The New Order

A bright moon hung high in the sky as night once again enveloped Heian-kyo. In a dense forest deep within the mountains on the outskirts of the dark capital, a team of humans was currently making its way forward.

This was a team composed of several Onmyoji dressed in kariginu and over a dozen samurai in armor. Within the dark, dense forest, they moved forward in a combat-ready formation, remaining fully alert and scanning every blind spot to guard against any sudden dangers.

These Onmyoji were led by a Senior Assistant, with the rest being Junior Assistants. Different family crests were printed on their kariginu, proving they were not sent by a single Onmyoji clan but were a yokai subjugation team organized by the Onmyoryo.

Generally speaking, the spells mastered by Onmyoji were mostly techniques for sealing, suppressing, weakening, or purifying creatures from the demon realm. Spells of a direct destructive nature typically consumed excessive amounts of spiritual power, so an average Onmyoji would only cultivate one such technique as a final trump card and would not use it lightly.

Since not all Onmyoji could easily summon shikigami with great physical strength to act as enforcers like the Minamoto Clan could, the Onmyoryo's subjugation teams would include a large number of samurai to compensate for the lack of physical destructive power. These samurai would deliver physical blows to the yokai after the Onmyoji had controlled and weakened them. This was the experience accumulated by the Onmyoryo over a long period of yokai subjugation, and this small team was naturally no exception.

The dark woods were unusually quiet, with no sound other than the group treading on dry branches and fallen leaves. The surrounding air was cold and damp, and the atmosphere was incredibly oppressive. This environment made many in the subjugation team nervous, including a young Junior Assistant at the front of the group.

"Lord Masamasa, when will we reach that yokai's cave?" the nervous young Junior Assistant asked, unable to suppress his emotions, as he spoke to the old man, a Senior Assistant, beside him.

"Have some patience, Yoshiyuki. Now is the time to stay calm," the Senior Assistant said, glancing at the young man beside him.

"It... it was my impulsiveness. Please forgive me, Lord Masamasa. After all, hearing that this yokai claimed fifteen lives in just seven days, I couldn't help but feel a bit..." Meeting the Senior Assistant's gaze, the young Onmyoji lowered his head in shame.

"It's fine. This is your first subjugation, after all, so it's only natural... but you can rest assured. Though the creature is ferocious, our strength is more than enough to handle it." The old man continued, looking at the youth, but the young Onmyoji still seemed uneasy.

"I understand what Lord Masamasa means. What I worry about is not just the creature's strength, but its origin. Could that fellow be one of Owl's lackeys? I've heard that Owl has been leading his minions to attack people everywhere lately. If we were to encounter Owl..." As he spoke, a look of terror colored the young Onmyoji's face. Clearly, the rumors about Owl had spread far and wide.

"You can rest easy on that front. While Owl's subordinates do organize attacks, they only target bandits, villains, and yokai hunters. They don't touch ordinary humans, unlike this one... which eats commoners," the old man said slowly in a reassuring tone. As a Senior Assistant, he had access to more detailed and accurate information.

"Not attacking civilians? And even killing bandits? This Owl... what is he trying to do?" Hearing the old man's words, the young Onmyoji spoke in disbelief.

"Hmph, who knows... a yokai acting like a chivalrous hero..."

The old man spoke mockingly for a moment, then fell silent and continued leading the team forward. The young Onmyoji said nothing more.

And so, the subjugation team continued toward their designated location, remaining on high alert. The Onmyoji gradually felt the demonic energy and the scent of blood in the air growing heavier, causing everyone's nerves to tighten.

Passing through the last thicket, the subjugation team finally reached their target—the entrance to the yokai's cave. However, when they arrived, they were completely stunned by the scene before them.

Large splatters of blood were scattered across the ground. A fat, humanoid yokai over four meters long, its body covered in skull-patterned markings, lay on its side at the cave entrance. Its massive head, filled with sharp teeth, had been severed and tossed aside. Beside it lay a giant string of prayer beads made of skulls. The corpse had not yet begun to rot, nor had it attracted many flies, indicating it had died quite recently.

"Lord Masamasa... this is..."

"Akujiki Nyudo... this yokai is an Akujiki Nyudo, but how was it slain like this?"

All members of the subjugation team were frozen in place by the scene. They never expected their target to have been killed beforehand.

Who? Who could have done this? Who else besides the Onmyoryo was slaying yokai? Just as these questions swirled in everyone's hearts, a voice suddenly rang out from above them.

"Ah... Onmyoji of the Onmyoryo, you've finally arrived."

Everyone looked toward the voice and saw a white-haired boy sitting cross-legged on a thick branch beneath the bright moon. One hand held a large bowl filled with fine sake, and he looked down at the humans below with a smile and a hint of disdain.

"It's a yokai!"

Seeing the demonic energy radiating from the boy, the Onmyoji below assumed an attack stance. However, the old man, the Senior Assistant, stopped their next move. He looked up at the yokai boy with a grave expression.

"Are you... Nura Rihyon?"

"Oh, the old Onmyoji knows me?"

"Nurarihyon, Owl's confidant, rumored to be his future top yokai general. Many people already know your name," the old man said to Rihyon with a solemn look.

"A yokai general? Heh, my goal is more than just that..." Rihyon muttered slowly to himself, stroking his chin. Clearly, he was quite satisfied with his growing fame.

The old man ignored Rihyon's muttering. He glanced at the yokai corpse beside him, then looked back up at Rihyon.

"Did you kill this Akujiki Nyudo?"

"Yes, or more accurately, we did..."

Along with Rihyon's words, various yokai of different forms stepped out from the darkness of the surrounding forest. The sheer number of them startled everyone.

Just as the subjugation team prepared for battle, a wolf-like yokai carrying a bundle in its mouth walked to a spot slightly closer to the team, placed it on the ground, and then quickly retreated.

The humans of the team looked closely at the bundle and saw that it contained a sleeping baby.

"His parents were eaten by that fellow below. He was about to be turned into an after-dinner dessert when I cut that guy down. I let Yurago put him into a deep sleep, and since it wasn't convenient to go directly to the human realm to find his relatives, I've been waiting here for you." Looking at the baby being picked up by a samurai below, Rihyon explained to the team why he had stayed there waiting for them.

"You are yokai? Why would you help humans? And even slay your own kind for it?" Watching the samurai bring the sleeping baby into the team with a complex gaze, the old man asked Rihyon curiously.

To the old man's question, Rihyon answered quite casually.

"Whether yokai or human, the things we do are never bound by such restrictions. As long as there are wicked and tyrannical beings, we will slay them immediately. This is our principle, and it is the will of Lord Owl..."

"Owl..." After whispering the name seriously for a moment, the old man continued.

"What is Owl's... or your purpose, exactly?"

His tone was relaxed and pleasant as Rihyon spoke with a smile.

"Purpose? According to Lord Owl... it is the new order of the night within this Heian-kyo."