[33] : Strange things happen in Kyoto

Draconic Deus.

Earth.

Japan - Tokyo.

[***]

While Aiden was 'punishing' Kazamachi and Tohka for the disaster they had caused under the pretext of casual training, Kurumi walked out of a cat café with a satisfied expression on her face.

"What a wonderful day..." she murmured, her voice adorned with a dazzling smile that made the pedestrians around her feel lucky to be alive.

She was wearing a long-skirted gothic dress, decorated with frills and floral details in shades of red.

Her hair, styled into two pigtails that softly cascaded over her shoulders, framed her angelic face, while her left eye, an enigmatic golden hue, remained hidden beneath her bangs.

She was the very image of an elegant ojou-sama.

During her time at the café, she had played with numerous cats.

She found them adorable, and the thought of adopting one lingered in her mind.

Perhaps she could turn it into a familiar to extend its lifespan.

'Not a bad idea...' she mused as she strolled through the streets of Tokyo.

The city showcased its vibrant daily activity: towering buildings stretching into the skyline, students returning from school, and office workers hurrying after a long day.

It was late, and the lights were beginning to shine like artificial stars along the avenues.

As she walked, her eyes caught the presence of several youkai and an occasional exorcist within the crowd.

This did not surprise her.

Japan was predominantly governed by youkai and the exorcists of the Five Principal Clans, along with the Shinto pantheon.

However, Kurumi didn't concern herself much with hierarchies or who controlled whom.

Instead, her mind wandered to something more intriguing: what Yoshino had shared with Aiden.

According to her, some youkai in the Kyoto region had been disappearing without a trace.

Yoshino had heard this directly from Kunou, who often visited the youkai faction in the region.

Intrigued by the information, Aiden investigated using [Rasiel], discovering that not only youkai were vanishing.

Moderately weak supernatural beings and even ordinary humans were disappearing without explanation.

According to [Rasiel], a group was abducting these individuals for sacrifices.

But that theory turned out to be a distraction.

The true aim of the perpetrator was to lure Yasaka, the youkai leader of Kyoto, out of her territory in order to kidnap her daughter, Kunou.

Why?

Kunou, a nine-tailed fox, was an immensely valuable vessel for the dark purposes of the kidnapper.

A vessel for whom?

Well...

An extreme worshipper, or perhaps a once-loyal subordinate, had been desperately searching for ways to revive their mistress.

The one who, in the past, was defeated, sealed, and, out of fear that her prophecy might come true, weakened in her prison before being killed.

Her soul was sent directly to Yomi, the Shinto underworld, in a desperate attempt to prevent her threat from resurfacing.

Now, this devotee had begun abducting people and sacrificing them, converting them into pure spiritual power to execute his plan.

His objective was clear: to revive the mistress who once terrorized Japan.

The same one who had been defeated by the united youkai faction, as she was too powerful for anyone to face alone.

In a final effort, they managed to seal her within the legendary Killing Stones, where she remained for centuries.

However, even after all that time, fear lingered, and she was ultimately killed when her strength had waned.

The devotee wishes to bring back the most powerful Daiyoukai that has ever existed, a figure both feared and revered in mortal myths and the supernatural world:

Tamamo-No-Mae, the nine-tailed fox who almost destroyed Japan in ancient times.

Although saying she was going to destroy Japan might sound like an exaggeration, in truth, the Shinto gods would never have let her get away with it.

However, there was no denying how dangerous she was, especially when she got involved in certain corrupt matters that seriously harmed these gods.

As for the reasons behind the nine-tailed fox's attempt to destroy Japan in ancient times… well, Kurumi had already forgotten about that.

Meanwhile, Kurumi remembered how Aiden had shared this information with Yoshino and Yoshinon, who, true to their nature, told Yasaka everything.

Yoshino, always simple and kind, only wanted to help her friend's mother, so she didn't hesitate to pass on what she knew.

This seemingly trivial gesture was enough to completely win over the nine-tailed fox's favor.

As for the kidnappings that are still happening despite Yasaka's efforts to protect herself… well, the culprit is hiding in the dimensional rift.

From there, he sends his subordinates at unpredictable moments.

Yasaka is already aware that his true target is her—or more specifically, her daughter, whom they plan to use as a vessel to revive Tamamo-No-Mae.

However, this hasn't deterred the enemy, who persists in sending more minions.

Although casualties among the Youkai have decreased, the attacks on ordinary humans continue to cause problems.

And the gods?

Well, they prefer to stay out of it.

In their view, these "little problems" don't deserve their attention.

That's why they've left the Five Principal Clans, along with the Youkai of Kyoto and Kanto, to handle the situation.

In other words, they've washed their hands of it.

But why doesn't someone just go after the culprit in the dimensional rift?

The answer is simple: finding someone in an infinite space where the sense of direction constantly shifts is nearly impossible.

There's a reason Aiden chose that place to build his base, and it's clear he's not the only one using this gap between dimensions as a hiding spot.

This follower of Tamamo-No-Mae has chosen the same method.

…

'I wonder if that group of terrorists with strange masks has anything to do with this problem…' Kurumi thought as she walked.

She was referring, of course, to the Chaos Brigade.

However, her thoughts were interrupted as she detected several Ultimate-Class presences surrounding another equally powerful one, a few kilometers away.

Driven by curiosity, she decided to approach and observe from afar.

After all, once her curiosity was satisfied, she would simply return home.

[***]

End of chapter.

(•_•)

A/N:

Honestly, this chapter is short because I didn't have much time or inspiration today.

There are comments that truly take away one's motivation to write, but oh well… I know not everyone can like the same things as others.

…

Even so, at least I left a few hints about what will happen in Kyoto.

As for who's being attacked, here are some keywords: Black kitten.

By the way, here's an image I found of Kurumi:

[Image]

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Thank you so much for reading.

To everyone who leaves at least a 

"Thanks for the chapter," you get a big hug.

Peace out!

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