"Sukemichi-sama—"
A trembling voice tore through the oppressive silence of the grand Fujiwara estate. A young servant knelt rigidly behind the elegant paper shoji door, his forehead pressed hard against the polished wooden floorboards as he desperately awaited his master's acknowledgement.
"Enter..." the patriarch answered coldly.
The shaking young man hesitated for a fraction of a second, his fingers trembling as he slid open the screen door. He crawled inside, keeping his face pinned directly to the tatami mat, not daring to cast his gaze upward to look Sukemichi directly in the face.
"I... I have an urgent report directly from the Fujibayashi network," the servant spoke, his voice cracking slightly under the ambient pressure of the room.
"Speak..." Sukemichi responded casually.
He lifted a small porcelain cup to his lips, slowly sipping his warm sake. Rested on the floor directly opposite him was a low shogi board. To any ordinary observer, it appeared as though the patriarch was playing a game entirely by himself. Yet, the moment he clicked a wooden piece down onto the grid, an opposing piece lifted into the air on its own accord, sliding forward across the board with a sharp, hollow clack.
"The shinobi who were embedded within the Academy have informed us... they have successfully located Orochi," the servant whispered.
"And how reliable do you consider this information to be?" Sukemichi countered, his voice smooth and entirely devoid of surprise. He didn't even bother to glance at the messenger, his hand already reaching down to execute his next strategic move. A heartbeat later, the invisible opponent moved its own piece once more.
"It is complete and absolute, Sukemichi-sama. We have confirmed that Bushido recently mobilised and left the academy grounds in hot pursuit of him."
"Ohhhh... is that so?" Sukemichi murmured, a faint, chilling amusement rippling through his tone. "If they deployed Bushido to hunt him down, then the rumours must indeed be true. You are dismissed. Leave me."
Sukemichi finally tilted his head up, locking his gaze onto the doorway. Now that his face was illuminated by the flickering candlelight, his appearance was utterly ghastly. His complexion was deathly pale, yet cast in an unnatural, bruised shadow. His eyes were entirely devoid of white, two voids of solid, ink-like blackness, within which a pair of piercing blue pupils glowed with a strange, sickening light.
The young servant retracted backwards, maintaining his rigid, kneeling posture until he successfully slid the shoji door closed.
"I shall take my leave..." he murmured into the corridor, finally standing on trembling legs and pacing away as fast as his feet could carry him.
"Kekekekeke... they finally located Orochi? How profoundly interesting," a melodious, yet deeply chilling voice rang out from the empty side of the room. "Ever since his humiliating defeat centuries ago, I haven't caught so much as a single whiff of him."
The invisible presence manifested. It was Shuten, though he had adopted an entirely different, deceptive form now. He still possessed an unnaturally youthful countenance and flawless, porcelain skin; he now perfectly resembled a graceful young maiden with flowing, ink-black hair and two ivory horns protruding elegantly from his scalp. His lips were heavily stained with a sharp, blood-red lipstick that contrasted sharply with his pale visage.
"He used to be one of your elite soldiers back before my time, correct...?" Sukemichi responded, his gaze burning with intense concentration as he stared down at the board.
"Mmmm... he was exceptionally good," Shuten mused, his eyes glowing with a faint, dangerous light as an uncanny, ear-to-ear smile stretched across his face. "What's more, the clever creature actually managed to ascend into a true Oni entirely by himself through sheer, unadulterated ambition. But he was far too hasty for his own good. He stole a precious artefact of mine... and then vanished into thin air."
Shuten leaned forward slightly, his serpentine gaze locking onto the patriarch. "You seem a little flustered there, Suke..." he purred, his smile widening into a predatory grin.
"Tch... I yield. You win this round," Sukemichi muttered.
Exhaling a heavy, ragged breath, he set the wooden Shogi tile he was holding back down onto the board in a gesture of defeat. The strain of matching minds and Reiryoku with a Calamity God had taken a severe physical toll.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Shuten laughed loudly, the sheer vibrance of his voice causing the thick wooden walls of the Fujiwara manor to tremble and groan under his spiritual pressure.
"But you did remarkably well," Shuten noted, his voice softening into an amused purr. "You are the one who has managed to sustain such an intricate game with me in a very long time. Granted, you look absolutely like crap right now..., but once you rest for a few days, I am certain you will finally realise just how much stronger you have become."
Sukemichi said absolutely nothing. He merely closed his ink-black eyes and nodded, accepting the praise of the demon king in silent, calculating reverence.
"Mmmm... however, before that, I need you to dispatch someone to Orochi's coordinates. I need them to recover something highly specific for me," Shuten spoke fluidly, his maiden-like hands lifting a massive, shallow porcelain plate brimmed with sake and chugging it down in a single, unbothered draft.
"I have already organised the perfect person," Sukemichi responded swiftly, his voice entirely composed. "I have a shinobi planted at the side of that arrogant Minakaze brat."
"Well... then that is perfectly fine. Relay these exact instructions for me..."
Shuten drifted closer across the tatami mats, leaning his pale visage down to Sukemichi's shoulder. His red-stained lips brushed against the patriarch's ear as he whispered a chilling, silent command.
"Mmm... I understand. I will see to it immediately," Sukemichi answered without a shred of hesitation.
"Good. Now, tell me... how exactly are our affairs progressing in the North?" Shuten mused, tossing the empty sake plate aside. "For some strange reason, I have received word that the Minamoto clan is slowly regrowing their fractured military power. I was under the distinct impression that you had already thoroughly broken and turned them to rot."
"Mmmm..." Sukemichi's brow furrowed slightly, his ink-black eyes closing as he began to concentrate and gather his Reiryoku back into his core. "For reasons that still elude our scouts, I completely lost contact with the Oni I originally tasked with overseeing their downfall. The spiritual poisoning that was progressing quickly, but now... it has been entirely cleansed."
"Ohhh... I see it likely the Divine body," Shuten chuckled darkly, his eyes narrowing. "I hear the young girl's power is maturing at a staggering, unnatural rate... just like her brother, we have to get her before she grows any stronger, find a way to cause friction with the eastern faction so a war might happen."
"I will deal with it personally," Sukemichi cut Shuten off, his voice dropping to a sharp, icy register.
"Of course you will," Shuten purred, leaning back into the shadows. His dual eyes ignited with a blinding, predatory red radiance as a razor-sharp, ear-to-ear smile sliced across his porcelain face. "For you know the price you will have to pay for failing me."
Sukemichi stood up and left the room.