Battle Situation

The disturbance from deep within the spell prison caught the fox hunters off guard. Although they had been warned of an enemy attack tonight, they never expected the spell prison, located at the very core and rear, to be the first to suffer a surprise attack. Nura Rihyon's actions within the spell prison immediately drew the attention of numerous fox hunters and onmyoji.

For safety reasons, there was only one narrow cave leading to the spell prison. This was originally set up specifically to prevent invasions, but now this design had become an obstacle for the fox hunters and onmyoji returning to reinforce the spell prison. The relatively narrow cave limited passage, and Nura Rihyon and his group could hold out for a considerable time simply by blocking the entrance.

Thus, the shikigami of the fox hunters and Minamoto clan onmyoji clashed with the tanuki and the rescued wild foxes. Minamoto no Yorimasa, who had rushed down, attempting to quickly resolve the battle below, confronted Nura Rihyon.

"Curse of Vengeful Souls Slash!"

Minamoto no Yorimasa, clad in black nightwear with his face masked, drew his long sword and slashed through the air. Instantly, a mournful wail echoed through the space, and countless wailing, translucent vengeful spirits were unleashed from the spell-engraved long sword. They flew towards Nura Rihyon, clawing and gnashing. Their semi-material forms tore Nura Rihyon apart, and his figure dissolved into nothingness, vanishing into the air.

Just then, Minamoto no Yorimasa's heart jolted. He held his long sword horizontally by his side, and then, accompanied by the crisp, loud clang of weapons, Nura Rihyon's figure appeared beside Minamoto no Yorimasa, his blade pressed against Minamoto no Yorimasa's long sword.

"Oh dear... I was detected at the last moment. Did something tip you off?" Nura Rihyon chuckled, then exerted force with his hand, intending to crush Minamoto no Yorimasa with his demonic power. However, just then, Minamoto no Yorimasa's long sword began to act strangely.

A piercing shriek emanated from the sword, like the wailing of dozens of people in unison. Seeing this, Nura Rihyon quickly protected himself with demonic power and retreated rapidly, putting distance between himself and Minamoto no Yorimasa.

"Wielding so many vengeful spirits as shikigami, in your human terms, aren't you afraid of retribution?" Nura Rihyon said, intently watching Minamoto no Yorimasa, whose eyes held a ruthless glint, from a short distance away.

"Where did this yokai brat come from... Get out of my way!" Minamoto no Yorimasa snarled. Encountering an opponent capable of entangling him in this underground space was something he had never anticipated; Nura Rihyon's strength clearly exceeded his expectations.

Nura Rihyon was not weak. Although his demonic power was relatively low due to his youth, his abilities were exceptionally strong. For ordinary enemies, such abilities were very troublesome, and it would take a great deal of effort to defeat Nura Rihyon. The reason he was utterly thrashed when fighting Miketsu was because his abilities were completely countered by Miketsu, rendering them virtually useless.

"Where did I come from? Heh... In that case, remember this well: my name is Nura Rihyon! I am a being destined to become a Yokai Lord in the future! You should feel honored to cross blades with me now." Nura Rihyon straightened his body, puffed out his chest, and confidently pointed to himself with his thumb, while Minamoto no Yorimasa on the opposite side spat dismissively.

"Such arrogant talk... Just wait. In a little while, you and your companions will all become our captives." Minamoto no Yorimasa said with a faint smile. He was waiting, waiting for the Demon Binding Array to activate. Once it did, dealing with this fellow would be effortless. It wouldn't be long; he could already feel the pre-arranged magical array beginning to activate, spiritual power starting to dissipate into the surrounding space.

Just then, the ground suddenly shook. Along with this tremor, the spiritual power that had begun to spread around them abruptly vanished into nothingness, leaving Minamoto no Yorimasa stunned in place.

"Hahahaha!! It seems you have some trump card. Come on, use it now, I'm waiting for you here." Seeing Minamoto no Yorimasa's expression, Nura Rihyon mocked him mercilessly, while Minamoto no Yorimasa's face twisted as if he had eaten something foul.

"Hmph, don't celebrate too soon! With so few of you, there's nowhere to run in this cave. In the end, you'll still be the ones finished!" Minamoto no Yorimasa snarled. And no sooner had he spoken than his words proved true; Nura Rihyon and his group, trapped deep within the cave, were merely an isolated force. Given the vast disparity in overall strength, they would eventually be annihilated.

As soon as Minamoto no Yorimasa's words fell, the ground began to tremble again. This time, the tremor was continuous and showed a growing intensity, accompanied by a constant rumbling sound.

"What is that?" A faint sense of unease rose in Minamoto no Yorimasa's heart as he spoke.

"Oh, that... that is naturally the sound of your main camp being attacked. Perhaps you should now seriously consider how many of you have crammed into this small cave entrance just to deal with our isolated force?"

...

Under the moonlight, in the night wind, the camp on Solitary Fox Mountain was currently under attack by a horde of yokai. These were the yokai Nura Rihyon had recruited in the demon realm, who pledged allegiance to Owl under the dual influence of prestige and money.

"Charge~ Charge~ Everyone, charge with Bunny~"

The horde of yokai surged from the forest towards the fox hunters' camp. Little Yamausagi sat atop Mr. Frog, pointing forward and shouting loudly, looking as majestic as a cavalry commander. A wave of singular green demonic power spread from Yamausagi, affecting all the surrounding yokai. The speed of these affected yokai suddenly accelerated, and they charged directly towards the camp's defenses.

Under Yamausagi's wide-area acceleration, the entire yokai horde, like a devastating flood, instantly destroyed the camp's fortifications. The Minamoto clan onmyoji, in their panic, quickly released shikigami to block them. The remaining fox hunters also hastily joined in, but because many personnel had been diverted earlier to deal with the disturbance in the cave, the number of people left on the front line was greatly reduced, making them utterly unable to resist the yokai horde's sudden assault.

The fortifications were breached, the watchtowers toppled, and the battle was a complete one-sided rout. The fox hunters and Minamoto clan onmyoji had no chance of victory whatsoever.

...

"This... this, how could this happen? Where is the Demon Binding Array? Where is the Minamoto clan's Demon Binding Array? Why hasn't it activated?"

Standing on the mountainside, Ishikawa frantically watched everything below, speaking in disbelief. Clearly, the current situation had completely exceeded his expectations.

No, I must think of a way now; this cannot continue!

Go down with the Inari foxes to meet the battle? No, the situation is already a rout; going myself would only be a futile sacrifice. What he needed now was to escape, to escape quickly. As long as the Inari foxes remained in his hands, the losses could be recovered.

With this thought, Ishikawa immediately prepared to flee. However, just as he turned around, he saw a figure in the nearby woods.

Black robe, bandages, a single crimson eye... This was a description Ishikawa had only seen in letters before, and he knew what it represented.

"Owl... no, you are, Tsuruha." Ishikawa said, gritting his teeth.

Miketsu's gaze, meanwhile, silently watched the foxes beside Ishikawa, their eyes glowing with an unusual light.

...