Chapter 44: The Price of Tyranny
A blinding white light flooded the entire hall.
Every mage present froze in place, their bodies locked as if turned to stone. It was not merely fear that paralyzed them, but a spiritual pressure so absolute it felt like a physical weight. Their own power was utterly suppressed, crushed into dust by the colossal tidal wave of Kikyo's spiritual energy.
"This... this is impossible..." the oldest of the mages muttered, his cloudy eyes wide with disbelief.
He had practiced the arts for thirty years, earning a modest reputation as an Onmyoji in the region. Yet now, faced with this power, he couldn't so much as twitch a finger. The pressure was suffocating, a force so immense it dredged up a long-buried memory from his youth: the day he had caught a fleeting glimpse of a Great Onmyoji outside the Onmyoryo in Kyoto.
But this was different. Stripping away all considerations of technique or skill, the sheer quality and quantity of this spiritual power felt even greater.
What kind of monster was this woman in the white and red robes?
Near the grand entrance, Nura Rihan's kiseru slipped from his lips, clattering softly on the wooden floor. He stared, his golden, slitted pupils fixed on the serene figure standing in the center of the hall, his mind reeling from the shock.
"This..." He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.
As a Nurarihyon, he prided himself on his worldliness. He knew most of the yokai in the Kanto region and had crossed paths with countless human monks. Relying on the elusive nature of his kind, none had ever managed to pin him down.
But he had never, in all his years, witnessed spiritual power of this magnitude.
It was more than simple force; it was a form of absolute suppression, a spiritual domain made manifest. Within the confines of that holy light, all spiritual energy bent to her will. Nura Rihan could feel the Yao Qi coiling in his own veins being forcibly restrained, a warning that connected deep in his demonic blood. He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. The power itself was a silent command: Do not move.
"Is this the miko many call the strongest of this era... Kikyo of Kaede Village?" he murmured, his voice a mixture of awe and an irrepressible, dangerous excitement.
Kikyo's name was not a secret kept among humans; it echoed throughout the yokai clans. The chaotic and bloodthirsty demons of the land, while not necessarily afraid of the miko who guarded a single village, knew better than to face her alone. Their limited capacity for reason had taught them that much. Confronting her solo was a guaranteed death sentence—and for the yokai, that was the most ironclad proof of her power.
Until this moment, Nura Rihan hadn't given it much thought. He had seen the arrow that had pierced the Kamaitachi, illuminating the night sky. He had witnessed the shot that had pinned the false Toad God to the earth. Both were impressive, certainly, but in his eyes, neither was a true threat to him. He couldn't afford to provoke her, but he could always avoid her.
Now, he realized how gravely he had underestimated her.
Before striking down the Kamaitachi, Kikyo had already expended a great deal of her strength. The arrow that had vanquished the Toad God hadn't even been fired at her full power.
'I thought the title of "strongest" was just an exaggeration,'he mused.'It turns out it was the simple truth.'
Spiritual power of this caliber was beyond the reach of any ordinary human monk. This was a gift from the heavens themselves.
No wonder that Oni Samurai had dared to charge in with such brazen confidence. With someone like Kikyo watching his back, who wouldn't feel invincible?
In the center of the hall, the tip of Hikaru's blade remained pressed against Suda Shigenobu's throat. The short, corpulent lord was utterly broken by terror. A large, dark patch had spread across the crotch of his trousers, and the sharp, acrid stench of urine now fouled the air.
"Spare... spare me..." his teeth chattered, rendering his words nearly incoherent. "I'll give it all back to you... and money... gold... Whatever you want, I'll give it to you..."
Hikaru looked down at him, his expression unreadable. The flickering firelight danced across his pale, handsome face, making his crimson eyes glow like a pair of vengeful ghost fires.
"The one thing I want," he said, his voice a low, cold whisper. "You cannot give."
The blade fell.
There were no flashy techniques, no ostentatious movements. It was the simplest of cuts, executed with such blinding speed that Suda Shigenobu didn't even see it.
He felt a sudden, sharp chill on his neck.
Then, his vision began to spin. He saw his own body, that short, fat frame still clad in its ill-fitting hitatare, a fountain of blood erupting from its neck. He saw the young Oni Samurai, standing impassively.
He saw his own body, lying beneath that samurai's sword.
Then, his world went black.
...
Blood sprayed across the polished floor.
Hikaru bent down and picked up Suda Shigenobu's head by the hair. He turned, his movements fluid and unhurried, as if he had just completed the most mundane of chores.
For a yokai, for an Oni Samurai, killing was indeed as ordinary as breathing.
The hall was plunged into a deathly silence. The attendants and monks could only stare, their faces blank masks of shock. Their master, Suda Shigenobu, who had been barking orders from his high seat just moments ago, was dead. He had died cleanly, decisively, without even a chance to struggle.
As Hikaru walked toward the entrance, Kikyo lowered her longbow. The oppressive white light that had shrouded the hall vanished with the gesture. The mages, feeling the crushing weight lift, collapsed to the ground in gasping heaps, as if granted a pardon from the gods.
But no one dared to move. No one dared to stop him.
Hikaru paused at the threshold and raised his hand, holding Suda Shigenobu's head high for all to see.
"Listen well," he called out. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried with chilling clarity throughout the entire castle keep. "My name is Kobe Hikaru. I am an Oni Samurai."
"I slew the Shimura Toad yokai who falsely claimed the name of a god, and I have slain this man who oppressed the people."
His gaze swept over the terrified faces in the hall. "If any of you dare to bully the common folk under your rule, then this man's fate will be your own. I will pay you a visit, and I will kill again."
He had announced his name. From this day forward, it would spread throughout the region—the name of Suda Shigenobu's killer. A yokai who dared to strike down human nobility. An existence that played by no one's rules but his own.
It was a deterrent. While some would surely dismiss it as an empty threat in the days to come, those who had witnessed it here, in this city, would not dare to act rashly anytime soon. Besides the lord, these were the officials responsible for managing the surrounding lands. This act bought the people a chance to breathe.
And a chance to breathe was enough. After all, if necessary, he could always 'visit' again.
Leaning against the doorframe, Nura Rihan watched the scene unfold. He had picked up his fallen kiseru but had forgotten to relight it.
"Kobe Hikaru..." he muttered the name, his golden eyes glittering with fascination. "Interesting. Far too interesting."
His gaze shifted to Kikyo, who stood as serene as ever, her white robes and red hakama a stark contrast to the carnage. The monstrous spiritual power from moments ago had receded completely, leaving her looking like any other miko.
But Nura Rihan knew better. That woman was a monster in human skin.
And the Oni Samurai named Kobe Hikaru, the one who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her, was clearly no simple creature either.
"This trip," Nura Rihan grinned, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "Was well worth it."
A notification shimmered into existence in Hikaru's vision.
[Shikon no Tama: Naohi: Favorability +1]
[Current Favorability: 49 (Trust)]
Just one more point, and he would unlock its second 'talent'.
Hikaru looked at the prompt on the panel. The things that needed to be done. Yes. This was indeed what needed to be done.
He turned and walked back into the main hall, striding past the terrified onlookers to the wall where Hiraikotsu hung. He reached up and took the massive weapon down from its decorative mount.
It felt heavy in his hand. The unique, dense texture of yokai bone sent a familiar sensation through his palm. This weapon had been nothing more than a trophy here for ten days, while its true owner had perished on the road to Kaede Village.
'It's time to return this to its rightful owner.'
Hikaru slung Hiraikotsu over his back and, without a second glance, walked out of the castle keep.
Kikyo followed a few paces behind him. Nura Rihan brought up the rear, finally lighting his pipe and swaying leisurely as he puffed on it.
The three of them walked out of the city, brazen and unopposed. No one dared to stop them. No one dared to give chase. The people of the city could only watch from a distance as the trio's figures grew smaller, eventually disappearing beyond the city gates.
They watched as Suda Shigenobu's head was hung from the flagpole at the city gate. And they watched as no one dared to take it down. The expression of pure terror was still frozen on the dead lord's face, a silent, gruesome warning to all who would see it: this is the end for those who oppress the common people.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]