Underground.
Deep beneath the Imagawa Clan's main castle, there existed a massive hollow.
This hollow was not naturally formed, but had been forcibly excavated by some power—the cavern walls were covered in charred marks, the imprints left by lightning burns.
The air was filled with the smell of burning, pungent and acrid.
In the center of that hollow, a giant beast lay curled up.
Thunder Beast.
Its form was like a white giant wolf magnified ten times, yet it was not a wolf.
Its limbs were thick, its claws seemed forged from steel, and every claw tip shimmered with purple electric light. Its fur was white, like lightning, and beneath that whiteness, purple patterns faintly flowed.
As if they were blood vessels.
Or like the traces of lightning from the sky solidified underground.
This was the divine beast commanded by the Thunder God in ancient legends—although it was not the legendary divine beast itself, merely a descendant of that ancient Thunder Beast, a continuation of its bloodline, an existence of the Thunder Beast clan, possessing the blood of the ancient divine beast was enough to easily place it among the ranks of high-level monsters.
At this moment, this Thunder Beast was lying on the ground, eyes closed.
It was resting.
And waiting.
The task 'that lord' gave it was very simple.
Lurk beneath this human castle, release lightning every so often, and create panic and death.
It did not need large-scale slaughter; it only needed to continuously and stably generate fear that made humans unable to sleep peacefully, at this critical juncture where two countries were at war, within one of the countries.
This kind of fear would make people restless, which would then condense into resentment.
And resentment would breed monsters.
Monsters would then create more fear.
This was a cycle.
A perfect cycle conducted from within.
The Thunder Beast was very satisfied with this task.
It did not need to show itself, did not need to fight, it only needed to hide underground and occasionally release a few bolts of lightning.
Safe, effortless, and it could still complete the mission.
As an old monster that had lived for hundreds of years, it had long since learned how to protect itself.
Back in the day, it had been too flashy, attempting to harass a human noble and plunder blood and food, but not only did it fail, it was surrounded and attacked by those damn Onmyoji, nearly purified and destroyed, almost losing its life.
After that, it learned to be obedient.
Hide when it could, conceal itself when it could.
Strength was not for showing off, it was for survival.
It had long since scouted the mages of this castle.
A bunch of trash.
The strongest one could at most perceive its existence, but could not find its exact location at all.
Let alone injure it.
So it could stay here with peace of mind, slowly releasing lightning, slowly accumulating resentment.
Once enough resentment had accumulated, that lord would naturally come to harvest it.
At that time, it would receive a reward.
Perhaps it could even advance further, breaking through its current bottleneck.
The Thunder Beast thought about these things, its mouth curling slightly.
That was a smile.
Although on that beast face, it looked more like baring its fangs.
But just at this moment—
Its body suddenly stiffened.
A strange aura surged in from all directions.
The aura was very faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible, but it still perceived it.
Because that aura was too special.
It was Demonic Qi.
And also, blood.
And—bone.
"What?"
The Thunder Beast opened its eyes abruptly.
It saw.
From the cracks in the cavern walls, from the fissures in the ground, something was drilling out.
White.
Sharp.
Like the roots of a plant.
And also like—Bone Spike.
One, two, ten, a hundred.
Those Bone Spikes were growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, approaching it from all directions.
"What is this thing—"
The Thunder Beast stood up, lightning surging around its body.
It swung its front claws, cleaving out a bolt of purple lightning.
The lightning struck the nearest Bone Spikes, shattering them into fragments.
But more Bone Spikes surged up.
Filling the gaps left by the fragments, as if they were endless.
"Damn it—"
The expression of the Thunder Beast changed.
It realized something was wrong.
These Bone Spikes were not natural phenomena; someone was controlling them.
Someone was forcing it out.
"Who is it!"
It roared.
The sound echoed in the underground cavern, shaking loose gravel from the walls.
There was no response.
Only more Bone Spikes.
And—Blood Mist.
A faint red mist seeped out from the gaps between the Bone Spikes, permeating the air.
The Blood Mist was not aggressive, yet the Thunder Beast felt a wave of unease.
It felt like it was being watched by something.
It felt like it was being—locked onto by something.
That thing was not powerful, but it was 'tenacious' and very troublesome!
"I cannot stay here any longer!"
The Thunder Beast made its judgment.
Its body transformed into a bolt of purple lightning and shot toward the ceiling.
Boom—!
The ground exploded.
In the center of the Imagawa Clan's main castle, a massive crater suddenly appeared—the surrounding area seemed to have been cleared into a wide, empty space, as if orders had been given and preparations made long ago.
Thunder on flat ground.
This was, in the true sense of the word, thunder on flat ground.
Dust billowed!
The Thunder Beast rushed out of the crater, its massive body appearing exceptionally hideous under the moonlight.
It had finally left the underground lair where it had stayed for three days, finally exposed on the surface.
And then—
It froze.
What met its eyes was a world intertwined with red and white.
Red Blood Mist shrouded the entire castle, spreading from inside the city to the outside, like a thin veil.
White Bone Spikes sprouted from the ground, from the rooftops, and from the castle walls, dense and numerous, like a forest.
No, not a forest.
It was a cage.
A massive cage woven from blood and bone.
And it was in the center of this cage.
"This—"
The Thunder Beast's pupils contracted.
It looked up abruptly.
At the highest point of the castle, atop the Tenshukaku, a figure was standing there.
Gray robes, long pale hair.
Holding two swords in his hands.
That figure was looking down at it, his crimson eyes particularly striking in the night.
"I've finally forced you out."
The figure spoke.
The voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of the Thunder Beast.
The Thunder Beast's eyes widened.
It recognized that figure.
That was—
"Kanbe Hikaru!?"
The Thunder Beast roared this name.
It blurted it out.
Yes, it knew this name.
As one of the vanguards sent by the Kyoto forces, it naturally knew the intelligence on the other vanguards.
It also knew of that troublesome existence that had recently appeared in the Kanto region.
An Oni Samurai who had killed Suda Shigenobu.
A yokai who traveled with a shrine maiden from Kaede Village.
A guy who killed four members of the Band of Seven a few days ago.
But it did not expect this guy to come looking for it proactively.
And so, here,
The figure above smiled.
That smile, set against the backdrop of Blood Mist and the forest of bones, appeared exceptionally eerie.
"That's right."
He said.
"Remember this name."
"This is the name of the 'person' who will kill you."
Oni, Kanbe Hikaru.
Also the Demon God, Kanbe Hikaru.
Rumble!
Thunder rose again, and fell again.
But this time, their target was no longer aimlessly creating resentment, but instead, surging toward the figure standing at the high point!
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