Chapter 160: Rushing to the Demon Battlefield
The night sky stretched vast and ink-black above Kaede Village. A biting evening wind howled down from the mountains, tearing through the lush woods surrounding the shrine courtyard and dragging a chorus of rustling leaves in its wake. Hikaru sat in the dimly lit hall, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows across the tatami mats.
"I am not just worried about Sagami and Suruga," Hikaru continued, his voice steady against the draft rattling the paper doors.
His Crimson Demon Eyes narrowed. The crimson glow within his irises felt far more organic and alive than when he had first awakened them, tracking the dancing shadows with predatory focus. "The demons of Tono chose this exact moment to march south. It sounds like their true target is indeed this shrine. The twenty-three lesser demons under my command wouldn't dare to lie to me about the scouting reports. But if the enemy merely wanted to drive away a few low-level stragglers, they would never have deployed three high-level demons that have already achieved Materialization."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on his knees. "Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Either the demons of Tono are entirely devoid of tactical intelligence, or they are hiding a secondary objective."
Kikyo sat across from him, her serene expression entirely undisturbed by the grim tactical assessment. Her red lips parted slightly.
"The Shikon Jewel."
She voiced the exact concern Hikaru had deliberately left unspoken.
Even though the malicious entity known as Magatsuhi trapped inside the Shikon Jewel had been completely sealed and brought under Kikyo's absolute control, an artifact of such deep divine power could never be truly concealed. To those with spiritual awareness, it burned like a roaring bonfire in the pitch-black night. Word had spread. The number of factions aware of its presence in Kaede Village grew by the day.
The Imagawa Clan knew. The Hojo Clan knew. The Uesugi Clan knew. Even the distant capital of Kyoto had received the reports. Some warlords observed with ravenous interest, while others merely watched from the sidelines, waiting for the inevitable bloodbath.
The territory of Tono sat far north of Musashi Province, nestled deep within the northeastern reaches of Mutsu. It stood to reason that the yokai native to those frozen lands had caught the scent of the Jewel. To a shrine maiden of Kikyo's caliber, ordinary high-level demons were little more than target practice. Yet, in an era where true Great Yokais were becoming exceedingly scarce, a Materialized demon still represented a devastating tier of military power.
Demons operated on a fundamentally different logic than humans. Hikaru and Kikyo had already forced back legendary terrors like Kidomaru and Tsuchigumo, cementing a terrifying reputation among human warlords. But yokai were creatures of instinct. Unless they witnessed that overwhelming power firsthand, their greed would always compel them to test the waters.
Even if 'testing the waters' invariably resulted in their own gruesome deaths. Yokai were born from the world's turbidity and lingering resentment; they were rarely burdened by the constraints of logic or self-preservation.
"If they are truly marching for the Shikon Jewel, then the sudden strikes against Sagami and Suruga are nothing but a diversion," Hikaru said, mapping out the enemy's potential strategy. "They want to lure me away from Kaede Village, leaving the defenses thin so a secondary strike force can raid the shrine."
He tapped a finger against the wooden floorboards. "Or perhaps the goal is to draw both of us out, allowing human armies to besiege the village in our absence."
It was a highly plausible scenario. A lack of human morality did not mean these creatures were incapable of executing a coordinated pincer movement.
Kikyo folded her hands neatly in her lap. Her pristine white kosode and vibrant red hakama caught the flickering candlelight, highlighting her immaculate posture. With her slender waist and perfectly straight shoulders, she resembled a divine statue enshrined within the temple hall. Yet, unlike a cold carving of stone, her dark eyes held a quiet, living intensity.
"Let them come."
She spoke the words with the casual grace of someone observing the pleasant evening weather. Her voice carried an absolute, unshakable confidence.
"The Shikon Jewel is in my hands. It matters little how many demons they send. I will purify them all."
It was not an empty boast. Hikaru knew the terrifying upper limits of her spiritual power. A single Sacred Arrow, drawn to its maximum output, possessed enough destructive force to cripple a phenomenon-level Great Yokai like Tsuchigumo. She had blown off the arm of a beast above the thirteenth transformation, leaving a wound so saturated with holy energy that the creature could not regenerate. Against ordinary high-level demons, Kikyo only needed one arrow to vaporize a single target, or even an entire clustered vanguard.
Despite her assurance, Hikaru shook his head slowly.
"I am not worried about the demons." He lifted his gaze, meeting her dark eyes directly. "I am worried about the humans."
Kikyo's quiet confidence fractured for a fraction of a second. Her eyelashes fluttered. It was an unavoidable truth; human adversaries were her greatest vulnerability.
Spiritual power was the ultimate bane of demonic entities, naturally purifying corruption and miasma. However, it lacked that same lethal multiplier when turned against mortal flesh. She could certainly use raw spiritual energy to slaughter humans. If she unleashed a sufficient volume of her power, the resulting storm could easily level entire fortresses and shatter city walls.
But her Sacred Arrows were designed for precision purification, not wide-scale artillery bombardment against mortal armies. More, her gentle nature meant she would absolutely refuse to commit mass slaughter against ordinary conscripts.
Even if she possessed oceans of spiritual energy, her physical stamina remained strictly human. A prolonged siege would eventually exhaust her muscles and drain her breath.
Beyond the physical limitations, the political landscape was equally treacherous. The imperial edict from Kyoto had already been distributed across the land. Every ambitious daimyo now held the legal and moral justification to launch campaigns under the banner of 'lawful suppression of demons.'
Kaede Village currently held the orthodox deity certification granted by Hojo Ujiyasu, acting as a temporary political shield. However, the official documents sent to Kyoto for imperial ratification had not yet been approved. Until that bureaucratic seal was stamped, Kaede Village remained nothing more than an ordinary settlement in the eyes of the law. Worse, to hostile factions, it was legally classified as a rogue territory harboring a demonic entity, rather than the sacred residence of an orthodox deity.
Kikyo's moral compass would never allow her to draw her bow against human soldiers. Once Hikaru left the perimeter, she would be forced to shoulder the crushing dual pressure of a demonic invasion and a human military siege entirely on her own. That was the variable keeping him anchored to the floorboards.
"I can help."
The sudden voice drifted from the adjacent side hall. It sounded muffled and distant, heavily suppressed by the glowing sealing talismans plastered across the sliding doors.
It was Naoe Kanetsugu.
Behind the reinforced paper barriers, the captive Echigo Chief of Staff, who had been imprisoned in silence for over ten days, finally volunteered to speak.
"What did you say?" Hikaru turned his head, his crimson eyes locking onto the side hall.
Through a narrow gap in the sliding paper door, half of Kanetsugu's face was visible in the shadows. Her long, deep purple hair hung loose and unkempt around her shoulders. The pristine white jinbaori she wore was heavily crumpled from days of confinement. Yet, despite her disheveled state, her eyes remained startlingly clear. They possessed a sharp, calculating lucidity that bordered on unsettling.
"You lack the administrative manpower to stabilize your rear guard. I can do this," Kanetsugu said, forcing her tone to remain perfectly level. "The internal affairs, the shifting public sentiment, and the complex territory management of Musashi Province... I studied all of these logistics carefully when I followed my lord south. I am more familiar with the political landscape of this region than anyone else in this room."
She shifted slightly behind the door. "I can assist the shrine maiden in managing the village's defenses. If human troops actually launch an assault, I cannot guarantee a total victory to repel them. However, by manipulating local public sentiment and using the surrounding mountainous terrain, stalling their advance will not be a problem."
She paused, a bitter edge creeping into her voice. "It is not as if I can return to Echigo anytime soon."
Her logic was sound. The complex 'death and resurrection' mechanism she had relied upon had been completely dismantled the moment Hikaru saw through her trick. She was thoroughly trapped in Kaede Village with absolutely nowhere to run. Rather than sitting in a sealed room waiting to rot away into mold, stepping up to manage the village's logistics was a pragmatic survival choice.
"Besides..." Kanetsugu's lips twitched upward into a stiff, self-deprecating expression that barely qualified as a smile. "If you intend to keep me imprisoned here, I must demonstrate some shred of tactical value, right? Otherwise, why keep me alive at all? Am I just a decorative trophy?"
She let out a dry breath. "You couldn't possibly be keeping me around just to disgust the Echigo forces. Could you?"
'...You actually guessed right,' Hikaru thought, his deadpan expression hidden perfectly beneath his stoic facade.
He stared at the captive strategist for a few long seconds, analyzing the micro-expressions on her face for any trace of deception. Finding none, he shifted his gaze back to Kikyo. The shrine maiden did not voice a single objection. Instead, she offered a minuscule nod. It was a movement so light it was almost imperceptible, but his enhanced vision caught the silent approval.
"Fine."
Hikaru stood up, the wooden floor creaking softly beneath his weight. He crossed the room to the side hall and reached out, his pale fingers gripping the edge of the glowing sealing talisman. With a swift tear, the magical barrier dissipated.
He slid the paper door open. Kanetsugu stood just inside the threshold. Her long, deep purple hair cascaded down her back. Though her garments were wrinkled and stained from captivity, she held her spine rigidly straight, refusing to bow her head.
"There are conditions," Hikaru stated, raising a single finger. "You will only handle the governance and tactical coordination. The administrative affairs of Musashi Province, maintaining diplomatic contact with the Hojo Clan, and keeping the villagers calm—all of these tasks are now yours. However, you are strictly forbidden from leaving a five-mile radius around Kaede Village."
He stepped into her personal space. "If you exceed that boundary, this little insurance policy will activate."
He reached out and patted Kanetsugu's shoulder. The moment his palm made contact, a wisp of extremely fine, crimson blood mist seeped from his fingertips. It bypassed the fabric of her collar, sinking directly into her pale skin and spreading rapidly along the line of her collarbone. Kanetsugu's entire body stiffened. She gasped, her eyes widening as she felt the freezing blood mist slithering beneath the flesh of her neck like a venomous snake.
"It will explode," Hikaru said, calmly withdrawing his hand and letting his arm drop to his side. "And it will explode very loudly, detonating every single drop of blood currently flowing through your veins."
It was an application of his Blood Resonance skill, using his own infected blood as a remote trigger. By coupling the technique with the overwhelming density of his Yao Qi, turning a human body into a walking biological bomb was a trivial matter.
Kanetsugu's expression twisted into an ugly grimace of revulsion and fear. Her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, but she eventually forced a stiff nod. She hadn't harbored any genuine delusions of escaping anyway. After spending so many days locked in that room, she had realized she couldn't even successfully commit suicide under his watchful eyes.
"In addition..." Hikaru turned back toward the center of the room. "Momiji and Botan will assist Kikyo. They will take full responsibility for maintaining the barrier and handling the frontline defensive combat. The three of you will coordinate your efforts to ensure the village remains impenetrable."
He adjusted the hilt of his sword. "I will also be keeping a constant eye on this location from afar."
He looked at Kikyo. The shrine maiden rose gracefully to her feet, picking up her massive longbow and slinging it diagonally across her back.
"Mm."
A single, quiet hum of affirmation. Between the two of them, that was more than enough.
Hikaru secured the cursed blade, Muramasa, tightly to his waist. Though the demonic sword was currently sealed and could not be drawn in battle, he still carried it out of sheer pragmatic habit. He raised his hand, and the terrifying visage of the Crimson Oni Mask condensed out of swirling red mist, settling heavily into his palm.
He walked toward the heavy wooden doors of the main hall. As he pushed them open, the freezing autumn night wind rushed inside, violently stirring his long, pale hair. High above the courtyard, the silver moonlight illuminated the grand Torii gate. The newly replaced wooden plaque hung proudly at the center, still exuding the fresh, sharp scent of carved pine.
"Those 'friends' of yours are all here," Kikyo's voice drifted from behind him.
It wasn't a warning or a reminder, merely a quiet confirmation of his bizarre, yet highly effective surveillance network. The scattered rocks in the dirt, the ancient trees lining the perimeter, the stone walls, the rusted farming hoes leaning against the sheds... every single mundane object that he had relentlessly grinded to maximum favorability was standing by. They were his eyes and ears. Coupled with the dormant traces of his blood scattered throughout the soil, nothing could approach the village unseen.
If even the slightest abnormality breached the perimeter, Hikaru would instantly perceive the disturbance through the collective consciousness of his max-favorability inanimate allies. The moment a threat was detected, he would ignite the extreme explosive speed of his Thunder Muscle and tear across the landscape to return.
"Same as before," Hikaru replied, his tone flat but carrying an obvious weight of absolute trust.
He lifted the Crimson Oni Mask, pressing the cold, demonic metal against his face. The moment it locked into place, his humanity was completely submerged beneath the terrifying aura of an undead warlord.
"I will resolve the incursions in Sagami and Suruga," his voice echoed, now distorted and deeply resonant from behind the mask. "Then, I will exterminate the remaining threats in one sweeping motion to eliminate any future variables."
He stepped out onto the porch. "Wait for my news."
He crossed the threshold. Beneath the grotesque features of the Crimson Oni Mask, his Crimson Demon Eyes flared with a blinding, predatory light, cutting through the pale moonlight.
CRACK!
Violent arcs of purple electricity erupted from beneath his sandals, instantly shattering the corners of the heavy stone steps into flying shrapnel. A dense, suffocating cloud of blood mist exploded from his body, leaving a dark, swirling red trail in his wake.
Like a falling meteor defying gravity, he launched himself forward. The deafening roar of thunder echoed across the silent village as his gray-clad figure blurred into a blinding streak of purple lightning, violently tearing into the pitch-black darkness of the autumn night.
He stepped out. He set off.
Alone.
Crossing six hundred li of treacherous territory, charging headlong into the heart of the demon battlefield.
[Inorin's Note:
Hey guys, hope you're enjoying the novel! A quick Power Stone, comment, or review really helps the story grow and keeps me motivated.
Hate waiting for updates and cliffhangers? You can skip the line, avoid all those annoying ads, and binge 50 chapters ahead by supporting my work here:
🌐 Read on our site: Search for Elysian Reads on Google or Check the link in my Webnovel Profile bio!
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): Search InorinTL on Patreon
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]