War Plans

It's night now, and I'm sitting in one of the open gardens at my summer home. There's a mess of papers and notes spread out across the ground, filled with words and scribbles and diagrams. It's barely legible.

An explosive sigh leaves me.

Things are…well. Yasaka was absolutely thrilled to hear my plan, Nurarihyon fainted from laughter, and Akeno was jealous she was still stuck doing exams. Hanezu was just as thrilled, and he'd taken the list I'd made for him with gusto. I just hope his excitement doesn't cause him to make dumb mistakes.

But past that, things aren't so great. There's an entire gallery of issues I'll need to deal with to make sure this plan succeeds. Some easier to solve than others, but all problems still.

Dotted around the village the Five Principal Clans occupy are all manners of totems and shrines. They're catalysts, allowing blessings of certain gods to be cast onto the entire village, turning the seemingly undefended space into an unassuming fortress. I already have a solution for that brewing at the moment; I just need some time.

The high-ranking members of the clans and their heads are another issue. Just as Suou was, they were blessed when they were born, and are leagues stronger than those unblessed. Of course, this means I can use the same tactic I used against Suou to nullify their blessings, just at a larger scale. Once again, I'll need Kanada's help for that.

The issue that stems from that is not so easily fixed, though.

The divine beasts. Creatures made from pure divine energy, gifted to the clans as a sign of their pact with the gods.

Gods can't directly descend without consequences, but they can possess one of their blessed. And those divine beasts are perfect vessels for the gods' authorities.

Kagutsuchi's almost guaranteed to descend; his furious nature will no doubt push him to fight. The other four aren't so anger-driven, but there might still be a chance that they'll join Kagutsuchi and descend into the lower plain. And if that does happen?

Chaos.

I've been wracking my head around what to do. I have some ideas, but no perfect fit-all. I might be forced to create countermeasures against the five gods themselves, just in case one of them does descend. It won't be easy, but it might be doable. Might.

I won't be directly fighting gods, but it's close enough.

But I can't help but smile slightly. Because if they do descend, then there's another option I can take, one that won't require me to create perfect countermeasures for everything. It's an insane plan, but my eyes suggest-, no, demand that it be done.

It's the first time my eyes have gotten so forceful with me, but it's not without reason. Even just thinking about me makes me all giddy inside.

Another problem in this are the clans themselves. Their leaders and high-ranking members might be assholes, but that doesn't mean everyone is. The younger generation don't hold the same hatred the older do, and the slaves working under the clans still wish for freedom even now. They'll need to be brought out somehow. I might need to ask for some help.

And finally, Himejima Hanezu himself. Or rather, the agency behind him. He might not be the worst person out there, but it doesn't excuse what he's done. The hundreds of victims he kidnapped and experimented on in his journey for revenge can't be swept away. They need to be saved and brought somewhere safe.

…Except.

Hmm.

Perhaps Hanezu doesn't need to be a potential issue. His main threat lies in the fact that he has an army of possessed victims at his call. The magic he and his comrades use isn't an issue, nor do I care about the clan members he's about to kidnap. The initial victims he's keeping locked up are my main concern.

If I can pull those victims away from Hanezu, then I won't need to worry as much. And I just have the perfect idea.

I'll wait though. It's late in the night right now, and if my eyes are to be believed, Hanezu's having a little too much fun kidnapping people from the five clans and implanting Utsusemis into them.

I sigh. Really, everything's progressing a little too quickly for my tastes. And my eyes aren't helping either.

I've long suspected that my eyes are conscious in some way. My head splits in two when I try to pull for an answer, but it's basically confirmed by this point. It's always been rather silent about everything, but ever since I began preparing for our clash against the Five Principal Clans, my eyes have been constantly pushing me forward.

Actually-, no. That's not true. Even years ago, when I just discovered the five clans, my eyes kept activating when I was sleeping, turning my dreams into visions of all the cruelties the clans have done.

It's as if the Eyes of God have been priming me for this. For a very long time.

And through it all is this niggling feeling in the back of my neck, a ringing bell that constantly sounds in my mind. If I listen close enough, it almost sounds like the chime of a church's bell.

"Just what are you?" I ask to the uncomfortable warmth in my skull. "What do you want from them?"

I get no answer, nothing but a splitting headache and a burning sense of regret. The pain doesn't feel unkind, however. It feels...gentle. It almost reminds me of the way my mother would put her hands over my eyes when I was younger, when she tried to stop me from learning things I'm not supposed to.

I shake my head. There's no point in worrying about it for now. If my eyes worry that it'll hurt me at the moment, then so be it.

The night drags on after that. I spend the next several hours working, creating all manners of Ofudas and gathering all the necessities I'll need.

Morning comes, and I'm back home. A breakfast is eaten, encouragements are said, and again I'm off to my school. The exams are of no issue, but this time, I don't spend them wilting in boredom.

Instead, with the help of an 'Illusion' Ofuda, I continue my work from the night, scribbling Ofuda after Ofuda to add to my growing collection.

Once the exam ends, I head straight for Kyoto. And as I walk back to the teleportation array, I quickly make a call to Hanezu. It takes a few minutes, and a couple failed calls, but eventually he picks up.

"Hanezu-san." I begin, my tone bland.

"Yes?"

A smile lifts my lips. Even from the phone, I can feel his unease. Our first meeting had spooked him quite terribly, it seems. He thinks I'm some sort of new Youkai species capable of reading minds.

"How many…captives do you have? The ones that aren't included in the list I gave?"

The line goes quiet for a moment. I can practically feel his confusion. "We have…over 200." He says slowly. "Why?"

"Do you know of the abandoned factory not too far from our meeting place?"

"I do."

My smile grows. "Bring them all there tonight. Every single one."

"Why?"

I hum. "There are many reasons why." I begin, before my voice drops low. "Ah, but most of all, I have been so, so hungry lately." I say, grinning. "And it isn't as if those failed specimens of yours are going to be of any use moving forward, right?"

The call goes basically dead for a good minute. I wonder what he's feeling right now? Shock? Horror? I don't know. I can use my eyes to find out, of course, but the ambiguity makes it funnier somehow.

"Ah, but do keep those artificial beings inside them as well. I believe they'll be quite scrumptious too."

"...Very well." And saying that, the call cuts. My grin grows wider, and I barely manage to keep myself from laughing. Maybe it's all the time I've spent with Yasaka, but I'm finding too much fun playing around with people.

Of course, I'm not actually going to 'eat' the victims Hanezu will bring. They'll be very much alive by the end of it. Traumatized, perhaps, but alive and safe from Hanezu's reach.

Soon enough, I make it to the empty house I own in this town. I lock the door behind me, and I walk onto the teleportation array drawn in the middle of the sparse living room. The circle glows a brilliant white beneath my feet, and I close my eyes as the world around me disappears.