28

When a weakness is pointed out to you, you should do your best to correct it before it becomes something for your enemies to take advantage of. That is the reason I would give if anyone were to ask why I'm doing this; not that I'm pissed and want to one-up Yasaka, no sir. Mother and Akeno, however, weren't as convinced of the genius behind my training method as I was. "Are you sure you want to do this again?"

Swallowing down any thoughts against my course of action, I give them a thumbs up and a smile. If that smile is a bit shaky, neither points it out. Rather they sigh in eerie unison and begin preparing the spells. In the past two days, I've been doing some light scouting of the other locations I had found that the Golden Dragons owned. While I was doing that I was thinking of how to improve my sensory abilities.

Hence my current course of action. Sensory deprivation training. My mother's talent for spellcraft and Akeno's knowledge of Onmyoudou came together to make a few decent 'debuff' spells. Blindness, numbness, deafness, loss of taste, and obfuscating smell; the quintessential grouping of debuffs. They weren't the most potent, with only blindness being a complete spell since it was already an Onmyoudou spell Akeno knew, but they would do.

While the spells would force me to rely on Ki sense, the idea of losing nearly everything I use to navigate the world for a short time was terrifying. I think the only reason my Mother and Akeno agreed to help was that they figured I would quit after the first attempt. Joke's on them, my determination is far stronger than that.

The first time we tried it I awoke in a puddle of vomit, sweating and shaking with no idea how long it had been. Apparently, they had deactivated the spells immediately after I started panicking. The feeling of losing all your senses at once is indescribable. It was so disorienting that I forgot to even try using Ki sense to make up for it. Naturally, they objected when I asked to try again.

In the end, we compromised on cutting off one sense at a time until I had adjusted then removing the next. They began with the most important senses -sight, then hearing, and so on- leaving more senses to adjust to the most disorienting changes. What I found, once they were all slowly stripped away, was that it is impossible to describe a sense without referencing the others. That and that my Ki sense was extremely inadequate in its current form.

Living beings show up as vague clouds of Ki, that almost resemble their original shape. Plants too are similar but look more like conduits that pull Ki from the earth. Organic materials or manmade materials that have had Ki channeled into them have lingering traces of either natural Ki or refined Ki respectively. Manmade materials that haven't had Ki channeled appear as gaps or voids of Ki. Lastly, there was the giant fucking sun of Ki below our feet that is nearly blinding in its radiance.

With time I should be able to refine my Ki sense to the point where it alone shows the world in full detail. That wasn't something I could do in a few hours sadly. What removing my other senses did allow me to do was see an absolutely minuscule presence sitting outside our house up in a tree. Take that you smug fox!

Facing that direction, I used my newly acquired seventh sense, the soul sense Byakko and I had been working on. When my third eye opened the world took on a different shade, showing me the soul of my observer. As my gaze passes over their form the Yokai -appearing as a young boy- morphs into a fearsome giant spider. Tsuchigumo is the most likely identity of my watcher since Jorogumo are generally female.

Navigating wasn't too difficult using the prior information to parse the environment and building a mental model. The issue was when I forgot that manmade materials didn't actually show up and I walked through a wall or broke something else. Another issue is when I lapsed in attention and stopped ignoring what was below me; that resulted in me being 'blinded' for a short period each time I erred. I wanted to continue for the rest of the day but communication was nearly impossible and I had something else to be excited about.

Today I would begin training both Akeno and Shuten, a day I had been awaiting for some time now. Both were interested, if for quite different reasons. Shuten mostly wanted to spend time with me but I could see a bit of competitive spirit in her eyes when she glanced at Akeno. Akeno in contrast wanted to get stronger in order to kill the ones who killed her mother. Thankfully she wasn't a budding avenger solely focused on her vengeance but that was clearly a motivating factor.

The first thing I wanted to do was assess Akeno. I had a pretty good idea of my sister's abilities and constitution having spent so much time with her in the past year. Akeno on the other hand I'm still getting to know and I have no idea how her biology would affect training. While theoretically, a Fallen/Human Hybrid would have a superior body, I don't know the details of that comparison and how they differ. Not only that, but I doubt that when the God of the Bible created Angels he was worried about their ability to manipulate Ki.

As a living being, she would be able to use Touki through rigorous bodily conditioning or if I helped attune her to the ability after she did some lighter conditioning. What is less clear is whether she had any ability to use Ki beyond that. Sairaorg was only able to use Touki in canon and Devils have a similar origin to Angels at the very least.

"Can you extend your wings for me?" Her body processes Ki in much the same way as a normal human. The flow of Ki, however, was incredibly weak; closer to a trickle than the normal stream a human would have.

"Okay." As her wings appear on her back and unfurl I examine them closely. It looks like the wings are what creates the Power of Light she can use, and do so by sucking up the majority of her Ki. I don't know if that was intentional or whether God just used life energy for the process because it's convenient. Then again non-hybrids may just produce Power of Light from nothing and this is only happening because she is a hybrid.

"Well, I have good news and bad news; which do you want first?" Akeno thinks about it for a moment before replying.

"Bad news, please." The bad news is mostly a guess but...

"I don't think you'll ever be able to use Senjutsu properly. Touki certainly, but the Ki manipulation, in general, will likely elude you. It also means we'll have to work harder to get your Touki active. I won't be able to brute force it for you since your wings will just suck up any extra Ki I force into your system." Akeno frowns and I think about how to explain it. "From what I can tell, the more you strengthen your body, the faster your wings will draw on your Ki."

"What about the good news?" She looks hopeful, which is good because I think the next part is pretty cool.

"The draining of your Ki will increase the number of Light spells and amount of Holy Lightning you can throw around even if it will limit your abilities with Ki. I'm not sure if the wings will become more efficient at pumping out power but eventually, they will cap in their conversion potential. At that point, you'll probably sprout a new pair. Congratulations, you can most likely with effort reach Cadre level rather than being stuck at the number of wings you were born with." I pat her on the head and she lights up in joy. It seems like it doesn't matter that the Biblical God limited the potential of his Angels; genetics fixed what he fucked up. I guess this could be something he planned for from the beginning but I'm not giving him that much credit.

I pat Shuten's head on the way past her because she's glaring at Akeno and stepping into the center of the dojo, I turn to face them. In a flash of black flame, Byakko is sitting beside me, staring down at the two eager students.

"Shuten, come with me, Akeno, you will follow Byakko. Tomorrow we will switch." They both stand and shuffle over to use and the two groups separate, heading to opposite sides of the room.

I look over and see Byakko making Akeno center herself through meditation before they begin. A good idea to start Akeno with, though the decision to do so was at least partially based on his own specialty, the soul. I'm unsure of what fighting style Akeno should learn. Even outside of what comes naturally to her, I don't think mine would work. My fighting style is reliant on having an abundance of raw strength; without Ki manipulation, I don't know if she'll be able to reach that strength.

Instead, it would be better for her to have a fighting style that isn't reliant on pure strength and ferocity. Something more targeted, maybe even a style like Jujutsu that focuses on manipulating the force of the opponent. I would also like to give her a weapon that would make up for her lacking strength; a naginata, spear, staff, something with a longer reach. The fact that she's primarily a magic caster makes me want to give her a staff but the Oni in me says she needs a bladed weapon of some sort…

I notice Shuten giving me a flat stare and return my attention to her. "Right, I figure the best way for me to see where you're at is some light sparring. It will allow me to see where your instincts take you and how to adjust training to your natural abilities."

Shuten frowns at the mention of sparring but I just lean over and ruffle her hair. "Don't worry and just try your best, okay? I'll give you a tap if you leave yourself open or make a big mistake but I'll be gentle. Feel free to mix in Youjutsu if you want, though try not to damage the dojo."

As I stretch out across from her, I watch as Shuten psyches herself up. When she's ready she nods to herself and the black and reddish-brown miasma associated with the bone collector curse seeps from her hands. Good, that will allow her to punch above her weight class.

I put myself into a loose stance to show I'm taking her seriously but keep the smile on my face so she isn't intimidated. I want her to have fun even if she is trying her hardest. As I nod she charges me, dashing across the gap between us.

Instead of leaping up at me to aim for something more vital she takes a swipe at my leg, a decision I approve of. It's smarter to try to bring me to her level rather than putting herself in the air where she can't maneuver. That doesn't stop me from shifting enough so she slips past me without making contact.

This continues for a few more attempts before she growls in frustration. I can tell she's quite good physically and her body control is pretty decent but the difference in physical ability and reach is too much for her to overcome. For her age of course she's absurdly strong and fast; the world doesn't care about age difference though.

Since I want to gauge her technical skill more I adjust my approach. I shrink down until we are the same height and have the same reach to give her a better chance. I'll probably end up mixing it up as these sessions continue so she gets used to fighting opponents both her size and larger.

When she comes at me again she goes for the throat. Literally. Since I don't want to know what happens if she pulls out my spine, I block. I can't exactly just counter her spell because that wouldn't be a good learning opportunity. What I can do is knock her swipe off course by striking her forearm. While her strike goes wide, it also opens up her guard entirely. I take the opening to tap her on the forehead. "Do you know what you did wrong?"

"Fought someone stronger than me?" She snarks back as she rubs her forehead.

"Not quite. You assumed that since your spell allows you to ignore your opponent's defense that they couldn't block without countering your spell." Shuten frowns but nods in understanding. "The lesson here is that you aren't intangible, only your hands are."

"Ready to go aga-" I cut myself off as throw my head to the side and dodge a glob of poison. At the same time, Shuten appears ready to strike. Not bad, not bad at all. I let my muscles go slack and begin to drop back to the ground. About halfway there, and with Shuten's hands cutting through the air above me, I plant my palms on the ground and kick up with my legs.

She jumps back to dodge and I do a back walkover to get myself standing again. "Excellent use of my distraction there! I should have known I wouldn't need to teach you to fight dirty. Talking isn't a free action after all."

Shuten blushes at the praise, fidgeting in embarrassment. So cute! Turning my speed up to the maximum I can go without breaking anything I vanish and reappear behind her. Before she can react I wrap my arms around her and pull her into the tightest hug possible. She whines a bit when I start spinning but she doesn't actually complain.

After that outburst, we soon got back to training in earnest. We spent most of the day there in the dojo and I think we made some good progress.

The next few days passed by fairly uneventfully. Most of my time was spent lurking around various Golden Dragon businesses trying to obtain information, doing sensory deprivation training, or teaching Shuten and Akeno.

Shuten and Akeno are slowly getting used to Byakko and my training regimen. It helps that Akeno and Shuten both are top-tier species. Honestly, if it wasn't for the cruel despot I grew up under my birth scenario was pretty damn excellent for this world. They haven't made any major progress yet. That's fine though since they have time, something I never did.

My sensory deprivation training also isn't paying dividends quickly. In that state, with no other sense to distract me, I can find my watcher easily. Without that limitation, I still can't hone my Ki sense to a high enough precision to pick up on their presence. At this point, it will mostly come down to a ton of practice.

I still had a week left on the deadline Yasaka gave me to return her citizens to her. I had already almost accomplished it given there was only one Yokai left and I knew she was being kept at the Golden Boy for their boss's personal use. The reason why she was so important is that she was the daughter of a noble in Yasaka's court. Politics, am I right?

The reason I was waiting is I needed to know what Yaeko's involvement in this was. Depending on her answer would change her punishment. I already had an idea of the way I would turn her disobedience into an advantage but I needed to hear her side first.

The surveillance I was doing was giving me a more detailed picture of the criminal hierarchy in Kyoto. It had far greater complexity than I initially assumed. This meant I would have even more work to do when I took over. I hate admin work.

There were three main groups that ruled the area; the Golden Dragons who 'held' the most territory, dealt in the most violent crime, and are aggressively expanding; The Hell King Union who largely control the drug, stolen goods, and flesh trade; Finally, there were the Kuroihanegumi who dealt in loan sharking, fraud of all variations, theft, and blackmail; financial crime. They all dealt in all crime possible to expand their influence but each had their niche where they ruled.

Outside of that, they all had legitimate businesses to launder their illegal gains in and to provide another income stream. It is… weird to be reminded of money's value again. In the village, everything was traded with either goods or favors, and with Yasaka so far it has been the same. I can't say I care much about money anymore; while wealth is a form of power, personal power is so much more exhilarating.

I couldn't find any supernatural support from the cursory examination I had done -especially since I've been focused on the Golden Dragons- but from their names alone I had suspicions.

Then, below the big organizations, there were numerous others and of course criminals without a group backing them. The reality though, was that everyone had to deal with one of the big crime syndicates in Kyoto if they wanted to ply their trade here.

If you dipped your toes into organized crime here, one of those groups would drag you into the fold or kill you for interfering. It's so exciting to think about crushing them all. Just the thought of it makes me clench my thighs together and stifle a moan. It wouldn't do for the Yakuza below me to hear.

Ever since that damn Naiad kissed me, I've been fucking wired. Sure I've had power fantasies that made me a bit hot before -what self-respecting warlord hasn't?- but never to this extent. The worst part is I've been too embarrassed to do anything about it myself. Everyone except for Akeno in the house has heightened senses and I don't know how to put up a privacy spell! I'm also not fucking masturbating in public. I need to find a release before I break down and hump a brick wall into dust.

Ahem, ignoring that outburst; I'm currently sitting upon a stack of shipping containers watching some Golden Dragons members shifting crates. From the smell of gunpowder, I can tell it's all illegal, as you can't privately own firearms in Japan. Well, you can but it is ridiculously hard to get a license and it's limited to shotguns and air rifles. Though I do wonder if there are pistols or rifles in the crates.

When I take over one of the first things I'm pounding into their heads is awareness. I'm not even trying to hide myself up here and nobody has noticed me yet. They are technically the most powerful Yakuza group in the city but that doesn't excuse this arrogance. A normal person with a gun could take them all down from where I am before they could react, let alone a mage.

Standing up, I stretch and prepare to leave, having seen more than enough. Really, my time would be better spent scoping out another location rather than watching these guys fumble about.

Oh? Maybe, I spoke too soon.

Another group is slowly moving into position, surrounding the Golden Dragon members unloading the crates. From their formation and approach, I doubt they plan to chat. When they begin to pull out weapons their intent becomes abundantly clear. How exciting. I do want a good showing though, it would be a shame if they all went down in a sneak attack.

Pointing a finger to the sky I form a tightly packed ball of flame on the end. Once I've gotten it condensed enough and the ambush is almost in position, I shoot it up into the sky. The explosion and the bright flash that appears startles both groups but the sudden illumination gives away the positions of the intruders.

"Shit, we're compromised! Attack!" I smile in amusement as both groups stumble while trying to engage the other. One of the Golden Dragons, in a surprising display of intellect, tries to pull out a gun from the crates. Sadly for him, the rifle he draws out isn't loaded and he catches a knife to the chest.

The other group was clearly relying on the advantage surprise would give them because they only brought ten people to take out fifteen. Even without the element of surprise, the melee was bloody and a total of ten people were taken out in the first minute of the fight; seven of those were Golden Dragons.

As interesting as the sudden violence was, the skill being demonstrated leaves me unimpressed. I understand that in a gang all your members aren't going to be master martial artists, marksmen, assassins, or any other such specialty. But at the same time, it seems like such a waste. Logistically, arming everyone to the teeth wouldn't be efficient and in a time sense neither would training everyone. I get that, I really do. At least put some effort into some members though.

I contemplate jumping in myself to liven things up when the new group escalates. Two members of the Golden Dragons get skewered by earthen spikes that shoot out from the ground. Searching the area, I find a mage thrusting their palms in that direction with a magic circle filling their view. Beside the mage -who is covered in a heavy cloak- is a grunt who is desperately clutching a piece of parchment with the same magic circle printed on it. A devil contract.

The Golden Dragons that are still alive rush to find cover, their numbers being thinned even further in the scramble. Three of them make it behind a shipping container and straining my ears allows me to listen in on them. "-come quick, they have magical support! We're being torn apart!"

"Support is on the way but if the boss finds out you guys tipped them off, you'll wish you died in the struggle." The grunt releases a shaky breath as the person on the other end hangs up on him. Luckily for them, the other group -Who I now assume are members of the Hell King Union- seem content to wait them out rather than push in and kill them. A mistake on their part if the backup that shows up is competent.

In the stalemate I take my time to examine the mage; the first devil that I've seen in this life is right over there. As they flip their hood off I realize that the devil is a she, though whether she is a pureblood or a reincarnated devil is still a mystery. "If they are going to hide just start loading up the crates. I'll stay here and kill them if they try to move."

"Yes, Lillian-sama!" I snort at the amazement and devotion in the voices of the Yakuza. Unless she's suppressing her strength by an extreme amount she is really weak. It may be a bit unfair to compare common rabble to myself and the people I know but Akeno alone would destroy this woman in a fight. I guess I might be just spoiled though; for a normal person, any magic-user would look like an insurmountable obstacle.

If I had to label her based on her strength, I would say that she is a reincarnated pawn. Her magic isn't particularly impressive from that little display and from her stance she definitely doesn't fight up close. Neither are her magic reserves anything worth noting. I think if these guys had one of those magical steroid scales they could win handily.

My fun effectively ruined, I watch mulishly as the Hell Kings steal the rifles. Those poor survivors are probably pissing themselves in fear, waiting for their inevitable deaths, and their enemies aren't even paying attention to them. The devil is smirking haughtily at the corpses she impaled and I can imagine her doing a noblewoman laugh in her head. 'Ho ho ho~ I showed them my superior prowess. Magicless monkeys should just kill themselves so I don't have to sully my hands with their trash blood.'

Don't get ahead of yourself shitty devil. They may be gnats but you're an ant at best. Plus, I know something she doesn't; The Golden Dragons backup is about to arrive and it is a Ki signature I recognize.

Yaeko, being the brutish battering ram she is, slams into the side of the SUV in which they are loading the guns at full speed. The metal frame screeches as it bends past its structural limits too quickly and tears apart. The driver turns into a fine mist as Yaeko goes through him. The three loading the SUV get crushed by the vehicle itself and the cargo that flies around at speed.

The mage is good enough to notice the new threat and erects a wall of rock that blocks the car door that Yaeko tosses at her. I lean forward a bit as my earlier excitement returns. Finally a real damn fight. Yaeko cups her hand around her mouth and shouts at the cowards hiding. "Oi, you guys still kicking?"

"We're still alive, Aneki!" Hmm, that form of address means they feel like she's one of them. Interesting but not good from where I'm sitting. For Yaeko that is.

"Tch, I shouldn't have to bail you fuckers out of this. You called me away before I could coax the boss into bed again." Well, that makes things more clear… Dammit Yaeko, why can't you think with your head not- Is there a female equivalent for thinking with your dick? Musing with Mount Pleasant, figuring with your Fun Tunnel, brooding with your box, pondering with your pelvis?

Ah, Yaeko has broken through the stone wall with a kick and is breaking earthen spikes and balls of rock that fly at her. She does realize she can dodge, right? I know that this mage probably can't hurt her but surely she doesn't have to use brute force for everything?

The mage is visibly panicking as she comes to grips with how outclassed she is. She gives a quick glance at the bodies of her allies and grits her teeth. A stone dome is erected around the mage and it grows thicker and thicker by the second. At the same time, a massive -by the devil's standard, not mine- amount of magic builds up under the dome. Yaeko tries her best to break through and get at the mage inside but by the time she does, it's empty.

I assume she either tunneled away or teleported, I can't really bring myself to care though. Leaping I land beside Yaeko who is huffing in anger at her prey escaping. "Yo, long time no see."

I catch the punch she throws with ease and raise a brow. When she realizes who she attacked, her eyes go wide with surprise. "Oh shit! What the hell are you doing here?!"

She goes to jerk her arm back but I keep hold of it. I give her a toothy smile and she begins to figure out that I'm not pleased. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't be here? I don't remember you being my boss, if anything it was the other way around."

"No, I'd never think anything like that. It has just been a while, Ibaraki-sama, and I was startled when you appeared." I nod, contemplating that statement, and she begins to fidget as I still don't let go. I allow her mind to go wild as I tap my finger against my cheek.

I look around at the carnage and scrape a bit of viscera off Yaeko's shirt. "You look like you've been busy. You certainly haven't had trouble finding entertainment from the looks of things." A scan her over quickly to assess her strength. "You've been slacking on your training though."

"Sorry, I've been busy like you said." Since she's so intimidated I let her hand go. She immediately starts rubbing the sore limb while staring at me hesitantly.

"Fill me in then. I'd love to hear how you've been following the rules." She pales and my grin widens. "You have been following the rules, right?"

"Well… you see… I was looking for some fun things to do and everything kind of got out of hand. I ended up in a fighting arena after a few days and the owner took offense to me beating everyone. Basically, he came down and fought me himself." She looks embarrassed at that admission but when she blushes I know what she's about to say is even more embarrassing. "He won and the fight wasn't even close. It was pretty hot so one thing led to another…"

"So you end up fucking the boss and that gets you drawn into a gang. I can't even understand how you managed this." I shake my head in exasperation. This is going to happen every time one of my people is let out into the world, isn't it?

"While that is definitely something, it wasn't what I asked. How many people, Yaeko?" I ratchet up my killing intent so she knows I'm serious about the question and she won't try to dodge it again.

"Fifteen? Maybe? I wasn't really counting and they all start to blur together when they're so underwhelming." I sigh and level her as unimpressed a stare as I possibly can. If this were a couple of weeks ago I may have killed her for this but I've come to realize that my people are more important than a few humans. There are billions of them compared to a little over a hundred of us. Still, I can't let this go unpunished, or else my commands won't be followed.

"Please tell me you didn't just slaughter people for fun." The affronted look I get as a response is amusing if nothing else. She should understand why I would ask and she doesn't have the right to be offended either; fifteen in a little over a month is an impressive body count for someone

who isn't trying.

"Most of those were accidents. How was I supposed to know how fragile humans are? Besides you know me, Ibaraki-sama, I wouldn't do that." So the only thing she's guilty of is being a muscle-headed idiot. At least she can be a useful muscle head.

"Fine, fine. It isn't like I'm that upset. I do have a new goal though; one that I think you can help me with." I pat her on the cheek and smile, inwardly laughing at the way she stiffens. "Since you like it here so much, I won't pull you away. What I want you to do instead is learn as much as possible about the Golden Dragons and their operations. Can you do that for me, Yaeko-chan?"

She bites her lip and I can see the moment she realizes what is going to happen. "Sure, boss. Are you… Um, are you taking over or just destroying them?"

I beam at my cute subordinate's clever deduction. "I think they need a new leader, don't you? Plus our people are going to need something to do when they are outside the village. Wouldn't it be nice if we had a business all set up for them?"

She nods hesitantly and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Really, I haven't done anything to warrant this timid response. I've killed one Oni since I came to power and that was to use her as an example and deter disobedience. I'd like to think I've been a fair leader since then.

"Can you spare their boss? He's really good in the sack." I laugh genuinely at that. Such a one-track mind, though I can't say I am much better when it comes to power. If that's all she wants it shouldn't be too bad to grant that wish, but…

"That would depend on how well you do and how willing he is to surrender. I'll do my best but if he won't submit I'm not going to break him. Spend your time trying to gauge the chances of that while you collect my information." Yaeko, in a surprise move, hugs me and spins me around.

When I'm done spluttering in indignation at the sudden assault, I start to walk away. I wait until I hear Yaeko sigh in relief before stopping and throwing a parting shot over my shoulder. "Oh ya, you're barred from returning to the village for twenty-five years and you will work with me to take over Kyoto's criminal underground during that time. I'll see you in five days, hope you've got something for me by then."

"Shit." That alone made this whole trip worth it but there is still one more thing.

I can't have the live humans fucking this up for me even if I feel bad about it. They aren't trustworthy enough to keep their mouths shut and because of that, they have to die. "Take care of those loose ends behind the shipping crate. Just tell your boss that they were all killed by the devil."

"Double shit."

Waiting until Yaeko came back with more information meant that I had idle time. There wasn't much point in me doing further surveillance and quite honestly I wasn't interested in doing more anyway. I can understand the point of collecting information on your enemies and am decent at it when applying myself but it wasn't my way. If I were to tell the truth: what I wanted to do was rush down to the Golden Boy and deal with things right now. The biggest reason is that surveillance is boring. Ninety percent of the time nothing interesting happens, the spectacle with the devil and the rival gang being an outlier

With that idle time, I took the opportunity to continue my training and that of Akeno and Shuten. Both were doing well, though considering it had been less than a week and we weren't doing anything strenuous, it wasn't much to say so. The fact that neither had complained -I'm more referring to Shuten obviously- made me want to reward them. This was a prime opportunity to use the ability to enter Urakyoto freely and take a family trip!

The awe I had when I first entered the city had dulled with familiarity but the same couldn't be said for the others. During the day the city was alive with Yokai of all varieties going about their business. All different styles of dress are worn, from modern styles to traditional garb, and even Buddhist and Shinto ceremonial outfits. I personally enjoy the nightscape most as the streets are lit with floating balls of flame that dance through the night.

The most amazing thing I guess is that magic could be used freely here and some enterprising individuals made full use of that fact. Dancers waltzed with the elements in their wake; air, fire, water, and anything else are used to enhance the show. Illusionists created plays with their magic, far more real than any movie you could watch. Singers molded their mana into their voice, tantalizing your senses and leaving you in a trance. It was quite a spectacle all told.

It didn't escape my notice that nobody was doing anything untoward, at least in plain sight. I can only assume that the police force or their equivalent were quite something to deter any misuse of magic.

After enjoying ourselves on our outing there was one more stop I wanted to make with everyone. That was how we ended up outside a blacksmith so I could get some training weapons made for the girls. The first thing I noticed when I slid open the door was how hot it was inside. The second was the loud clanging of a hammer on metal. A bell rang as I entered, the sound repeating when the rest of my family stepped in.

Shuten rushes up to the weapon rack and is just about to pull a katana out when a hand wraps around her arm stopping her. The man who stopped her is wearing a blacksmith's apron and his skin is sickly, waxen, and pale; every visible patch of skin is covered in tattooed script. His face is intense as he seems to glare a warning at my sister but what gets me is his head. No hair adorns his head, rather the top is flame, the skin dripping along his face like wax… Oh, it is wax.

A candlestick demon, cool. Though my sister isn't his to rebuke so I step up behind her and put a firm hand on her shoulder while removing his hand from her. "I apologize for my sister, blacksmith-san. She gets excited easily."

He frowns and waves his hand dismissively, heading over behind the counter. I turn to the girls and crouch down in front of them. "I want you to go around and find a weapon you like." I have to catch Shuten before she runs off again. "Without touching anything, Shuten-chan."

Akeno, bless her, smiles and nods to me. "Don't worry, Ibaraki-san, I'll watch her." Such a good kid.

I watch them go while keeping an eye on the shopkeeper. My mother is still standing with me so I turn to her. "You can pick something out if you want as well, Mother. You haven't been spending much time on combat training in a while."

"No, it's okay. I'll leave such things to you kids." She ruffles my hair and I lean into her hands as I keep watch of the girls. "I've been focusing on magic for a while anyway. It comes far more naturally to me than anything physical."

"Fair enough, I suppose. Don't let your body lag behind too much though." I shrug, smiling as Akeno pulls Shuten back before she grabs for another weapon. The fact that Shuten allowed the other girl to do that means they are getting along fairly well. My eyes shift back to the blacksmith who is also watching us all. Now that I know what he is and that his sickly appearance is a result of that I take him in with more detail. He's clearly strong if the musculature is any indication and from the heat coming off the flames he's probably fairly powerful magically. It is the shrewdness of his gaze that is most impressive but they do say it's the quiet ones to watch out for. I imagine the mute ones it is doubly true for.

"Onee-sama~ you're distracted again!" I glare playfully at the limpet hanging off my waist, fighting to keep a smile from blooming on my face. Akeno is smiling behind her, clearly in cahoots with the menace.

"Did you two find something you liked?" I look specifically at Akeno because Shuten is trying to climb me like a monkey. She fidgets with her hands clasped behind her back in an adorably shy gesture.

"I was thinking about a Naginata, maybe?" I nearly squee when she bites her lip while staring up at me. Agh, my adopted little sister is too cute! No, bad Ibaraki, now isn't the time to turn into a blubbering sis-con.

"That sounds great, and what about you Shuten-chan?" I hold her upside down in my outstretched hand as she swipes at me ineffectually. She pouts when she realizes her inferior reach is no match.

"Nothing. The old man needs better equipment to tempt me! Hmph." Shuten crosses her arms, a gesture that loses all the fierceness she is trying for when you take into account her size and the blood rushing to her head. Behind the counter the blacksmith's eye starts to twitch, having heard my sister's rude remark.

I cough to cover up my embarrassment at what my sister said and hand her to my mother. Putting a hand on Akeno's shoulder, I lead her to the counter with me. "Can I requisition a set of staffs made of wood and metal her size to train with as well as a few adult-sized staffs of both materials, Blacksmith-san?"

"Can you have them all weighted at one end so she can get a feel for the balance?" He nods and starts to write a list down on parchment. After a minute he slides over what is basically an invoice for the purchase and a timeline I can expect to get everything by. I check the list over and can't find anything wrong with it. Nodding, I finalize the purchase and give the man his money. "Thanks, I'll be back to pick everything up when it's ready. Come on, kiddo, time for us to go home."

It took a few days but eventually, Yaeko came back, meeting me at the same place we met last. I wasn't really expecting her to succeed so I was pleasantly surprised she showed back up, especially since she didn't bring any gang members with her. "Yo, Yaeko, glad to see you again."

"Ibaraki-sama, I was able to learn a lot about the organization in the past few days." She passes me a thick dossier, enough that I'm surprised how much she got for me. Combing through the files quickly causes a smile to cross my face. She does good work when she has incentives.

"I'm impressed, Yaeko, well and truly impressed. How did you even manage this?" Yaeko beams at me, accepting the praise readily. As she should, I had expected a little but this is amazing.

"The boss is pretty talkative after sex so…" She shrugs, trying to be modest, but I can tell how pleased she is about her success.

"Great job. I'm going to go tell Yasaka I'm moving on the Golden Boy so she has people ready to extract any civilians. Do you want to be there to help or would you rather distance yourself for a bit?" Yaeko ponders the decision for a bit and I don't blame her. This will put her boy toy in jeopardy even if I said I wouldn't kill him. More specifically it will kill his trust in her either way. Is it better for her to be there and not help him or not be there and do the same?

"I'll be there. See you tonight, Ibaraki-sama. You'll want to focus on fighting the boss so I'll keep the others out of the way." With that, she runs off to return to, presumably, her new flame.

Since I wanted to get this over with quickly I went to Yasaka immediately after my meeting with Yaeko. I'm just too excited about fighting this guy to wait. If this guy was able to defeat Yaeko he should be fairly strong and might be enough to give me a challenge. With the added restriction of not killing him, I should be able to work up a sweat.

The servant who escorts me through the shrine is the plain one who is definitely an assassin. I don't care how little energy I can sense from her or the fact she has no real pronounced musculature that would indicate such. The very lack of any reason for me to be suspicious of her is more than enough for me to be suspicious of her. If that makes me paranoid then I blame her for making me paranoid.

"Yasaka-sama is waiting inside, Ibaraki-sama." The servant bows beside the doorway and I eye her warily as I enter.

"Ibaraki-san, it is good to see you. I was starting to think that the deadline would pass without you retrieving the last of my citizens." She looks past me to the servant who is closing the door behind me and sighs. "Please stop scaring, Akane-chan. A normal person can't handle you directing that much killing intent at them."

"Of course I'm going to succeed, I just needed to finalize everything for the takeover before I made my move." I wave my hand dismissively as I sit down. "As for the servant, she's clearly a spy or an assassin. Nobody is that plain-looking."

"I'm unsure whether that is a joke or not… As amusing as that idea is, it is quite false so please cease scaring the poor girl. I didn't think you would be the type to entertain such paranoia." From her smirk and the curve of her eyes, she is enjoying this way too much. That can only mean she's in on it.

"I'll stop when she stops being suspicious. She has barely any presence, almost as little as the little spider that casts its web outside my house." I narrow my eyes and Yasaka hums noncommittally as she takes a sip of her tea.

"You've been working hard to find your watchers. I'm a little impressed. Can you tell who is watching you now?" Her smirk grows as I grimace. I still need complete sensory deprivation to pull that off and because of my reaction, she knows I can't readily detect her watchers. Annoying.

"No, not yet. I doubt it will be long though so thank you in advance for the training opportunity." I keep my reply light and airy as though I'm unbothered but it's mostly for my own benefit at this point. We both know I'm actually irked by this.

"So polite! It's always nice when someone thanks you for your help. That reminds me, some of the people you freed expressed interest in thanking their savior personally." I'm not sure why but something about the way she says that sends shivers down my spine. "No obviously with the fact you were disguised that causes some issues. I'm sure that if need be you can create a new false identity later though."

I could and it might be fun eventually. Where is she going with this? "If you are amenable to it, they are here waiting for you to show their gratitude. I think you will find the experience pleasurable." I blink dumbly wondering what I'm missing but can't find an issue with talking to the people I freed for a bit.

"Sure? I don't have anything else to tell you so I guess I'll go then." Yasaka starts to giggle behind her hand, seemingly at nothing. Maybe something funny happened elsewhere; Kunou being cute perhaps.

"Goodbye, Ibaraki-san, do have fun. Oh, also this should help." She fires out two small bolts of magic that hit me in the forehead and throat. I didn't dodge because she moved so casually and I didn't sense any danger from the action. Weird but I'm starting to think that Yasaka is a bit of a weird woman. A bit concerned for Yasaka's mental health, I leave the room, meeting the suspicious 'Akane' outside. She leads me further through the temple to a private section with very few people passing through. From the change of decor and styling, I would guess that it is a residence wing setup for visitors; whether those visitors are regular guests or diplomats I'm unsure.

We stop in front of a fairly large set of ornately decorated doors and Akane is blushing and won't look me in the eyes. What the hell is wrong with everyone today? I look myself over to see if it's something I'm doing but from what I can tell I'm not doing anything out of sorts. It isn't just my good looks either because then she would be blushing the whole time, not just now.

"I, umm, have other duties to attend to Ibaraki-sama. Your 'guests' are already expecting you and may have gotten started. I'll, err, be leaving now." I stare uncomprehendingly as she scurries away at full speed.

"Okay?" So probably not a spy, what she did now would attract way too much attention. Deciding to just ignore whatever is going on there and not question it I slide open the doors in front of me.

"Holy fuck…" As the doors slide open I glimpse heaven. A chorus of angels echoes through my head as I stare enraptured by the sight before me. Two Mediterranean beauties are in the middle of a heavy makeout session while a third plays with her breasts and lounges on the bed beside them. From the hungry look in her eyes and her breathy moans, she's getting as much out of the show as I am.

My vocalization wasn't loud by any means but it was loud enough that the third girl turned in my direction, a lascivious smile crossing her lips as she notices me. With her face turned I recognize her as the first Naiad I broke out the other day. A hand removes itself from her breasts and she beckons me to approach her, a command I'm eager to accommodate.

"We were concerned you weren't coming. We made sure to stay warmed up but it was starting to get hard to hold back." She pouts, her full lips pushing out and as I get close she runs her hand down my arm.

When her hand reaches mine I grasp it and bring it up to my lips, feathering a kiss on her knuckles. "Someone neglected to inform me that you were here." I slowly rake my eyes along her body, licking my lips in open approval of the sight. "If I had known I wouldn't have taken so long."

The other girls have noticed me by now as a set of arms wraps itself around my shoulders and one of them starts sucking gently on my neck. The other nibbles on my earlobe before whispering in my ear. "Don't leave us out of this, we're eager to get to know you. Intimately."

I chuckle but the sound comes out unsteady as a moan mingles its way in. Both girls behind me are now licking and sucking either side of my neck and it's getting hard to think about anything other than what they're doing. "Introductions then?"

"My name is, Rea. And you, Yamamoto Henso, look far different than when we last met." She smirks wryly and caresses my cheek. I roll my shoulders, carefully dislodging the girls behind me, and press my body up against Rea's.

Placing my forehead against hers I lean in for a kiss, pulling away just before we touch. She groans when we don't make contact and I smirk. They are only wearing bras and panties but they are closer to stylish versions of strophion and perizoma. Basically, white ribbon tied elegantly to retain their modesty while showing off their bodies. This does give me open access to Rea's back, something I make use of. My nails scrape down the curve of her spine, strong enough for her to groan lightly. "My name is Ibaraki. After today you won't forget it."

Turning around I stare expectantly at the other women who are leering at me while holding hands. "My name is Sophia and this is my partner Adriana; it is a pleasure to meet you Ibaraki-sama. We wanted to thank you personally for freeing us." Adriana giggles and whispers into Sophia's ear, Sophie's expression lighting up as she plays with her lover's fingers.

I startle a little at the honorific before realizing that what I'm hearing isn't matching up with the way their lips move. Yasaka hit me with a translation spell then? It's the only thing that makes sense to me. I'm not going to thank her for it though.

With names out of the way, I don't see much reason for idle chatter at this point. Now is a time for doing. I stalk over to Adriana and Sophia, and without breaking, stride swing them both up onto a shoulder and carry them to the bed. As I toss them onto the mattress they laugh and stare at me, silently asking me to join them. Who am I to say no?

"I'll come to join you ladies in a moment. Before that though, Rea, I think you're wearing far too much." She smiles and starts to remove her bra but that isn't how this goes. "Oh no, I'll get you out of those." I husk.

My hands climb their way up from her waist, along her sides, and across her shoulders; marveling at the smooth soft supple skin that plays beneath my fingers, before stopping at the knot of her bra between her shoulder blades. My claw cuts through the knot and the fabric falls away revealing a pert set of breasts.

Rea glares playfully, prompting a coy smile in return. "Oops. Let me make it up to you." In an instant, my lips are pressing against hers along with our bodies. I can feel our breasts pressing against each other with only the barrier of my clothing separating us. The embrace is sweet, soft, and hesitant yet as much as I enjoy it, it isn't enough.

She must notice me slowing because she leans back and winks. "I'm not fragile you can let go a little." She threads her fingers behind my neck and pulls me back in, the next kiss is hard, rough, and everything the last one wasn't. I moan and push harder with my tongue, turning it into a duel, a battle that I'm swiftly dominating. She tries to match the intensity but I nip at her, forcing her to back down. Her submission causes my thighs to clench involuntarily.

I had contented myself with running my fingers through her hair while this was happening but suddenly it wasn't enough anymore. I needed to touch her skin, to feel her heat below my palms.

My hands snake their way back down behind her, sliding along her curves and stopping on her tight ass. I caress her there, enjoying the perfectly shaped flesh in my hands as our kiss continues. Her hand tugs on my hair and I reel back to see her smiling sheepishly at me as she catches her breath. "That… was… wow. I need to breathe, Ibaraki-sama. Please, give me a moment."

I can't help it, I laugh. From the bed, I hear Adriana and Sophie giggling along with me. "You're really excited aren't you Ibaraki-sama?"

"It isn't every day I get to join so many beautiful women in bed." Rea hums and grabs a handful of my kimono. She raises a brow and without saying anything I know that now I'm the one with too many clothes on. I smirk and snap my fingers, my clothes burning away like flash paper, leaving me standing in all my glory.

"Oh wow, Soph, look at those muscles~." Adriana's eyes are glued to my abs and without thinking about it I flex, eliciting an appreciative whistle from Sophia. While some of my physique is due to shapeshifting, I'm proud of the fact that my muscles are natural. I'm not a bodybuilder or anything -though that is probably due to me condensing muscle down- my body is nicely defined. Being an Oni definitely helps on that front.

Rea's hand drags along my abs and I get a spike of pride at the lust mixing in her expression. With no clothes to get in the way, I'm taken by surprise when she escalates things, her hand dipping down off my abs and swiping along my slit.

I bite my lip as she brings her fingers, now glistening in my juices, up to her mouth and slowly licks them clean, one by one. "Delicious, and so keen. It doesn't take you long to get ready does it?"

I narrow my eyes and put a hand on her shoulder exerting a small amount of force downward. "If I'm so ready then you shouldn't you be kneeling?"

In a fit of inspiration, I release my aura in a similar way to killing intent but leave it clear of emotion, allowing my presence to fill the room. Rea's eyes blow wide, her breathing speeds up, and her knees give out leaving her kneeling eye level to my slit.

I discreetly turn my head to Sophia and Adriana to see if I went too far. Sophia is sucking on Adrianas breasts and Adriana is stroking Sophia's pussy with one hand and giving me a thumbs up with the other. Reassured if a bit bemused I turn my attention back to Rea.

Her gaze is still locked on my vagina and her face is flushed with arousal. I thread my fingers through her hair and massage her head. "Mmm, do you want another taste? I'll let you, of course, all you have to do is ask."

"Can I have another taste?" I click my tongue because she didn't even look me in the eye when she asked. I tug her hair firmly, tilting her head back, and stare down at her.

"Try again, pet," I say it like a gentle rebuke, knowing instinctively she will get the idea.

"May I please have another taste?" She says it with a hint of a cheeky smirk, but no rebuke comes from me; shivers race down my spine, and my smile stretches wider in response to her words. Begging huh, I mentally file that reaction away to think about later.

"Good girl. You may, but only because you asked so nicely." As her tongue darts out and touches hot flesh my eyes slam shut in rapture. When her tongue flicks and the tip hits my clit I see fucking stars. Her hands run up the back of my thighs and alternate between there and squeezing my ass.

In hindsight this is the only intercourse I've had in this life; I haven't even touched myself yet -and isn't that sad- so I'm crazy sensitive because of that.

Rea has since recovered from the show I gave her and from the smug look on her face I can tell she knows exactly how close I am with what is basically foreplay. It's not my fault though, I'm a virgin and she's a fucking pro at this.

Still, even if this is amazing, orgasming so soon feels like losing to me. Looking elsewhere in the room isn't going to help me hold myself back; Sophia and Adriana are currently eating each other out in a sixty-nine, the sight of them right in the corner of my vision. I bite down on my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood but if anything that just brings me closer to the edge.

Actually, why am I holding back? Instead of trying to see how long I can hold off, I'll just pay Rea back later. Plus I still have two other girls to play with. Thinking so, I let go of Rea's hair and bring my hands up to play with my breasts.

After that it's less than a minute till I reach my limit, its arrival hastened by my own ministrations being combined with Rea's skillful tongue and hands.

As the orgasm hits me with earth-shattering intensity, I have something of a religious experience. Well, if I ignore the fact I already know gods exist here. Between that feeling and making sure I don't crush her jaw with my thighs I don't notice my claws bite into the flesh of my breasts.

Coming back down from that high I distractedly watch the cuts heal and lick the blood from my fingers. Thankfully when I glance back at Rea she seems more intrigued than anything. I guess nymphs need to be pretty open given the Olympians' interest in them. A little blood is nothing compared to having sex with a cloud or a giant swan.

Rolling with it I pull her back up to her feet and kiss her deeply. The coppery taste of my blood mixes in with the lingering taste of myself in Rea's mouth and suddenly I'm even more aroused than before. "That was… divine. How about I return the favor?"

Rea smiles and pats me on the cheek, "As lovely as that sounds the other girls haven't gotten to play with you yet."

I raise my brow and stare meaningfully at where they are going at it with reckless abandon. Rea laughs, "They are fine by themselves but they did come specifically to thank you. While it may not look like it now they will be quite upset if you don't attend to them."

When I glance back to the two, they are both pouting at me and gesturing that I come over. There is no way they haven't practiced that. I look questioningly at Rea and she waves me off, "Don't hesitate on my account, I like to watch."

I restrain the part of me that wants to leap onto the bed between the two gorgeous women while giggling like a little girl. Instead, I set a slow measured pace as I glide toward the bed with all the finesse I've gained through years of physical training. I sway my hips while giving them a predatory stare.

Adriana licks her lips and moves to the edge of the bed to greet me with a passionate lip lock. My arms wrap around her and draw her flush against me, while we continue to kiss. She smiles against my lips when my hand creeps its way in between her legs and starts to tease her folds.

The kiss grows rougher and needier as my fingers work faster. Surface touching is no longer enough to sate me and my free hand spreads her legs apart. I slip a finger inside her and bite her bottom lip as I curl it. Judging her as wet enough, I slide another finger to join the first.

My other hand comes back up to play with her breasts and she gasps into my mouth as I roll one of her nipples in my palm. As fun as this is there's something else I want to do.

When we part, I push her onto her back eliciting a surprised yelp from her. Sophia shuffles down the bed and lies down on her stomach, perpendicular to Adriana, idly kicking her legs in the air. Adriana pouts at me from where she's lying on the bed. "You're only going to kiss me for that long? I was just getting started."

I was enjoying myself too but there was somewhere else I'd rather have my mouth right now. From her smile Sophia understands, she winks and starts to run her palm along Adriana's stomach. After Rea went down on me I was more than interested in reciprocating for anyone here.

As I kneel at the foot of the bed and stare level at my prize I feel my arousal surge again. Her body is a thing of wonder, enough to inspire even Pygmalion, and her slit is no different. Even if it's just in this moment, this beautiful woman is mine to play with. Just that thought alone is driving me wild.

Taking hold of a dainty olive foot, I kiss, lick, and nip my way up around her ankle, past her calf, and along the inside of her thighs. I set the pace a notch above torturous as she yields every inch of her flesh to me, a slow but surely pleasurable submission.

Finally, at her summit, I don't stand on ceremony and dive in eagerly. The taste is oddly neutral, though I don't spare much thought to that fact. Rather, most of my attention is spent watching her expressions to see where I need to focus my tender attention.

She's enjoying my efforts but my inexperience shows and it isn't the bliss I want her to fall into. I want to watch her come undone and go wild, not just get her to come.

Well, if my skill is lacking right now then how about size and speed?

My efforts slow as I turn my thoughts away from pleasuring Adriana momentarily. I hear a soft noise of frustration above me but that turns into a surprised gasp when my tongue shifts. Suddenly my tongue bottoms out inside her and from the look in her eyes, she wasn't expecting it at all.

I smirk and, in a questionable use of supernatural speed, cause my tongue to vibrate at high speeds. "Oh fuck!"

From there I alternate between hitting any weak points I'd uncovered earlier and just using pure enthusiasm and power to cover my inexperience. "By the Gods Soph, you have to- ugh wow- try this babe!"

Seeing her close to her limit I wrap my tongue around her clit and vibrate it again sending her over the edge and gushing all over my face.

Standing I shift my tongue back and lick my lips clean while burning away anything I miss. "I think it's your turn, Sophia."

She stares at me like a deer caught in the headlights, looking far shyer than I would have thought her capable of.

"After Sophie, I'm next right, Ibaraki-sama?" Rea purrs, as she hops on the bed beside the other two.

Leering at her I smirk, "How about I take both of you at the same time?"

They all giggle as I jump on the bed ready for another round.

"Are you sure you can't stay for a bit longer?" I smile as I get dressed, watching Adriana and Sophie cuddling on the bed. We had gone a few more rounds and had a couple of breaks in between but it was time to leave.

I don't know whether to be offended that Yasaka assumed I would destroy my clothes or happy that she had the foresight to have a servant bring some.

"No, I've got things to do and no matter how much I want to spend the rest of the day here, I've got to go." Rea sighs and throws her arms around my neck. She pouts and nuzzles into the crook of my neck, giving me a good dose of her scent before I go.

"The girls and I will be heading home soon so if we don't see you before that, this is goodbye. If you're ever in the area near Orlias stream you could visit?" I mentally file away that name as I nod and kiss the top of her head.

"If I'm ever in Greece I'll look you up. You'll do the same if you come back to Japan?" She laughs and pulls back looking as though she's thinking hard.

"I don't know… I'm very busy." She yelps when I pinch her bum, jumping upwards. I catch her, her soft flesh filling my hands, and she wraps her legs around my waist. I growl when she grabs the sides of my face and pulls me in for a kiss, knowing that I need to leave and she's making that even harder. I put that frustration into the kiss, overpowering her tongue and leaving her breathless when I finally pull away. She pants, her face deliciously flush, "I think I will if I'm in the area."

"Hmmm, good girl. Tell Sophia and Adriana the same, okay?" As she nods I set her back on the ground. I give her one last peck before heading out, much to my chagrin. To think a few hours ago I was excited to do this.

The trip to the Golden Boy felt like it took far longer than it did mostly because I wanted to go return to where I left the trio of nymphs. I would be lying if sex didn't alleviate my murder-boner or at least leave me with a slaughter-semi. Is that where the saying, 'make love not war' comes from?

The Golden Boy nightclub is grand, audacious, loud and everything else one would expect from a showpiece. The club itself is essentially a symbol to the other gangs that the Golden Dragons are strong and don't need to hide behind obscurity; that they can openly flaunt their existence to the world and still remain in power. It's a nice sentiment, if horribly inaccurate.

The real reason that all the gangs, not only this one, continue to exist is that it is easier to leave them and near impossible to completely remove them. I don't think any society in history has ever made a true effort in eliminating crime totally, and if they had they would always fail. As much as society needs to be led, they also need little acts of defiance to allow themselves to be led. Someone or some group will always chafe under an orderly society and try to carve their own niche in the dark. That's just a fact of life.

That being said, with the way they're flaunting their existence it is only a matter of time before someone gets rid of them. Whether that is the human government finally stepping up, Urakyoto getting angered more than they are, the principal clans, or even someone uninvolved with Kyoto who they piss off. Well, I guess I'm that person then.

I push off the bouncer as I walk past him and into the club, wincing at the booming music and the strobing lights that assail me upon entry. When he pulls himself off the floor and tries to stop me again I knock him out, ensuring he doesn't try a third time. The people who scream or shout about the sudden violence are summarily ignored as I search for the boss with my Ki sense.

Sure enough, a significant signature is lounging in the VIP section of the club, and Yaeko's Ki is right beside it. With that knowledge, a magical circle appears in front of me and I stick my arm inside.

I've had a lot of time to plan out how I'm doing this and I came to a few conclusions. First of all the fight needs to be witnessed by as many gang members as possible. The reason is that I needed to establish myself as undefeatable in their eyes to quell any potential insurrection later. Like when I killed the Elder, I'll cement the image of myself dismantling the one they thought was so far above them.

Second, is that I needed to also present myself as a better option than him. If I can do that, the underlings will want to work for me instead of their previous boss. This also meant a public fight with civilians in the crossfire was the best choice. If I protect them and defeat the boss at the same time they'll think I'll protect them later.

My final consideration is that the best possible result is that the previous boss submits to me. Not only would that give me access to the most information about the workings of the gang but it would also give me a constant obstacle to sharpen myself against. I'm under no illusions that he'll try to take back leadership, and that is a challenge I'm willing to take at any time.

Rather than my sword, it is my bow that gets pulled out of the pocket dimension. The security by now has noticed what I'm doing and are pushing their way through the throngs of people dancing to try and stop me. They won't be fast enough though, as all I need to do is pull the bowstring back and release.

An arrow made of pure Ki weaves its way through the crowd, their hair being blown back by the air displacement as it travels past them. It blasts through the wall separating the VIP area from the rest of the club and the wall partially collapses from the sheer force the projectile imparts. When I feel my targets Ki go into turmoil from the shock of the impact I let the energy in the arrow explode outward, a bright light flashing through the dimly lit room.

The crowd on the dancefloor all dive for cover as what they assume is a bomb goes off inside the club; from within the VIP area a roar of pain and rage echoes out into the rest of the club. With my target's attention gained, I dismiss my bow, placing it back inside the pocket dimension.

The hair on my body all stands on end and my nose wrinkles as the air ionizes, both responses giving me enough time to jerk to the side and dodge a thick column of lightning that barrels towards me. The attack itself is powerful, enough to injure me if I hadn't dodged, but the lightning is nothing special. Akeno's Holy Lightning has a higher innate potency, even if it's weaker in overall strength.

The remaining portion of the wall collapses as my foe climbs through the newly created entrance. The man that steps out is a wall of muscle with wild medium-length golden hair and electric blue eyes. The dress shirt he's wearing is torn at the side from where my arrow hit, with blood trickling out of the wound.

When he sees me across the now open dancefloor he frowns and tears the damaged remains of his shirt off. At the same time, an aura of lightning bursts out around him while also coalescing around the axe he's grasping. "I don't know who you are or who you work for but I hope you don't plan on leaving here alive. What I do know, however, is that you should have made sure that first shot killed me because you won't get a second."

His aura explodes with even more power as he rushes at me, attempting to cut me in half with an overhead swing. He clears the gap incredibly quickly, maybe even faster than Fujiwara could have. Stepping into his swing I grip the handle just above where he is, stopping his swing in mid-air. I grin when he snarls at me and pushes downward even harder.

I'm a bit surprised when I begin to lose ground and have to ratchet up my Touki more to match him. His lightning is also growing more concentrated as he pushes harder and I can feel my muscles spasming from the flow of electricity going into them. "Name's Ibaraki and I don't work for anyone but myself."

My smile grows even wider as I lift a leg up and plant it into his stomach with my full power behind it. He is immediately launched away from me and folds around the blow. He flies backward as though launched from a cannon, breaking the stalemate. I step up out of the indentation in the floor that the clash caused while shaking away the pain in my arms as he pulls himself off the floor. I casually launch a bolt of Ki at him while miming shooting my bow, laughing when he shatters it with a punch. "Hmm, looks like I got a second shot off. You're good at making empty promises aren't ya, big guy?"

His face reddens in anger and the grip he has on his axe is positively crushing but he doesn't rush at me again yet, instead, he watches me far more shrewdly. He visibly calms himself and settles into a proper fighting stance, eschewing the half-hazard method he began the fight with. "You're here for what? An apology for a family member that was hurt or something? I hate to break it to you girly, you aren't getting shit from me."

"An apology? Nah, I'm here to take over this little operation. Just call me an enterprising businesswoman." I sneer at his assumption, knowing that there are so many people who would come after him for that reason. "Ha apologies, what kinda stupid crap are you thinking about?"

"You expect me to just bow down to some nobody who walks into my business and makes demands to me?! You're going to die screaming kid or my name isn't Sakata Kintoki." I see him smirk as I freeze up but that action doesn't really get registered. I'm far too busy thinking about what a fucking joke our meeting now is. Really? Is a member of the Shitenno just appearing now of all times?

If he thought I would respond with fear at his name then the laughter that he gets leaves him incandescent with rage. "Who said anything about bowing? I'll beat you until you can't stand then listen to your pleas for mercy as you mumble them into the floor because my foot is on the back of your skull."

"Normally I'd just kill you -you've done more than enough to deserve it- but my cute little subordinate asked me to spare you. I've heard she's quite taken with you." He turns and glares back at where Yaeko is, promising death with his eyes. I'll have to make this a bit more painful then so he gets the message.

I deflect a bolt of lightning up into the ceiling with a Touki enhanced backhand and smirk at Kintoki. He clearly doesn't care about collateral damage which, while good in that it makes winning the loyalty of the minions easier, makes it harder to fight him if I want to do so. Therefore I need to control the flow of battle, "Enough talk, let's fight!"

Sweeping my arm up causes a wave of fire to burst into existence, flowing across the space between us. The heat is concentrated along the path towards Kintoki but the sides are hot enough to cause the crowd to push back even further. Kintoki spins his axe in front of him dispersing the flames as he marches closer.

Through the flames, I can see golden scales climbing their way up his arms as the skin covering them flakes off. Sparks run along the edges of the scales as his raw power climbs ever higher. As he breaks through the torrent of flame, the momentum of his spinning axe is shifted into a horizontal slash and I have to step back to avoid being gutted. Still, the lightning licks my stomach as it burns a hole through my clothes.

I slash at him with a Touki infused claw and am stunned when one of his hands flashes out from the hilt of his axe and clamps my wrist in place. His axe has already been halted and is coming back around for another swing and even as black flames pour off my wrist -melting the hand that is attempting to stop my movement- he holds firm. The self-sacrificing brutality of the maneuver isn't lost on me and it brings a smile to my face.

Thankfully I still have a free arm, so the claws on that hand clash with the blade of his axe, and the combination of Touki and sword intent matching the ferocity of his attack. It takes him a moment to realize that he's taking too much damage to continue the clash but when he does he swiftly retreats.

He examines his mangled hand, grimacing at the damage that resulted from my flames. His scales did an admirable job under the immense heat yet they've started to fuse together. He sees this too and balls that hand into a fist, while it still has mobility.

"Ready to give up yet?" Instead of replying, he punches his damaged fist forth and his aura of lightning condenses into a solid pillar of pure power headed straight at me. Toward me and the people cowering behind me. Why am I protecting them again?

Oh right, I need witnesses. Bracing myself, I shoot a cone of flames from my hands toward his attack. The fire swirls around the pillar of lightning, drawing it inward toward a compact ball of black flame in the center. The grudge flames that comprise the core, that the attack is drawn to, devour it eagerly and only a tenth of the attack's full power slips through to hit me.

Not bad for the first field test of that maneuver, though it clearly needs more refinement. For one it takes far too much energy to contain the incoming attack and direct it to the grudge flames. Another problem is that if the other person is vastly stronger than me, their attack will just overwhelm the fire and kill me. The last issue is that it only works on fire and lightning-based magic so far.

I sidestep another overhead slash as he leaps through the remnant flames and rend long shallow marks along his side as I shift past him. I'm fascinated to watch scales shift into place below the wounds staunching the bleeding; perhaps as a result of my fascination, I'm not fast enough to avoid the backhand he replies with.

It's been a long time since I've been hit by someone with enough physical strength to injure me. I can feel blood dripping from my ear on that side of my face and from the blurry vision, I probably have a concussion.

In the few moments, it takes to heal the damage he is already taking another swing and aiming at my neck to finish the fight. I don't feel confident in blocking without being able to gauge his positioning exactly. Instead, my Youki surges as I fall backward and my vision shifts back to normal in time to watch myself get decapitated.

Rolling back on my feet, I kick off the ground and thrust my claws into the forearm that holds his axe, tearing apart the tendons inside. It's messy work but it causes him to lose grip on his axe, which I grab out of the air and throw into a pocket dimension.

Not waiting for him to recover, I knee him in the stomach, and when he folds I ram my elbow into the back of his neck. He groans from the ground and a mouthful of blood falls onto the floor. Looking over to where I 'died', I see my 'clone' fade into a red haze that also disappears soon after.

I had been playing around with creating a clone technique. If only because all the Yokai in the series had one. While it was a great concept, my execution of the idea hadn't resulted in a proper finished product yet. Even with my mother trying to explain how she did it the closest I've come was the technique I just used; a simple decoy that fades in a second after I use it. The technique is closer to molting and throwing the shed skin than an actual clone.

It's only useful against someone who's nearly or exactly as strong as me. If they are far weaker then I have little to no reason to create a distraction; too strong and they'll plow through the temporary clone and kill me anyway. Despite that, it isn't a terrible technique since Kintoki let his guard down for a moment when he thought he killed me.

Kintoki is pushing himself back to his feet now; that just won't do. A swift and brutal kick to his stomach flips him onto his back. I enjoy watching his eyes widen as I put my foot on his throat and slowly shift push down with that foot. Scales slide into place under the sole of my foot and I click my tongue in annoyance.

With that option closed unless I want to put more effort in, I focus on his legs. Grabbing one of them, I pull it upwards and hold it by the ankle. I wait until he's looking me in the eyes before speaking, "Will you surrender now?"

"Nev- Gah!" With a sharp twist, his ankle breaks, his defiance turning into a scream of pain. I work my way down to his knee, dragging my claws through his flesh as I go. When I raise an eyebrow and wait to receive his reply, he glares at me and grits his teeth.

The sound of his knee being destroyed echoes through the room and I look around, meeting the eyes of everyone wearing the uniform of the Golden Dragons. It's hard to look intimidating when laughing so I have to stop myself when I catch sight of someone recording this. Humans have no sense of self-preservation, do they?

I drop that limb, enjoying the hiss when it hits the ground, and grab his other leg. When I place a burning palm on his ankle something snaps in his eyes. His aura explodes with far more power than he's used in this fight and the lightning blacks my hand.

The skin on my hand flakes off as new growth replaces the dead cells but my attention is all on the man in front of me. Scales push up through his destroyed legs and twist, ratcheting everything back into place. Blood flows freely but his leg almost looks to be in decent condition. I thought it was just the blood tinting them but the scales have a deep red hue. It's his eyes that worry me though.

His pain and fear are fading away from which would be fine if it was being replaced by resignation; what fills every fiber of his being isn't resignation though, it's determination. Still, there's something more going on.

Instinctually my third eye flutters open and my soul sense snaps on. The image that makes up his core being is growing, being supplanted by something far older, stronger, and heroic.

'He's incinerating his lifespan to fuel a final burst of power. His own spirit is being consumed by the legend of the original and he's doing it willingly. You've really pissed him off brat.' Shut up Byakko! If you aren't going to help don't comment.

My arms cross in front of my chest in time to catch a massive blow that launches me through the air. I growl as I crash through drywall and out onto the street. I pivot as Kintoki appears in front of me, cratering the pavement with a punch. Ki is concentrated into my heel and detonates when it hits his rib cage. The explosive force causes a crack to ring out yet even as his ribs break he doesn't even flinch.

I duck under a palm strike -a blast of compressed air shattering the windows along the street- and bring my legs together around his torso while twisting, the momentum bringing us to the ground. My claws go straight for his eyes, instinct drawing me to ravage the most vulnerable part of him.

They never reach their target. He palms my forehead and slams me into the pavement, again and again. It hurts but I'm thankful he's doing this instead of just punching me, if only because the pavement is softer than his fist.

With both hands wrapped around his wrist, I manage to slowly pull it away, getting a glimpse of those piercing blue eyes. I shift my head to the side and let go of his wrist, his palm slamming into the ground beside me. My claws and teeth, wreathed in sword intent, bite into the arm. At the same time, I tighten my legs even more, trying to crush his torso.

My weapons break through his scales and I move with purpose, systematically tearing the offending limb to shreds. He howls in agony and instantly I'm airborne, having been launched by an explosion of power.

My eyes widen as he is suddenly above me and tries to punch me back toward the ground; I just manage to move out of the way with a jet of flame propelling me sideways. My landing is rough but I keep rolling and sure enough, he crashed into the ground where I would have stopped.

This isn't working. I brush aside a jab and hop over a leg sweep, countering by slashing my claws, only to watch them skittering across scales failing to find purchase. He tries to hammer his fist sideways into my head but I rotate my torso and slam my elbow into his arm. Both of us shake the pain away from the clash giving me a moment to breathe-

That's it!

I rush in, slipping under a sidekick and behind him, I wrap my arms under his shoulders then up behind his head. My legs wrap around his torso to give me more leverage and lock me there. Then I light the two of us on fire.

I hastily form a barrier around us to try and contain the heat and burn his oxygen away quicker. At the same time, Byakko finally gets off his ass, materializing in the black flame and clamping his jaws around Kintoki's neck. I roar in pain as he tries to wrench my arms off him. "Fuck you Goldilocks! Just! Go! To! Sleep!"

Everything goes silent and still for a fraction of a second before a lightning bolt falls on all three of us like the wrath of God. Byakko dissipates instantly under the blast while the two of us remaining are broken apart violently.

I might have blacked out for a moment because in seemingly no time I'm shakily trying to stand in a crater. The fact that Kintoki is having an even harder time standing is enough to console me. When I manage to get my feet under me I stumble over and manage to fall close enough that I can punch him in the back of the head as I hit the ground.

Using his body I push myself until I'm sitting upright. When I'm upright again I can't help the laughter that bubbles up and spills out. I shake my head in exasperation but the laughter doesn't stop until I'm left heaving in exertion. The fact that my cheeks hurt from how wide I'm smiling probably makes my laughter seem even more insane.

"I don't know when I forgot, or maybe I was just ignoring it. Humans as a whole are boring and fairly useless but… You special few make the whole thing worth it, eh?" I pat him on the back -with a closed fist- chuckling at his groans. "The Longinus user, heroes, archmages; I hope you all are this fun to play with."

"Nighty night Kintoki, we'll discuss your surrender when you awaken." A Touki infused punch hits him in the back of the head knocking him out finally.

Sighing I fall back flat on the ground, closing my eyes. He's going to be an awesome sparring partner if he keeps trying to kill me like that.

Something pokes me in the forehead and I stare unamused at a shaking grunt pointing his pistol at me. "Really? After all that," I gesture lazily at the destruction around us, "You try to kill me with a pistol?"

He gulps and shrugs, giving me a trembling smile as though saying, 'what can you do?'. I stare in awe at the sheer lack of self-preservation this man has. "Get over here."

He stands stock-still and I roll my eyes. "Now, dumbass."

He slowly shuffles his way over, eyeing me as though I'm a vicious animal which, is fair I suppose, if annoying. "Now give me your gun."

"But my cool Senpai gave me this when I joined the gang fully..." By now my eye has begun to twitch but I reign in my temper. He seems to realize he's overstepped, again, because he hands over the pistol with a quivering lip.

"Here's a lesson from your new boss," I crush the gun in my hand and sprinkle the pieces over his shoes, "Don't butt into fights with beings whose power you can't even comprehend, okay?"

"Okay, sorry boss." He stares forlornly at the remains of his gun and walks away with slumped shoulders. "Damn, Iguro-Senpai is gonna be so sad when he finds out."

Just ignore it Ibaraki, deep breaths. I hope all my new subordinates aren't this stupid.

I jinxed myself, didn't I?

A couple of minutes after the fight had ended Yaeko approached gingerly. From the look of relief when she spotted the outcome she was banking on my victory. On one hand, I'm happy she still thought I would prevail but I'm also kind of pissed she doubted I would win. Sure it was a tough fight but it wasn't that close; I still had cards left to play and it's much harder to defeat someone trying to kill you without killing them.

I dragged Kintoki's unconscious form behind me as I went back inside the club. The faces of the Golden Dragon members were priceless as they saw the state of their former boss. I didn't address them and delegated the task of assembling all the important members to Yaeko.

Since many of them weren't present, I had time to kill and spent it examining the battle I just fought. While my body recovered I discussed the fight in my mind space with Byakko.

Byakko curls around me as I lay in the clearing, staring up at the clouds. My fingers run through his fur idly as I order my thoughts. "Do you think that every hero's spiritual successor can do that?"

Byakko hums, the sound sending vibrations through my body as I lay against him. "I'm unsure. If I had to guess, the answer is complicated."

"I believe each has the potential to do so but the circumstances have to be specific. Kintoki was fighting a more powerful Youkai, specifically an Oni. This ties into the originals legend quite tightly, especially given your relation to the original Shuten-Douji as Ibaraki-Douji's successor. Combined with this Kintoki's relatively lacking willpower and his resolve to die allowed him to do this." I close my eyes and let his words wash over me, having come to a similar conclusion.

"So it's like spiritual Juggernaut Drive then? Complete dissolution of self and destruction of the body as a consequence of a boost of power. What is up with suicide boosts in this world?" Byakko chuffs in a facsimile of laughter and I smile at the sound.

"If he's going to be a good lieutenant you'll have to beat that stupidity out of him. If you can he should be a decent subordinate." A bit optimistic considering how unlikely it is that he'd willingly help me but not a bad sentiment. At the very least, so long as I act to expand the Golden Dragons he shouldn't act against me. The little bit that Yaeko told me of his goals says as much.

"Now, let's talk about your recklessness." Byakko's eyes glint menacingly above me. "If you had underestimated him any more you would have gotten yourself, and more importantly me, killed."

He tries to look threatening but I can see the concern he is hiding. "D'aww, Byakko, I always knew you cared!"

His hair stands up and he hisses like a grumpy cat. While he means to deny what I said, the vehemence he uses to sell that impression is the very thing that undermines it. "I'm worried about myself you brat! It's not my fault I'm stuck here with you."

I gasp and my hands come up to cover my mouth. Mirth dances in my eyes as I turn to face him fully. "Byakko, are you perhaps… a Tsundere?!"

"That's it! Today you die!" I sprint out of the clearing as a tiger the size of a building bears down on me at full speed.

After wrestling with Byakko for a while we sensed Yaeko coming to wake me up. "Do you want to be part of the show, buddy?"

"Hmm, if I must." Contrary to his words he perks up at the opportunity to scare some minions. What a prideful kitty, though I'm not much better.

"Ibaraki-sama, you need to wake up everyone is here waiting for you." I sigh and as my eyes flutter open I level her my most unimpressed look.

"That's their job now, to wait for me and my commands." Yaeko has the decency to close her mouth with an audible click as she processes that.

"My mistake." She shuffles her feet and takes a deep breath. "Um, I don't mean to offend you but is Kintoki going to live? Not that I think you'd kill him, you said he'd live after all. He just looks a little…dark."