide into two halves.
The two forces collided across the distance, igniting silent lightning above Kyoto.
Good grief.
Seeing this, Rowan could not help voicing his admiration.
The clash between Hagoromo-Gitsune and Nurarihyon gave him the distinct impression of two bursts of Conqueror's Haki colliding.
It seemed that once experts reached a certain level, their battles would inevitably affect the weather and celestial phenomena.
The Four Emperors could do it.
Hagoromo-Gitsune and Nurarihyon could do the same.
Rowan turned to Medea and Serie.
"I'll have to trouble the two of you with what comes next."
Medea smiled faintly.
"Leave it to me, Master."
Serie also nodded.
"No problem."
The two acted simultaneously.
Two barriers, one large and one small, appeared at the same time. Like enormous transparent bowls turned upside down, they descended and enveloped the entirety of Nijō Castle.
Seeing this, Rowan could not help smiling.
He had asked Medea and Serie to establish the barriers for two reasons.
The first was to prevent Hagoromo-Gitsune and her subordinates from escaping after their defeat.
As for the second reason…
~~~
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