— — — — — —
The metallic trees shattered piece by piece, then dissolved into nothing, leaving behind a massive hollow in the ground and exposing the dark soil beneath.
And the one responsible, Ryo Yagami, merely clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Just a tiny bit of leakage caused all this… Seems like this Authority is going to be pretty impressive."
He stroked the black cat in his arms as he spoke.
"Don't you think so, little kitty?"
At that moment, Kuroka was baring her teeth in pain, eyes red as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Just a moment ago, after being casually "checked" for her gender, she'd lost it and bit down on Ryo's finger.
But he was completely fine.
Meanwhile, her tooth had shattered.
Now she was drowning in the agony of losing a fang.
If she didn't know she could fix it later with senjutsu, she'd probably be sobbing her heart out.
Well… she already was.
"Why so quiet?"
Ryo rubbed her back rather roughly, grinning. "Too happy to see me, huh? Cat got your tongue?"
Go to hell…!
Kuroka bared her teeth, glaring fiercely at the ground.
Yes, the ground.
She didn't dare glare at Ryo.
When she tried to escape earlier, he'd erased her spatial transfer spell without so much as a ripple. Worse, just by holding her like this, he'd completely suppressed the flow of energy in her body, reducing her to a powerless little cat.
If she still didn't realize she'd run into someone way out of her league, she'd be an idiot.
If he wanted to treat her like a pet and pet her, then fine, go ahead.
She couldn't afford to offend him.
But damn it, this was infuriating!
If this guy ever ends up in my hands, I'm biting him to death…!!
Seeing that she still hadn't responded, Ryo didn't mind. His figure flickered, and the next instant he was perched atop a tall tree on the mountain peak, gazing toward the distant city.
"Hmm… so this is Kyoto."
In that instant, his eyes, ears, and heightened perception spread outward like an invisible net, covering the entire city. From the idle chatter of countless people, he sifted out the information he wanted.
"The leaders of Kyoto's yokai… devils… the Four Great Satans… the Seventy-Two Pillars… fallen angels…"
He smirked faintly. "Seems pretty peaceful. Wonder what'll happen if I toss a spark into the mix."
Hearing his tone, whether it was mockery or idle curiosity, Kuroka felt a chill crawl up her spine and straight into her brain.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
Something bad was coming.
Then a breeze swept across the mountain, and a woman appeared on the nearby path.
She wore a black-and-white shrine maiden outfit, her golden hair gleaming. Fox ears rose from her head, and her figure was strikingly elegant, every curve defined.
At the same time, in another direction, ink seemed to spill into the air as a short, elderly man materialized.
Kuroka's pupils shrank as she recognized them.
"Lady Yasaka! Lord Nurarihyon!"
The old man frowned, his gaze wary as he locked onto Ryo.
Meanwhile, the golden-haired fox-eared beauty, Yasaka, glanced at the black cat in Ryo's arms before speaking gently.
"Mr. Stranger, I am Yasaka, the Nine-Tailed Fox and leader of Kyoto Yokai Faction."
"I came because I sensed the power you released."
Her gaze shifted to Kuroka, her tone remaining calm. "The Nekoshou in your hands is one of the yokai under my protection. I do not know how she may have offended you, but I ask that you return her to me."
She paused briefly, then added in a soft voice. "The yokai of Kyoto are willing to offer compensation. I hope you can show mercy and overlook her transgression this once."
Ryo didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the fox yokai with open curiosity, muttering to himself as if no one else were there.
"A Kyuubi? And that dense divinity… yet no godhood formed?"
He paused, then shook his head with a hint of regret. "Then again, in a place like this, forming a godhead would be difficult. With the level of faith you have, you should've become a proper demi-god by now."
Yasaka frowned slightly, puzzled by his strange remarks.
As Kyoto's ruler and the one who governed its leylines, she had long been worshipped as a local deity, receiving offerings of faith for years. To most human factions, Yasaka was already the god of Kyoto.
But why was this man looking at her with… disappointment?
She couldn't make sense of him at all.
But that could wait.
Right now, the priority was rescuing Kuroka from this mysterious man radiating such terrifying power.
That was her duty as the leader of Kyoto's yokai.
After muttering to himself for a moment, Ryo looked down at Kuroka, his tone turning slightly thoughtful.
"Nekoshou, huh…"
The invitation letter he'd bought from the Dimensional Forum had been one-way, letting him lock onto the coordinates of this world and come here directly without needing an invitation.
So until now, he hadn't known exactly what kind of creature the black cat in his arms was.
But hearing Yasaka say "Nekoshou," he understood.
The cat in his arms was one of the last two Nekoshou—Kuroka.
A rare yokai variant of Nekomata with exceptional talent in both senjutsu and magic. One of the original story's heroines.
No wonder Algol picked her…
Ryo glanced at Yasaka. "I don't need compensation. What I want… you probably can't afford."
Yasaka's heart sank.
Beside her, Nurarihyon's hand moved to the hilt of his sword.
That sentence made one thing clear.
There would be no easy resolution.
They didn't want a conflict, but letting someone like Ryo—someone radiating such a dangerous aura—roam freely in Kyoto would threaten the safety of all yokai.
As leaders, it was their duty to stand and protect their kind.
Just then, Ryo paused, staring directly at Yasaka, "…Wait. Something on you might actually be worth my time."
The moment he said that, Nurarihyon's expression darkened, and he vanished into the shadows.
Yasaka took a slow breath, using the natural spiritual power of Kyoto.
They both understood. There was no avoiding a fight now.
"Going to make a move?" Ryo's lips curled slightly as he asked,
"Right here?"
The instant his words fell—
A flash of cold steel cut through the air.
.
.
.