Surrounding the Prey

"You're... a yokai? No, you're more than that..."

Seeing the figure that had suddenly appeared before her, Ubume froze. She spoke the first thing that came to mind upon sensing a faint trace of demonic energy, but then, her mind raced to connect the dots. Her eyes widened as a terrifying realization took hold, and she continued in a tone of utter disbelief.

"Black robes and bandages... a single crimson eye... Are you Owl? The leader of the Kyoto Yokai... the One-Eyed Owl!?" As she spoke, Ubume’s focus sharpened to a razor's edge. She gripped the handle of her umbrella, maintaining a posture of extreme alertness. She knew that against such an existence, even a split second of negligence was a death sentence. If the rumors were true, he was a being on par with a Yokai Lord.

"It seems... that even as a lone wolf among yokai, you aren't entirely cut off from information," Miketsu remarked coolly, staring down at the bird-yokai.

"How... how did you find this place? I double-checked several times—there should have been no one tracking me!" Ubume demanded. What confused her most was how her movements had been exposed. Her senses were exceptionally sharp; if someone were trailing her, she should have detected something immediately.

"The night in Heian-kyo belongs to me... You have nowhere to hide here," Miketsu answered impassively. In truth, the reason she had tracked her so successfully without detection was the very infant cradled in Ubume's arms. That was no ordinary baby; it was Kikyo, born just a few days ago!

After realizing that Kikyo possessed enough natural talent to open her spiritual vision, Miketsu had foreseen that the child would inevitably become Ubume's target. She had centered her entire plan around Kikyo: use her as bait to lure Ubume out, then follow her back to her hideout.

After all, Ubume had kidnapped so many infants. Simply capturing or killing her wouldn't be enough; those children had to be located. To do that, Miketsu had to find the nest. Thus, she chose not to strike immediately but to maintain a persistent shadow.

Tracking such a wary Ubume was no simple feat. There was a reason Ubume had spent half a month committing crimes in Heian-kyo without being caught. Her sensory and reactive abilities were peerless even among her kind; she had a knack for silently slipping away from the Onmyoryo's night watches, sensing danger before it ever closed in. Moreover, because of Kamo no Tadayuki and Fujiwara no Saneyori’s absence, the Onmyoryo's divination powers had been severely weakened, making it nearly impossible to lock onto a creature as elusive as her.

Miketsu had avoided detection not by following closely, but by monitoring from a distance far beyond a normal horizon. She was able to keep pace despite the distance because of the unique Thread of Causality connecting her to Kikyo. Miketsu could determine Ubume’s position by tracing the invisible spiritual connection itself.

Ubume faced her opponent as if confronting a natural disaster. She knew that if the legends were true, they weren't even in the same league. Victory would be an uphill battle.

Maintaining a tense stalemate, Ubume began to back away slowly, edging toward the mouth of the cavern. She planned to seize a moment of distraction to retreat into the hideout, where she had defensive measures and escape routes prepared. It was a far better prospect than fighting in the open.

However, a sudden flutter of wings filled the air as a pale yellow blur descended from the sky. Makoto landed behind Ubume, claws extended and bared. She stood firmly before the cave entrance, severing the path of retreat.

A chorus of whistles and screeches echoed from the darkness of the sky. Several massive avian yokai swept overhead, and dozens of figures leaped from their backs, landing throughout the clearing. Some stood on the ground, others perched upon the surrounding trees, forming a solid perimeter that locked Ubume in place.

They were a motley crew of bizarre, diverse yokai. All stared at her with exaggerated, menacing features, releasing their demonic energy without restraint. It was a display designed to shock and terrify, sending a clear message: you have no way out.

Miketsu had arrived first using her own high-speed flight, but since she was operating in her guise as Owl, she obviously wasn't going to come alone.

"Ho... so this is the Ubume? Hah, she looks pretty thin and frail to me..." Standing under a tree, Tanuki took a long swig of sake before speaking with blatant disdain. Beside him, Nura Rihyon spoke up.

"Don't say that. If someone can play the Onmyoryo for fools for half a month, they clearly have tricks up their sleeve. However..." As he spoke, Nura Rihyon's gaze turned mocking.

"To cause such a ruckus in Heian-kyo without so much as a word to us... it’s a bit arrogant, don’t you think? Have you forgotten who calls the shots in the demon realm here?"

The crude words of Nura Rihyon and Tanuki, coupled with the overwhelming number of yokai surrounding her, placed immense pressure on Ubume. Her wing-like hands tightened around the umbrella at her waist, and her eyes, hidden behind the bird-skull mask, scanned her surroundings with grim intensity. She finally understood that they were perfectly prepared. She realized escape might be impossible—she thought, Is this the 'Owl's Legion'?

Miketsu, watching silently, spoke again in a low, resonant voice.

"Hand over the child and surrender. Tell me your purpose, and you might find a chance at survival."

This ultimatum caused Ubume's expression to tighten further, but no trace of fear entered her eyes.

"Heh. To have the legendary Owl come personally to deal with me—I'm honored. But I’m afraid I’m not particularly fond of surrender."

As she spoke, Ubume’s body blurred. She vanished from the spot, turning into a streak of silver that tore toward Miketsu. The umbrella she had worn at her hip was already drawn. Her speed was so incredible that most of the yokai present couldn't even react in time. Only Nura Rihyon managed a warning shout.

"Lord Owl!"

Ubume’s goal was simple: breaking out of this encirclement head-on was impossible against so many enemies. Therefore, she intended to kill or incapacitate their leader in a sudden blitz. If she succeeded, the resulting chaos might provide a gap to escape through.

Even facing a figure as fearsome as Owl, Ubume dared to gamble. Her confidence came from her pride in her God-tier speed. And indeed, she was fast—so fast that of all the gathered monsters, only Nura Rihyon's eyes could barely track her.

Yet, as Ubume lunged, a small smile played across Miketsu’s lips behind the bandages. With her causality vision active, she feared no surprise attack.

With a nimble, minute step, Miketsu evaded the piercing strike by a hair's breadth. Then, from beneath her robes, she produced a tachi she had been gripping all along and swung it downward.

Shocked that Miketsu had dodged so easily, Ubume froze for a heartbeat. Before she could react further, the cold, white blade was already upon her. She had no choice but to frantically wrench her umbrella back to parry.

The blade collided with the yokai umbrella, and the impact boomed across the night sky. An irresistible, crushing weight surged from Miketsu’s blade into Ubume's body. She couldn't hold it back; she was forced to grip her umbrella with both hands just to keep from being split open. The stone beneath her feet shattered instantly under the pressure, and her entire body began to tremble under the force of the strike.

"This power..."

From a single, casual swing, Ubume had been forced to use every ounce of her strength just to stay upright. This was the monstrous strength of Miketsu’s divine nature—the power associated with the god Dakini-ten.

"What incredible strength..." Nura Rihyon, who had been about to rush in and support his leader, stood rooted to the spot in astonishment. His thoughts drifted back to a long time ago—the first time he had met Owl and had been foolish enough to challenge him.

Back then, he had taken a strike from Owl delivered with the back of the blade. He had remembered it as a light, slow strike and assumed Owl was being merciful. Now, he saw the truth. How could a great yokai like Owl have had such meager power, almost like a woman? He imagined what would have happened if Owl had struck him then with the force he was using now. Even with the back of the sword, Nura Rihyon likely would have been sent straight to the afterlife, or at least left with half the bones in his body crushed.

At that thought, Nura Rihyon couldn't help but shiver in relief.