Chapter 24

Uzume didn't end up making it back until late that evening.

I don't know what exactly she thought she'd be coming home to, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't this.

That being, Kunou and I, sitting on opposite ends of the couch, arms crossed in a pout as we looked away from each other.

Meanwhile, said maid stood there in front of us, looking between us completely bewildered.

"Umm, so! What did I miss?" She tried, to neither one of us in particular.

Though it was Kunou who bit the bait.

"Your master is a big jerk." She huffed out haughtily.

Uzume instantly turned to me for a moment, an eyebrow raised, before turning a plain look at Kunou.

"So nothing new then?"

"Oi." I pipe up in faux indignation.

Though I'm subsequently ignored.

Rude.

"No, like a bigger jerk than normal!" She emphasized with a harumph.

Before Uzume could even ask, I addressed Kunou directly, turning my head to give her the side eye.

"I think I have the right to be," I started with a mocking huff, "you practically whipped me with steel cables!"

Okay. It's not like it hurt that bad, not like I can feel proper pain, but they did pack a fair bit of punch.

She turned to me fully with a snarl, "Stop calling my tails that! They're fluffy and soft and very petable!"

"Yeah! When they're not being used like weapons!" I fire back.

"Okay, okay!" Uzume held up her hands, waving them between us as she called out, "Enough of that you two, start from the beginning."

I clicked my tongue, before explaining briefly, "Basically, I was practicing drawing out my Ara-Mitama under the setting sun, and Kunou used tail whip."

"I thought you were losing control!" Kunou cried out in response.

"I had just started."

"You were grunting and growling!"

"Well, yeah? That's what everyone does when they're controlling their power."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"It makes perfect sense." I nod to myself, before raising an eyebrow, "What, you telling me you don't make assorted animal noises when you turn into a fox?"

"T-Thats!" Kunou looked lost for a second, "We are literally a fox then! What other noises are we supposed to make!?"

I smirk at that, "There's a video for that on the Internet somewhere."

"Hhnnghh!?" Kunou reels, her hands twitching into fists that spark with pale blue flames, "I hate you. So much."

You know, I'm pretty sure it's too early for the music video I'm thinking of, but maybe not with that reaction?

I hum nonchalantly to that, "You weren't thinking that when I called you a good girl~!"

She hissed at me, actually full-on hissed at me.

Then something grabbed my cheek.

I blink, looking at the offending fingers pinching my cheek, "Uzume, this doesn't hurt at all."

Ignoring me, she pulls regardless, "It still gets my point across, you. Stop teasing the Kyoto Princess and fake pouting-"

"Huh!?" Kunou shouted, scandalized, "Fake! He was faking it!?"

"-stop fake pouting," Uzume continued, unperturbed, "I've got word from Inari."

With a deep sigh, I unfold my arms from my chest and sigh, "Ruining my fun like that…" I half-heartedly trail off.

Then give a small smile to my side as I see Kunou's reaction to those five words.

And what a glorious reaction it is.

Kunou, sitting there, completely still whilst gaping at Uzume, her face locked in that shocked state perfectly.

Ah, I lied.

My fun never ends.

"W-W-Wait…Inari?" Kunou managed to stutter out slowly before her eyes widened comically as what I said just before then kicked in, "And…did you just call her…?"

Uzume, meanwhile, just tilted her head at her, before looking back and deadpanning straight at me.

"You never told her?"

My very manly giggle answered that question for her.

With a sigh, Uzume turned back to Kunou, "I am indeed the Goddess of the Dawn, Revelry, and more, Kunou-hime. Although I am currently serving as Lord Noriaki's maid and secretary at the moment." She bowed to her slightly, "Pleasure to officially make your acquaintance."

With that said, Uzume turned back to me, leaving Kunou sitting there to marinate on all that.

Poor fox girl looked like she just got her world flipped upside down.

"Inari accepted your idea." Uzume suddenly said.

I blink.

Oh.

Well fuck there goes mine as well.

"Okay, firstly, Uzume…can you let go of my face?" I mumbled out through my stretched lips.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, right." Uzume promptly let go, and I rubbed my cheek with a sigh.

"So she did, huh? Honestly, I wasn't sure how she'd take it." I mused aloud.

"If the Yokai and Clans agree to it as well, of course." Uzume tacts on lightly, before continuing almost chidingly, "Really, Nori, I think you underestimated just how much Inari wants help!"

"She'd offer anyone a job in any of her ventures? Just like that?" I ask unsure, "That's a bit more than just guarding a shrine."

In case it wasn't clear, my idea for bringing Inari in on this is rather simple.

Essentially? Inari would offer jobs to Yokai and Clan members if peace happens in her companies, business, and such.

I don't know exactly what industries she works in, but from what Uzume told me?

A lot.

That would be enough.

See, the idea was meant to hit two birds with one stone.

For one, help Inari take some of the work off her shoulders via the almighty power of delegation.

And two, give the clan members and yokai something to do now that they can't hunt and kill each other.

I'm trying to solve a potential problem the Three Factions faced after signing the Peace Treaty, that being the Exorcist Rebellion, before it even happens.

Especially since the clans specifically kind of have a history of strays forming organizations to fight the main clans, I figured trying to give these people an alternative would be better than hanging them out to dry.

Not that it's perfect of course, it's a tentative solution, a band-aid fix for a potentially larger problem, but it's still something of course.

My train of thought ends as Uzume sighs and shakes her head, "You underestimate her desperation too much. I bet you don't even realize if this ends up working she'll break your hip bone as a…reward~..." She said with a shiver.

Eh?

Not this shit again!

I deadpanned at her, "That doesn't sound like a reward."

"Oh, Nori," Uzume began, her face flushing mildly, "you wouldn't know until you've experienced how—"

I grab her face, specifically her lips, and hold them shut, stopping a now flabbergasted Uzume in her tracks.

Nope. None of that.

I turn my head back to Kunou.

Ah. I recognize that face!

Gone was the sheer confusion and, dare I say it, awe from earlier.

Now, it's just a twisted sneer of disgust.

"Are you sure that's a Kami?" Kunou asked in discontent.

Heh. She called her a 'that.'

Uzume wiggled in my grasp, mumbling what I'm pretty sure went something along the lines of, 'I am a Kami! A Goddess! Really!' as she tried to escape.

I didn't let her.

My answer was rather plain, "Last I checked she was."

That of course only made Uzume try to escape harder.

Still didn't work.

Oh, speaking of trying to make things not escape.

"Ah right, Uzume?" I turn back to my maid as she tries in vain to free her mouth, "Did you pick up the thing on the way back that I asked for?"

"Mmm?" She looked at me oddly, then recognition passed through her eyes and she gave a small nod, as much as she could give, "Hmm, hmm!"

Very neat.

"The…thing?" Kunou parroted back.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that." I wave her off, "You'll see what that's all about soon enough."

"Eh?" The way Kunou's ears and tails fluffed and perked at that was slightly worrying.

I don't think I sounded threatening, did I?

Besides, it's not bad! It's just rope!

Well, special rope, but still.

Hopefully, she'll forget about it tomorrow by the time Kuroka gets back, and we head out to Mt. Ōe.

~ A New Sun ~

She did not forget.

"Nyahahaha~!"

As my damn cat so aptly continues to remind me, as she hasn't stopped cackling all the way here!

I turn to her with a click of my tongue, "How have you managed to keep that up the entire time!?"

Kuroka winks, "Trade secret, nya~!"

I merely huff at that.

My cat is extra smug tonight. For one, apparently whatever testing she had to do to make an Oni-specific poison went well enough that it was ready for field testing, as she had put it.

Two, trying to tie up a fox that was expecting something to happen was actual pain and suffering I hadn't felt in a long time.

Little shit kept switching between her yokai and human forms and was shockingly nimble and evasive when she wanted to be.

She also scratched me. That was fair, I'm just glad I couldn't feel the sting properly.

That's when Kuroka walked in, and knocked her out with a flick to the head, citing Senjutsu and that's it.

Ugh.

At least I managed to tie her up after that.

I've got Uzume watching over her now, she's going to stay tied up like that with the super special magic rope until this is over.

The reason I went through all that trouble is to make sure Kunou doesn't show up and try to do some shit, like attack Mt. Ōe with Kuroka and I or, even worse?

Help against the tomato man himself.

Pretty sure Yasaka would have my head if I let her, so this is for my safety just as much as it is for hers.

I give a long protracted sigh as I look up at the massive Japanese gargoyle, an onigawara, statue.

When I say massive, I mean massive, it looks about 5 meters tall and is made of solid smooth stone and metal, carved into the impression of some sort of western gargoyle and Oni hybrid.

According to all our sources, and Kunou, this thing is the gateway to the 'real' Mt. Ōe, the mountain the Oni truly inhabit, similarly to Urakyoto.

Shockingly enough, this place isn't exactly hidden; the statue is in front of a museum.

The Japanese Oni Exchange Museum to be precise.

Which I didn't learn existed until a few hours ago.

Also, yes, it's run by the Oni of Mt Ōe and is located at the base of the earthly mountain.

Despite that, we haven't run into anyone, Oni or otherwise.

What with Kuroka's cloaking and the museum being closed, supposedly having been closed the past week for 'maintenance and cleaning', I shouldn't be surprised.

But still, being a little paranoid is never a bad thing.

One just can't help but think there might be something going on when there aren't even guards at the door.

"So," I start, still staring up at the statue, "how do we get inside?"

"Ah~? Well, that's rather simple if what I know of Oni-specific Youjutsu is true, nya~!"

I raise an eyebrow to that, "Really? How simple?"

"Just punch it!" She exclaimed whilst comically swinging, punching the air.

I blink at that, several times.

"Okay, pull the other one, how do we really get in?" I tried again, exacerbated.

At that Kuroka huffs, "I'm being completely serious, darling! Watch! Nyahh~!"

With that, she leaps forward, and full-on punches the gargoyle statue in the nose.

Now, it's not a normal punch, as soon as her fist connects with the statue, space seems to ripple as a purple Youjutsu symbol gets stamped into reality.

As Kuroka lands, I merely gape at the statue, then at her, then back to the statue.

No fucking way that's actually how you're supposed to go about this!

"Nya~!" Kuroka shakes out her hand, "Every Yokai uses Youjutsu slightly differently! Nekomata draws symbols, and Oni punches them out! Although the effects are mostly the same…" she sighs, "Oni Youki is better for this than Nekomata, or in my case Nekoshou, Youki…so this might hurt a bit."

She turns back to me, "Nori-kun~! You promise to give my hand plenty of kisses after this right~? For going through all this, nyah~?"

I gave her a small smile, "Of course kitten, that's the least I could do." I affirm.

"K-Kitten~? Mmm~!" She stammered for just a second, flushing before flashing me a wide grin, "Alright! Let's do this! Nyaahh~!"

She jumps up one more and goes to punch the nose some more.

Not going to lie, it feels kind of weird flirting like this before assaulting a place specifically to take some guy's head and mail it.

Gets even weirder because that's probably not going to be the only Oni I kill today.

I don't want to genocide the Oni here or anything, but killing the strongest guys here at least is a must.

Unless I want history to repeat itself, of course.

To be fair, it's not like the romantic vibes lasted long either.

Kuroka is basically pulling a Dio on the statue's nose at this point.

"Nyah Nyah Nyah Nyah Nyah!"

Well, in her way, I suppose.

Just how locked up is it that she needs to punch the sucker that many times?

After a little while of just watching her go at it, I sort of went under a trace, of sorts? It was mesmerizing in a way, watching her go at it.

Then all of that stopped when the statue's eyes suddenly started glowing an angry crimson red, and a purple aura erupted off the thing in a wave of purple haze.

Kuroka yelped as it happened, the Youjutsu symbols on its nose continuing to flicker and cycle through even as she stopped punching it, and was knocked away from it by the said wave.

I stepped forward and caught my cat before she hit the ground, and we both watched as the mouth of the statue slowly started to open.

With a sound like a deep dry breath, a spiraling black and red portal formed within its maw.

Kuroka rubbed her hands tentatively as she looked at it, "That should be our way in…" she suddenly started shaking out her hands, "They had it locked up really well, so this better have been worth it! My poor hands, nyah~!"

Kuroka continued to shake her hands out, making light whining noises all the while until I leaned down and kissed one of her hands gently.

"We'll make sure it was worth it, alright?" I muttered to her softly.

Kuroka simply stared at me for a moment, before nodding with a light blush on her face.

Then she looked at the portal, and then back to me.

"Carry me, nyah~?"

Bloody. Cat.

I rolled my eyes at her, but then an idea occurred to me.

"You know what? Sure." I start with a smirk, "Get on my back, and let's do this."

Kuroka smirked right back.

~ A New Sun ~

Mt. Ōe has another name, the Demon's Cavern.

Aptly named, as the mountain is shadows over perpetually as if hidden in a cave.

The only light was an eerie reddish-yellow glow from a fake sun to spite fake suns, seemingly set in a permanent sunset in the sky whilst also being eclipsed, covered by a boulder-shaped object in the sky, the source of the perpetual shadow.

The real Mt. Ōe, being the home of the Oni, has several villages dotting the path leading up to the peak, where lies the Iron Palace, the home of the Fierce God.

Aptly named due to it looking like a palace made of wrought iron, beyond being where the Fierce God lives it's also where he rules.

His throne sits there, empty as he is away, but not unguarded.

In the past, Shuten-dōji had Four Guardian Kings with him atop Mt. Ōe.

They died long ago, in the same battle that saw their original master sealed, but here the current Fierce God seems to have continued the tradition of his old master.

Around the massive stone throne of the Fierce God, only two Oni stood.

One stark, almost bleached albino-like white, with three horns crowning his head and a bear skin cloth draped down his waist.

The other is obsidian black, sharing the same number of horns and cloth, yet this one visibly held a club lazily over his shoulder, while the other remained unarmed.

The Second Generation Star-Bear and Bear Demons respectively, bestowed upon them the names of the old generation by the new Fierce God himself.

Hoshikuma and Kuma.

They guard the throne while their master is away.

That is their only job.

After all, if the weak trolls leading up the mountain can't take care of a couple of intruders, what purpose do they serve?

"Oi." Kuma suddenly grunted out, tapping his club impatiently against his shoulder, "You think they can go any faster? Gettin' real bored, sittin' here watchin' the iron rust."

Hoshikuma merely huffed and closed his eyes, denying his fellow Guardian answer.

Truth be told? Hoshikuma doesn't know for certain.

As the strongest Senjutsu and Youjutsu user amongst the Guardians, he could sense the portal to Mt. Ōe being forced open, and he could feel the intruders once they entered.

Two of them.

But after that? His sight became…foggy.

One of them must be an incredibly talented and powerful user of Senjutsu, to be able to mask their auras from even him.

While that mention got Kuma, the dumb brutes, blood pumping, it slightly concerned Hoshikuma.

Judging by the dropping of several auras of Oni who he assumed were attempting to jump and stop the intruders, he can only assume they are heading straight for them.

Yet, he can't understand why that is. True, Mt Ōe is weak right now, with the majority of their forces concentrated in Urakyoto for the Night Parade

But without the master here nothing was worth destroying. Not a tactical advantage, nothing valuable or worth taking.

Well, unless the goal was to piss off the master, but what kind of suicidal imbecile would do such a thing?

Ugh. Sometimes, Hoshikuma envied his brothers, like Kuma, who had their instincts hold them constantly.

Thinking hurts, and he'd rather not deal with the headaches when he could help it.

Ah.

Hoshikuma suddenly perked up, opening his eyes and looking intently at the massive double iron doors, "They are close." He stated aloud.

"Finally!" Kuma stepped forward, a wicked grin on his face as he patted his club against the palm of his free hand, "Let's have a hell of a time! It's the least we can do after the master took us and left the others!"

Hoshikuma decided that pointing out that this was their job since they first earned their titles for the umpteenth was pointless.

Ah, there's that headache coming on.

At least being able to hit something will shut Kuma up for a while, perhaps?

One can hope.

Say, isn't it getting…warmer?

That's when he noticed it, the bottom half of the iron doors before them slowly turning color, turning yellow and red, then slowly beginning to liquefy and fall apart.

Intriguing. Especially as the culprits, the intruders, walked in, finally revealing themselves.

A…human male, and a three-tailed nekomata female?

No, assuming the girl is masking their auras, even from him, means it's more likely she's a three-tailed Nekoshou.

Was the human male then the one to melt the doors? He was the one to walk in, with the girl on his back after all.

Thankfully, it was the intruders who spoke up first, stopping just before the doors as they saw them.

"These the two you sensed?" The male turned his head to address his backpack, giving her a questioning glance.

"Mhmm~!" The cat hummed out in confirmation, "These two are the strongest here by far! They gotta be important, nya~!"

So she could sense him then? Despite his protections?

Nekoshou then. Definitely.

Yet, what about the human…?

"Oi." The human turned back to face them, "Mind telling me who you lot are before we take you out?"

They're here for them?

Surely not, they don't even seem to know who they ar—

"Kuma-dōji!" The obsidian Oni roared heartily, "The Right Leg of the Fierce God!" He pointed his club at the intruders, a vicious smile on his face, "You've got a fair bit of nerve comin' in here, saying stuff like that, with a hot piece of ass on your back like that, human."

At that, the human's eye seemed to twitch at Kuma.

Ugh.

Of course, that's the first thing he mentioned.

He should have seen that coming, Kuma really can only think with his dick and with his club.

Though he likes calling them the same thing.

Doubt he knows the difference, now that Hoshikuma thinks about it.

"Kuroka." The human spoke again, addressing the cat, "You take cliche Oni guy over there, I'll take the other, alright? I'll try and kill him too fast otherwise."

Kuroka is her name, hmm?

That sounds oddly familiar. Though he can't quite place it.

"Okay, nyah~!" She kisses the human on the cheek, "Have fun, darling~!" Then she hopped off his back.

And Hoshikuma froze.

Holy Spirit Power. He sensed it now, coming from the 'human' in droves.

It was like he was suddenly standing in front of a shrine.

Yet, this man is not a Kami. He knows that, deep down. He still feels like a man as well.

Most intriguing.

His gaze locked upon the 'human' as the Nekoshou walked off.

Off to the side, he could hear Kuma spouting shit and nonsense once more, but it was muffled so focused his gaze was.

In this haze, he felt a flux of power, and Kuma stopped talking, those two presences shifted away from them.

His attention snapped back into place, as the man before him spoke once more whilst walking to stand some distance before him, "And what about you Clorox? Got a name?" He asked dispassionately.

Clorox?

"Hoshikuma-Dōji." He answered promptly, "The Left Leg of the Fierce God. And you?" He asked back in turn.

The man let the ghost of a smile grace his lips, as he reached behind him and took hold of the hilt of his sword, strapped upon his back.

"Noriki Kusanagi."

It suddenly clicked inside Hoshikuma's mind.

This is the Arahitogami. The one the master wished dead. The one whose father trampled upon this very same mountain.

"I see." Hoshikuma mused coldly, "Then die."

Hoshikuma stomped the ground and the floor rippled as if becoming water, a purple Youjutsu symbol burning itself into the floor to make it so, although he felt no difference himself.

The Arahitogami wrapped himself in power and Hoshikuma grimaced to himself as he felt the boy's Holy Spirit Power push out and fill the palace.

He snarled as the boy proceeded to dart forward, running across the liquefied floor toward him as if it were still normal and solid.

Light boomed as he drew his sword, the boy was fast, but not the fastest.

The inevitable swing came for his neck, Hoshikuma raised his fists into a boxing stance and punched out just as quickly as he slashed.

His blade did not meet his flesh, as just before it could, a Youjutsu symbol burst into existence, holding back the blade.

He heard breathing, a lone deep breath before the boy moved one once more.

Several bright white slashes followed unperturbed, and Hoshikuma followed suit, punching out each one in the order in which they came.

Several white slashes met purple flashes and ceased.

Then the boy breathed out, and what came out wasn't merely air, but fire.

Hoshikuma suddenly felt himself engulfed in flames, yet he scoffed.

He is no mere door.

He clapped his hands together, a Youjutsu symbol roaring forth between his palms sparking violently as it brought forth booming demonic thunder, dispersing the flames around himself.

The shockwave continued to ripple out, blowing apart the liquid ground around him and sending the boy flying into the air, wherein a halo manifested at his back to suspend himself in the air.

But, where there is thunder, there must be lightning.

Hoshikuma punched out in the boy's direction, quick as a snake, stamping his Youjutsu into reality with his fist.

Said stamp turned into a forking stream of purple lighting, flickering into existence with a snap of the fingers, the boy barely had time to dodge it as he veered wildly to its right.

Another punch, another blast of lightning.

Another dodge, this time to the left.

And again, and again, and again.

Until a lightning storm filled the palace, the bolts flying every which way, bouncing off the walls like spears of violet light.

The boy still weaved his way through the electrical storm, albeit just narrowly, until he reached the back wall and leaped off it.

Dozens of images of his opponent filled his vision and promptly surrounded Hoshikuma as he looked around.

The images flicker, vanishing when struck by his lightning.

Speed clones, he recognized.

Now where is he going to come from?

Better to be safe.

He stomped the ground once more, and with his spell, its nature changed.

Iron spikes and barbs ruptured from the ground all around him, coming out in a wave.

Every single speed clone was caught in the mincing wave, whilst the real one took to the air once more.

Only, for the spikes to flash with symbols, and draw the lightning in the palace to them like conducting rods.

Lightning finally struck true, striking the boy in the back when he least expected it, prompting an electrical explosion in the air.

Hoshikuma wouldn't say it out loud, be he begrudgingly admits respect for the boy, who didn't fall from the sky after taking one of his demonic lightning blasts.

Instead, he floated there, steaming, the top half of his robe burning and falling apart as he looked down upon him.

"Well, that hurt more than Baraqiel's did." He started with a click of his tongue, though Hoshikuma had no idea who that was, "Say. Clorox?" He pointed his sword down at him, "I've been wondering, why didn't you two come down to stop us when we broke in? You didn't seem so shocked to see us here, after all."

The Arahitogami smiled at his words.

Did…did he just pun?

Disregarding that before he gets another headache.

"That is not our job," Hoshikuma answered stoically, "our job is the protection of the Iron Palace. Nothing more. If those ogres and trolls beneath us can't protect their own homes themselves, they deserve nothing less than a cave…if that, to dwell in."

The boy blinked at his words but didn't seem to have much of an emotional response to him, "An Oni cultural thing, then? Every man for himself? Huh." He said mostly to himself.

"Ah, well…thanks for that. Honestly, I was wondering why there didn't seem to be a coordinated effort against us…not like the meager forces left here could sense our arrival, anyway. It was honestly kind of disappointing." He sighs, pupils in his eyes…spinning?

"But as much as I would love to solo a small army, fight through them all to get to you guys, and have a big climatic battle all night long, we just don't have time for that."

Light burst from his blade, rolling off it with bright flickering sparks.

"Sorry about this." He suddenly apologized.

Hoshikuma blinked as he realized something amiss, the Holy Spirit's Power in the air, pushing down upon him to weaken him, was somehow focused on his head.

With a flex of his Youki, he purged the mental intrusion.

Just as the Arahitogami moved, blurring forward with a trail of light behind him like a comet.

Seeing that whatever he had tried to do had failed, he goes on the attack instead, is it?

Confused, but undeterred, Hoshikuma moves to intercept, punching out to meet the almost choreographed downward slash.

In a haze of brilliant light, he brings his sword down…right before his fist?

What?

Then his hand fell off, cut at the wrist.

Hoshikuma could do nothing but stare, even as the searing, burning, pain shot up his disabled limb.

"Man." The Arahitogami said solemnly, "I don't like dirty tricks like this…"

What tricks!? He purged the mental intrusion! Unless he didn't?

He flared his Youki, both to check again for an intrusion and to defend himself, bringing up his only hand left to go on a counterattack.

Holy Spirit Power thrummed off the boy right before him in droves, violently and suddenly smothering his Youki, as he spiraled into the air, lashing out once more with a single light-filled stroke.

His fist went out to meet it, Youjutsu springing forth to shield against the attack, but weakened under the veil of Holy Spirit Power surrounding them and facing a power further opposed to it, it shattered.

As the blade drove itself through his fist, cleaving through his hand and arm like butter, Hoshikuma couldn't decide whether or not there was a trick being had here, too.

~ A New Sun ~

With a sigh, I behold the body of the large white Oni lying on the ground before me.

Half of his arm had been severed from my slash, and my blade continued, gouging out a bit of his chest and shoulder to finish.

I hate tricks. So much. Especially for a fight I could have enjoyed if I had let it drag out like I normally do.

Genjutsu into Solar Heat Haze. I knew this Oni seemed more put together than the rest, I knew he'd likely discover the little mind manipulation, and he'd dispel it.

Not like I'd be able to really mess with his head, he's too strong for that, but he wouldn't know that.

Solar Heat Haze looks like an illusion, use that right after, and any smart person would second guess what the hell is going on.

All I needed was that little moment of doubt, and then it was all over.

The guy was stronger than Baraqiel, too, what a waste.

Though I don't think he's dead yet, Oni looks about as tough as they are, turns out. Probably just very light-poisoned.

Let's go see how Kuroka is doing.

I turn in the direction of their battle, only to find Kuroka standing on the ceiling above the black Oni, cackling, as the poor guy is pinned to the ground by several magic circles and Youjutsu symbols.

She's throwing spells at him semi-regularly, but judging by the fact the guy isn't dead yet, but is howling like a madman, I think she might be using him as a guinea pig right now.

I slowly shiver and look away from the scene.

Damn, kitty. I know cats have an instinctive drive to inflict suffering on others, but still.

Deciding doing anything else would be a good idea, I quickly create, then disperse, a clone, wincing as I do.

Just sending a quick message to all the clones still out running negotiations, that they can disperse now since it's mostly over.

It wouldn't shock me if some Oni felt the need to attack this place after we did, 'Dog Eats Dog World' for the Oni and all that.

The clone sent to talk to the Bureau still hasn't dispersed…and that's probably the most important job besides what we are doing here.

Without the Bureau, we're kind of screwed, and I'd have to improv, read, bullshit the rest.

"Ohhhh darling~!" Kuroka called over to me, a sly grin on her face as she weaved another Youjutsu spell, "We've got stragglers coming up to the palace, think you can handle it, nya~?"

I wave her off, "Right right, I got it."

"Thank you~! I'll take care of these two, nya~!"

I shiver once more at that.

Well, at least she doesn't derive sexual pleasure from blatant torture.

There's always that, right?

~ A New Sun ~

Nurarihyon thinks this whole Night Parade thing has been fairly lucrative.

For his stomach, anyway.

Sitting in his nice cushioned seat, using his Youjutsu to lean against the air, the gourd-headed Yokai watched in amusement as dozens of Yokai 'Leaders' gathered in Urakyoto and argued amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, the real players merely stared at each other.

Ibaraki, the Fierce God of the Oni, watched everyone with mild contempt equally.

Well, besides Yasaka, whom he sent a scathing glare now and again.

Not like the Kyuubi Daiyokai cared overtly, giving an impassive stare to everyone.

Well, besides himself, who she ignored purely because he was staring at her.

And only her.

For reasons.

Bha! If she didn't want people looking then why show almost half a full tit each?

To his right, Magari, the Nekomata Yokai Leader sat in her Yokai form, a calico cat with seven tails, disinterested in practically everything around her.

At this point, Nurarihyon is just trying to figure out when Ibaraki is going to get up and start telling everyone why he called for a Night Parade in the first place.

The small fellas flocked to join because where there's a Night Parade, there's usually 'glory' to be had.

Well. Blood. More so blood.

He only agreed due to curiosity, though he had an idea of what this was all going to be about.

Also, the food is nice. Very nice.

Yasaka probably agreed because she liked to play peacemaker. It wouldn't shock him if she went ahead and agreed only to ultimately try and stop it.

Well. Guess they'll see.

Ibaraki slowly stood up, tapping his club once against the ground.

The loud echoing thud sent everyone into silence.

Nurarihyon snorted internally.

Here we go, the old red Oni is going to try and make a speech, which is just him saying he wants everyone to kill…someone, and that'll be it.

Then the sheep around them will go do as he says, no matter how much Yasaka says otherwise or leans over, and that'll be the end of it.

Or at least, that's what he thought was going to happen.

Next to him, Magari suddenly twitched, opening one of her eyes, she slowly looked up.

The only thing Nurariyon caught was a black shadow crossing the ceiling, then something fell.

A box, a plain yet sizeable cardboard box, seemingly haphazardly taped together.

It fell right before Ibaraki.

Even he could only stop and stare at it, along with everyone else.

Seeing as the thing hadn't suddenly blown up, Ibaraki went down and picked it up.

The oaf didn't even stop to consider where he was before he tore it open.

And out fell two heads. Oni heads. One black, one white. Along with a single note between them that simply read.

"Ready to reconsider?"

Ahh~...Nurarihyon thinks he gets it now.

Leaning over to Magari, he muttered to her, "I call the front-row seats, I'll save you a spot if you bring the popcorn!"

Magari didn't even have time to respond, verbally or otherwise, before the Fierce God's murderous intent and bloody red Youki filled the entirety of Urakyoto.