The Breakout

Within the stone cavern beneath the dry well of the Minamoto residence, Yorimasa was saved just in time by his subordinates who had burst in. Despite his narrow escape, he didn't seem interested in immediate revenge or continuing the battle against Seimei and Nura Rihyon; instead, he chose to retreat.

Under his command, the Demon-Faced Centipede reared up and slammed into the massive stone sealing the well’s mouth. The boulder shattered, allowing the moonlight to spill back into the depths.

"They’re trying to run!"

Seeing the centipede’s move, Nura Rihyon tightened his grip on his blade, looking for an opening to leap onto the creature and cut Yorimasa down. However, at that moment, a cacophony of footsteps and roars echoed from the dark tunnel the centipede had originally emerged from.

A deluge of various yokai surged from the tunnel—Kyusu, Ape Yokai, tree spirits... mostly common or minor spirits. Yet, each one radiated a faint, sinister aura, their eyes wide with madness. There were more than a dozen of them.

"I will repay this debt a hundredfold! Until then, play with these bottom-feeders!"

With a loud shout, Yorimasa rode the Demon-Faced Centipede out of the well. Below, Nura Rihyon, Seimei, and the others were swamped by the incoming horde. These creatures had clearly been driven into a frenzy by Yorimasa’s men using shards of the demonic blade; they knew nothing but mindless slaughter.

"Tsk... what a nuisance! We just finished one, and now there’s a whole pack!"

Ubume swung her Umbrella Sword, doing her best to cut down the approaching yokai. Having just freed herself from Sekibanki’s remains, she was now plunged into another melee. These yokai, also fueled by that sinister power, had significantly increased ferocity and regeneration, making dealing with a group of them exceptionally troublesome.

"Dammit, the bastard got away..."

"Don't worry about him for now, Nura! Deal with the enemies in front of us first!"

Seimei, Nura Rihyon, Hakuzosu, and Ubume were all caught in the siege of the frenzied pack. Having just fought a major battle, they hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath before new enemies appeared, leaving them hard-pressed to keep up.

Just then, heavy, steady footsteps echoed from the entrance of the main passage. A handsome young man with long white hair, a streak of crimson in his fringe, and robes embroidered with the Sasa Rindo crest over armor entered the cavern. Behind him followed a squad of fully armed samurai and Onmyoji. Having sensed the disturbance in the dungeons, Minamoto no Yorimitsu had rushed down with the residence's guards.

"Exterminate all out-of-control yokai!"

"Yes, sir!"

Scanning the area, Yorimitsu gave the order in a loud, commanding voice. Blades were unsheathed and Onmyoji pulled out their talismans as the Minamoto forces joined the fray. With the assistance of the reinforcements, the yokai in the cavern were quickly wiped out. Finally, the samurai and Onmyoji formed a perimeter, surrounding Nura Rihyon and Seimei’s group in a tense standoff. Yorimitsu’s order had been to eliminate 'out-of-control' yokai, and Nura Rihyon, Ubume, and Hakuzosu clearly did not fit that description.

"Cursed Minamoto Onmyoji... do you wish to bind me again?" Seeing the crowd, Hakuzosu assumed a defensive stance, his demonic energy flaring. He would never return to a cage.

"It’s Hakuzosu! He’s broken his contract! Subdue him again!" someone from the Minamoto ranks shouted. Just as the group was about to strike, Yorimitsu spoke.

"Hold..."

He suppressed his subordinates' aggression, then looked at Seimei, Nura Rihyon, and Hakuzosu with a slight smile.

"Heh. Abe no Seimei, Nura Rihyon... breaking into my home to steal the Minamoto clan's shikigami? Tell me, has the Kamo clan entered some secret alliance with the Owl?"

"I didn't expect the Minamoto clan to use unidentified sinister power on their own shikigami, let alone plan to release frenzied spirits to endanger Heian-kyo." Facing Yorimitsu's interrogation, Seimei didn't back down, questioning him in return. They had heard Yorimasa's words atop the centipede clearly.

"Frenzied shikigami endangering Heian-kyo..." Yorimitsu’s brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. At that moment, another Minamoto samurai ran in from the passage in a panic, reporting directly to him.

"Lord Yorimitsu, this is a disaster! The yokai in the dungeons are losing control on a massive scale! They’ve broken out of their cells and are slaughtering the guards!"

"Losing control... even so, shouldn't they be confined by the prison seals? How did they get out?" A shadow fell over Yorimitsu's expression as he listened.

"Ac-according to the surviving guards, it was Lord Yorimasa’s personal shadow guards who forcibly released them!"

"Yorimasa..."

"What's more, those yokai are digging upward! It seems they intend to leave the dungeon directly through the ceiling... and above this prison lies Heian-kyo!"

Late at night in Heian-kyo, along the silent streets of Suzaku Avenue, a squad of soldiers carrying lanterns yawned as they went about their routine patrol.

"Hmm? What's that? Is there an earthquake?"

Suddenly, they felt the ground beneath their feet tremble slightly. The tremors grew stronger and more frequent, immediately putting them on high alert. Just as they were considering shouting to wake the sleeping populace and sound the alarm, the shaking became violent. The earth cracked and buckled beneath them, suddenly bursting open into a massive hole.

"Waaah!"

A giant rat yokai, five or six meters tall, burst through the surface with metallic claws. It sent the soldiers standing atop it flying, slamming them into the ground. Then, countless yokai of all shapes and sizes poured out from the tunnel the Kyusu had dug. These creatures, tainted by sinister energy, lunged at the terrified patrolmen. Amidst a chorus of piercing shrieks, they devoured the men before scattering into the surrounding area.

One after another, holes erupted from the ground across various parts of Heian-kyo. From these pits, swarms of frenzied yokai surged forth, attacking every living thing they saw and turning the night into a bloody hunt.