BOOM!
Nijō Castle West Bridge.
Hiruko Gokadoin hovered darkly in the sky.
His left hand had become a raging wind, his right hand crackled with lightning, his left foot boiled like molten lava, and his right foot was layered with solid rock.
Having transformed himself into the four elements, he now surveyed the opposing forces with barely suppressed fury.
Nura Clan's Second Head, Nura Rihan.
Behind him stood Gyūki, Karasu Tengu, Mokugyo Daruma, Kubinashi, Kurotabō, Aotabō, Zen, Yukari, and over a hundred—perhaps two hundred—other Nura Clan yokai.
At this moment, Rihan Nura had already removed his kimono top, boldly exposing the Hyakki painting on his back to the open air.
Black Fear had merged the entire Hyakki Yagyō together, with the sole exception of the Yuki-onna Yukari.
"A fully formed Hyakki Yagyō led by Rihan Nura himself? Damn it!!"
Faced with this combination, even Hiruko Gokadoin was stunned.
Against Rihan Nura in single combat, he was confident of suppressing him—even the thought of killing him wasn't absent. But confronting Rihan Nura commanding the Hyakki Yagyō? Only a fool would take that head-on.
Engaging the Lord of a Hundred Demons, who had formed the Hyakki, was equivalent to facing the entire Hyakki Yagyō. Moreover, the one who had constructed this Hyakki Yagyō was Rihan Nura, that monstrous half-yokai.
"Well, well!! Floating up there, young man from the Gokadoin House, would you mind clearing the way?"
Rihan Nura rested the greatsword Mimichimaru on his shoulder, chewing on a blade of grass as he spoke with a chilling smile:
"I've got some accounts to settle with your ancestor over here!!"
Hearing this, Hiruko Gokadoin's face turned ashen, and he immediately shouted to his companions nearby:
"Nagachika! Arihiro! Yasutada!!"
"Stop hiding! If we don't hold back these yokai of the Nura Clan, our clan's plans are as good as ruined!!"
At his words, the three Gokadoin heads finally revealed themselves. Glancing at the already assembled Hyakki Yagyō, they cursed under their breaths and prepared for battle.
The next instant, black Fear collided violently with surging elemental forces.
"My, my, what a lively scene."
...
Seiryu Garden.
Yoko stood atop a large tree, shielding her eyes with one hand as she gazed towards Nijo Castle.
From time to time, thunderous booms echoed—the sounds of Hero Rank figures clashing.
"Looks like the Cabinet's pulled quite a few people in. Your SDS has joined the fight, too, hasn't it?"
On a neighbouring tree, Takatsuki Izumi frowned at the girl whose hair colour resembled her own:
"Why would you assume I'm with the SDS?"
"Because of insider betrayal, of course!" Yoko flicked her right hand, producing a photo sticker.
Izumi's eye twitched slightly at the image of the pink-haired, beret-wearing girl cheek-to-cheek with Yoko:
"What's your relationship with Meer?"
"Tokyo's bōsōzoku partners~ She's the leader, I'm the deputy~"
Yoko cupped her cheeks, sitting casually on the tree branch as she observed the distant battlefield, listening to the intermittent thunderous impacts.
"Thought I'd get to meet Meer's man, but instead I ran into you, a Ghoul. Well, being delayed by an unknown Ghoul is a decent enough excuse."
"Same goes for you, right? If you're held up by a Divine General, Meer's man can't complain either, can he?"
At this, Izumi raised an eyebrow:
"Aren't you joining me in the attack?"
Yoko shook her head, smiling brightly:
"Oh no, that won't do. My family still has to live within the Onmyou Agency. If I actually switched sides, it'd cause real trouble—especially since this is something even the higher-ups are invested in."
Izumi considered this but didn't object.
Even from here, she could sense the combat fluctuations emanating from various points of Nijo Castle—each one a life-or-death struggle between experts whose strength far surpassed her own.
As a Ghoul with little resistance to Spiritual Power, getting involved in that battlefield was indeed far too dangerous.
Under these circumstances, holding back a Divine General from the Onmyou Agency seemed like a pretty good deal.
Just as Takatsuki Izumi was considering this, Yoko suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked towards Nijo Castle, saying:
"Oh my, has that Vampire noble clashed with Tsuchigumo? Now this is getting interesting!!"
...
Nijo Castle, main gate of the Inner Citadel Palace.
"Oi oi oi, what's going on here? Why have we broken through so easily?"
Hanabusa Aidō glanced at the silent Kaname Kuran, then at the smiling Hidemoto Keikain, before finally looking at Tsuchigumo, who blocked the gate, his expression turning grim.
"Hohoho, it seems we chose an excellent landing spot!"
Hidemoto Keikain waved his fan cheerfully:
"Speaking of which, this old man is just a Spirit Body, so I'm afraid the fighting will have to be left to you two."
"Hah?" Hanabusa Aidō was dumbfounded. "So you're telling me the Keikain House only sent some Onmyoji for mob clearing?"
"Well, there aren't many of us Keikain left these days!"
Hidemoto Keikain scratched his head awkwardly:
"Don't worry, I can still use some supportive Onmyōjutsu."
"You bastard..." Hanabusa Aidō was speechless. He'd thought Hidemoto Keikain, who landed in the same area, was here to help, but it turned out he was just dead weight.
'This damn old man had talked big during yesterday's meeting, boasting about what the Keikain House would handle, and this is all they sent? Just this?!'
Fuming, Hanabusa Aidō turned to Kaname Kuran:
"Lord Kaname, should we just retreat?"
Kaname Kuran remained silent, his gaze fixed on Tsuchigumo, who was blocking the Inner Citadel Palace gate while drinking heavily from a large gourd.
"Haah~~"
After taking a big swig, Tsuchigumo exhaled deeply, his six eyes scanning before locking onto Kaname Kuran:
"The scent of a strong one!!"
"And that rotten stench... hoh, some ancient fossil, aren't you?"
Hanabusa Aidō immediately bristled at this: "Who are you calling old? Lord Kaname is the youngest Pureblood—"
Just then, Kaname Kuran spoke:
"Aidō."
"Yes!"
Hanabusa Aidō snapped to attention.
Kaname Kuran kept his eyes on Tsuchigumo as he ordered: "Give me your blood."
"Understood!" Without hesitation, Hanabusa Aidō slashed his wrist with his claws.
Across from them, Tsuchigumo chuckled while watching Kaname Kuran drink, then remarked:
"Restoring your strength, eh?"
"Fine then. Before Nue fully revives, I'll play with you for a bit!!"
The seven-meter-tall giant slowly rose to his feet, clenched his fists, and grinned savagely.