Chapter 41: Capturing a Few More Yokai
Hagoromo Gitsune's primary headquarters was Kyoto. In that region, she had operated for thousands of years. The local forces there had been suppressed by her for so long that they couldn't rise up and could only obey her absolute will.
It wasn't that no one wanted to eradicate Hagoromo Gitsune, but rather that they simply couldn't win the battle.
Nurarihyon did manage to win once a few hundred years ago, but the end result was that Hagoromo Gitsune remained Hagoromo Gitsune, while he himself was no longer the spirited and vibrant leader he once was.
There was no other choice; the power on Hagoromo Gitsune's side was just too overwhelming. Even if they lost once, they could revive and rise again in a short period of time.
In fact, they would return even stronger than before.
Over time, everyone began to accept Hagoromo Gitsune's existence by default.
But now, Hagoromo Gitsune unexpectedly wanted to take control of Tokyo, seize Tokyo in a single sweep, and conduct her Night Parade of a Hundred Demons right here. This clearly showed that she now considered Tokyo as her personal territory as well.
Without a doubt, this was an act of open provocation against the current social order, as well as the Japanese Government.
It was important to note that the current era was no longer the Sengoku Period, which was an era overflowing with countless Yokai.
Humans had long since risen to dominance. Once a full-scale clash with humans occurred, whether Yokai could actually win against them remained an absolute unknown.
Even many weak Yokai had been forced by humans to abandon their homelands, having no choice but to seek protection from other great Yokai.
Therefore, Nurarihyon couldn't quite comprehend what Hagoromo Gitsune's true goal was in taking over Tokyo.
The high-ranking officials among humans might allow Hagoromo Gitsune to occupy Kyoto, because Kyoto was no longer the capital of this country.
However, they would never allow Hagoromo Gitsune to control Tokyo and flaunt her authority within the Tokyo region.
The moment Hagoromo Gitsune did such a thing, it would inevitably trigger a massive counterattack from all directions.
Nurarihyon believed that Hagoromo Gitsune was no fool. Something that he could understand, Hagoromo Gitsune must certainly understand as well, yet she went ahead and did this anyway.
This was incredibly strange.
Why would Hagoromo Gitsune do this? On what grounds was she acting? Was she not afraid of being completely suppressed by humanity?
Nurarihyon's eyes flashed with a sharp light; he kept pondering over it but couldn't find an answer, unable to make sense of it at all.
Madara couldn't understand it either, but he possessed a naturally broad-minded and carefree disposition, so he wouldn't add to his worries over things that couldn't be understood. He quickly brushed this minor issue aside, slapped the table, and demanded sake from Nurarihyon.
"Drink sake, drink sake, drink sake... hurry up and bring out some good sake, Nurarihyon."
Hearing that, Nurarihyon couldn't help but shake his head in resignation, "Just as I expected from you. Very well, Kejorō, please bring a bottle of sake over here."
Kejorō nodded in response, then stood up and left the room.
Madara spoke up, "How could a single bottle of sake possibly be enough? I want to drink ten bottles, no, a hundred bottles."
Nurarihyon snorted coldly, "We don't have that much."
That was fine sake he had carefully stored away as a precious collection, so how could he possibly give it all away for free to the guy sitting in front of him.
Madara grumbled, "Stingy, Nurarihyon, you are way too stingy."
Nurarihyon didn't say a word, only responding with another cold snort. Just as the two of them were bickering back and forth, out in a distant rural countryside area.
Tsuchigumo, who possessed a massive and gargantuan physique, crouched down in front of a small, insignificant Yokai, looking down at the other party from his towering position.
"Tell me, where did that brat named Natsume go, the one carrying the Book of Friends?"
The small Yokai trembled in absolute terror under Tsuchigumo's overwhelming presence, and immediately stammered out, "I... I heard that the human carrying the Book of Friends went to Tokyo."
"Tokyo?"
Tsuchigumo realized the truth; no wonder he had circled around this countryside area several times but found no trace of Natsume. It turned out the boy had fled. It seemed that human really was a complete coward.
But what business did he have going to Tokyo? Could it be...
After thinking of a distinct possibility, the corners of Tsuchigumo's mouth split wide open, revealing a sinister smile.
"Nurarihyon, huh..."
He was well aware that a few hundred years ago, when Nurarihyon launched an expedition to subjugate Hagoromo Gitsune, the great Yokai Madara was also one of the core members of that alliance. Aside from him, there were also quite a few other powerful Yokai who placed their bets on Nurarihyon.
If it weren't for the assistance of those great Yokai, it would have been impossible for Nurarihyon to successfully defeat Hagoromo Gitsune so easily.
Now that Hagoromo Gitsune was reviving once again, Madara, who wanted to help Natsume protect the Book of Friends, would naturally turn to Nurarihyon for assistance.
"Interesting, truly interesting."
Tsuchigumo laughed loudly with pure excitement. He had no other hobbies in life; he simply loved fighting against powerful Yokai.
Tokyo right now didn't just have Madara, it also had Nurarihyon. This situation was simply too tempting to pass up.
Charge over there, he would head over there right this instant.
Tsuchigumo didn't harbor the slightest hesitation. After kicking away the small Yokai that was blocking his path, he dashed forward at full speed, heading straight along the path toward Tokyo.
With his incredible speed, by the time the sky began to brighten the following morning, he would already be able to arrive in Tokyo.
...
The next day, in the morning.
After waking up, Yumesaki made a phone call to Nakiri Erina, asking her to prepare a few portions of breakfast, specifying that the amount should be quite large.
Yesterday he had summoned Serie here, so today he naturally had to play the host and treat Serie properly.
"No problem, Lord Yumesaki."
Nakiri Erina agreed readily without any hesitation. After hanging up the phone, she called over her little secretary, Arato Hisako, to begin busily preparing the meal.
After about an hour had passed, Nakiri Erina called back, informing Yumesaki that the breakfast was ready.
Yumesaki hummed softly in response, pushing open a spatial rift using his Doors ability, and the other end of the door connected directly to Nakiri Erina's location.
"Come on in."
Yumesaki waved his hand to Nakiri Erina, and while she was delivering the food, Yumesaki went ahead to wake up Nero, Medea, and Serie.
Not long after, several people were seated around the dining room chairs, beginning to eat their breakfast heartily.
"Delicious flavor."
Serie tasted the apple pie in front of her, her eyes lighting up slightly as she offered a soft compliment.
Nakiri Erina's face flushed with a faint blush, feeling incredibly honored, "You praise me too highly."
She clearly didn't know who Serie was, but seeing Yumesaki's respectful attitude toward her, she knew that this woman, who appeared to be an Elf, was highly likely a very important figure originating from another world.
As for how she knew Serie was from another world, it was obviously because the clothing on the other party's body didn't match modern human society at all.
"So, you two were conducting research all night yesterday. Have you two discovered any results?"
Yumesaki asked Medea and Serie while enjoying the delicious food.
Serie took a neat bite out of her apple pie, then spoke calmly, "It has only been a single night, you seem to be a bit too impatient."
Yumesaki replied with a smile, "I'm not impatient, I just have absolute confidence in the two of you."
"Well then, thank you very much."
Serie stated in a placid tone, "However, even someone like me has no way to research anything substantially useful within the span of a single night. I require more samples."
"Which means you need more Yokai, right?"
"Correct."
Hearing that, Yumesaki turned his head to look toward Nakiri Erina, "Have Hagoromo Gitsune's people caused any trouble for you guys lately?"
Nakiri Erina immediately shook her head, "No, ever since that incident, Hagoromo Gitsune's subordinates have never shown their faces again."
Yumesaki said, "If they do show up, remember to let me know. You heard her just now, I'm still running short on a few samples here."
Nakiri Erina nodded to show she understood.
Medea added, "It doesn't necessarily have to be Hagoromo Gitsune's subordinates either. The number of Yokai residing in Tokyo isn't small by any means."
"That's true. In that case, after I finish my breakfast, I'll head out to capture a few Yokai and bring them back."
Medea and Serie raised no objections whatsoever.
Nero then raised her hand high and announced, "Umu! I shall accompany you, Praetor!"
Yumesaki didn't refuse her. After all, Nero staying home alone would leave her with nothing to do, so it was better for her to go out for a stroll with him.
As for Nakiri Erina, she naturally didn't have any objections to the plan.
Not long after, the breakfast concluded.
After Yumesaki escorted Nakiri Erina back to Totsuki Academy, he summoned two Shikigami out from within his shadow. One was Ōkuchi-no-Makami, and the other was Huodou, which was a dog-type Shikigami that Yumesaki had personally modified.
"Go on, seek out some Yokai that are actively harming humans."
Ōkuchi-no-Makami and Huodou nodded in unison, then bolted forward with explosive speed, vanishing from their sight in the blink of an eye.
Yumesaki and Nero followed leisurely behind the two Shikigami.
Even though the two Shikigami ran a considerable distance away, they still remained well within the range of Yumesaki's sensory perception, since they were his personal Shikigami after all.
Before long, the two Shikigami came to a halt in front of an old, abandoned building.
Once Yumesaki arrived at the building, he scanned the structure briefly and indeed detected a Yokai residing deep within the upper levels.
This Yokai had claimed a room at the very top of the building, transforming the entire space into its personal nest.
Its entire body exuded a thick, pungent stench of blood and intense malice. It was painfully clear that it had taken more than just a single human life.
Inside the room, several sheets of human skin were hanging up like laundry, but the flesh and internal organs had already been eaten completely clean by this Yokai.
Yumesaki took one glance and immediately recognized that this Yokai was a Jorōgumo.
This specific type of Yokai made frequent appearances across numerous anime series.
According to traditional Yokai folklore records, she was known as the spider woman, a spider capable of shifting into a human form to seduce men. At midnight on the third night after the man fell for her charms, his head would be severed and devoured by her, making her an exceptionally dangerous creature.
Legends claimed that during Japan's Kamakura Period, there was a seductive woman who engaged in an affair while serving a local lord. Her actions were discovered by the lord, who subsequently sentenced her to death by throwing her into a box overflowing with venomous spiders.
After her demise, her vengeful spirit manifested into a human guise, frequently appearing in dense forests to entice young men and steal their lives away. It was said that she harbored a deep fear of fire.
Of course, whether the true origin of the Jorōgumo actually matched the tale was something no one could truly verify.
But regardless of whether this lore was accurate or not, since she had taken human lives, she couldn't blame Yumesaki for showing absolutely no mercy.
"Go ahead, capture her and bring her down here to me."
Yumesaki issued the command to Huodou. Huodou let out a sharp bark, his body shooting forward like an arrow released from a bow, tearing upward toward the top floor.
Not long after, a sudden fire broke out on the highest level, the flames blazing fiercely and intensely.
This was Huodou, a Shikigami endowed with absolute control over fire.
To a Jorōgumo, he represented an absolute and natural counter.
Roughly five minutes later, the fire died down, and Huodou came dragging a half-dead Jorōgumo down the stairs, tossing her directly in front of Yumesaki's feet.
Yumesaki squatted down, patting Huodou's head in a praising manner, "Good job."
Huodou barked with absolute joy, letting out cheerful yips continuously as his tail wagged so fast it looked like a propeller spinning in circles.
Ōkuchi-no-Makami standing nearby watched this display with an incredibly envious expression.
Suddenly, his nose caught a whiff of a distinct scent. After letting out a sharp bark toward Yumesaki, he turned his head and shot outward like a flash of lightning.
It was plain to see that he had seemingly caught the scent of a new prey.
Huodou caught the aroma as well. Refusing to be outdone, he immediately gave chase right behind him.
Yumesaki stood up with a slight smile, tossing the half-dead Jorōgumo directly into his shadow space, and then walked leisurely alongside Nero, following closely behind the trail of Ōkuchi-no-Makami and Huodou.
Moments later, they came upon a scene where a four-armed Yokai wearing a menacing Hannya mask was stomping down heavily on a severely wounded Yokai, clearly intending to deliver a fatal, finishing blow.
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