The Matchups

In the world of yokai, strength is paramount. Beyond power, only power serves as the standard for gaining the recognition of any yokai. This was especially true for the Yokai Lords who stood at the pinnacle of their kind. Thus, when Tamamo-no-Mae proposed using strength to decide the ownership of the Black Tortoise demonic power, no one raised an objection.

"Hmph. Indeed, only absolute strength can convince us. However, Nine-Tails, I doubt you would simply hand over such a massive amount of demonic power for nothing. Tell us, what is the price?" the Lord of Arakawa snorted coldly. Although the Black Tortoise demonic power was of little use to him, there was no reason to let it be given away for free.

"It is not so much a price as it is a small condition. The one among you who ultimately obtains the demonic power must agree, in the form of a contract, to do one thing for me. Rest assured, this task will not be directed against yourself, nor will it be an impossible death-trap. It is something that almost any of you, as yokai, could accept..." Raising a forefinger, Tamamo-no-Mae slowly stated his conditions from mid-air. Hearing his words, Miketsu felt a sudden jolt in her heart.

As expected, that fellow Tamamo-no-Mae likely intended to use this method to create an ally. That so-called 'one thing' was almost certainly assisting him in an attack on Heian-kyo. If his plan succeeded, he would gain another god-level yokai ally after this gathering. Combined with himself, that would make it three against the two known god-level figures of Heian-kyo. If he could find yet another god-level ally, the combat power would be balanced... or perhaps, he had already found such an ally.

At this thought, Miketsu's heart tightened. While Tamamo-no-Mae's power was great, his specific abilities might not be all-encompassing. The ability to convert spiritual power into demonic power was extremely rare. Aside from herself and Toga's blade, she had never seen it elsewhere, let alone converting such a massive quantity at once. An ability like that had nothing to do with a yokai's raw strength, which meant the one who converted the Black Tortoise spiritual power was likely someone else... If that were true, there might be other powerful entities hidden behind Tamamo-no-Mae!

After Tamamo-no-Mae stated his conditions, the gathered crowd did not react much. They all knew that Tamamo-no-Mae surely had his own goals to achieve through this assembly.

"Since you all agree to decide who gains this demonic power through strength, let us waste no more time. It is best if we determine who is the strongest among the Yokai Lords tonight. Dodomeki!"

"Yes, Lord Tamamo-no-Mae!" Obeying Tamamo-no-Mae's command, Dodomeki patted her handball. Eight of the eyeballs embedded in it split off and hovered in the air. They began to spin in a widening circle, adjusting their trajectories so that every eyeball passed in front of each Yokai Lord in a loop.

"To put it simply, for the sake of fairness, your contest will not be a chaotic free-for-all or a king-of-the-hill match, which are prone to too many variables. Instead, it will be a tournament based on drawing lots, where the winners advance until a final champion is decided. Now, each of you choose an eyeball. It will project an image to determine your Heavenly Stem position. Those in adjacent positions will face each other..." With a smile, Dodomeki explained the rules. Hearing this, Miketsu couldn't help but criticize internally.

'What is this? An Elite Eight tournament? Tamamo-no-Mae certainly knows how to have fun...' While thinking, Miketsu reached out and took an eyeball. An image was immediately projected from it—the character 'Jia'.

"Hmph, boring... No matter how it's done, the final winner will be me..." Shuten-doji casually took an eyeball. The character projected from it was 'Xin'.

"A duel of destiny..." The mysterious woman took her eyeball, which displayed the character 'Bing'.

"This is getting interesting... Kujira, take one." Otakemaru's attendant picked up an eyeball, and the character revealed this time was 'Ji'.

"A duel decided by sequence..." The eyeball in Toga's hand displayed the character 'Geng'.

Great Tengu intercepted an eyeball with his fan. After his hands touched it, the character 'Wu' appeared.

Yamakaze silently grabbed an eyeball, which displayed the character 'Ding'.

"Hehe~ I'll grab one for the big dummy~" Kingyohime hopped up, and the character on the eyeball she caught was 'Yi'.

"Very well. Since everyone has finished drawing lots, let us look at the matchups~" Dodomeki said, then used one of the eyeballs to project the brackets into the center of the area.

Jia vs. Yi: Owl vs. Lord of Arakawa.

Bing vs. Ding: Mysterious Yokai vs. Yamakaze.

Wu vs. Ji: Great Tengu vs. Otakemaru.

Geng vs. Xin: Toga vs. Shuten-doji.

Once the results were out, the opponents who were about to face each other couldn't help but exchange glances, displaying various expressions. Tamamo-no-Mae spread his arms and made a loud declaration.

"The opponents have been determined. Your duels shall begin immediately. The location will be two spacious deserted islands nearby; two matches can be held simultaneously. The one who surrenders or loses consciousness is the loser. Any means are allowed, and life or death is at your own risk. Tonight, we shall decide the final victor!"

...

Moving back slightly in time to the beginning of the night, in a seaside fishing village far from the island, Seimei and Slippery Nura walked slowly through the bustling crowd.

"It really is lively. Quite a few people have come to see the so-called Shiranui. It must be a spectacular sight, a vast sheet of fire rising between the sea and the sky," Slippery Nura remarked with some emotion as he looked at the surrounding crowds.

"Yes. If we didn't have urgent matters, we could find a good spot to enjoy the view. But not now; we must find a way to get to the island first." Seimei's brow was still clouded with worry.

"There's no helping it. You've already asked so many boatmen, and no one is willing to go to that yokai den. It seems relying on human boatmen isn't a viable option," Slippery Nura said seriously, looking at Seimei.

"Mhm... I'm out of options for now. I heard that before I lost my memory, I could command a White Crane as a flying shikigami. Unfortunately, I cannot feel the contract with the White Crane now..." Seimei said in a heavy voice. Due to the splitting of his soul, Seimei had lost half of his shikigami contracts.

Just as Seimei and Slippery Nura were at their wits' end, an aged voice suddenly drifted from not far away.

"Hey, hey, you Onmyoji from the Capital over there..."

Hearing this voice, Seimei and Slippery Nura immediately turned around. They saw an old fisherman wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat sitting slumped under a tree. The lowered hat obscured half of his face, revealing only the lower half with a disheveled beard and deep wrinkles. Although his eyes were not visible, Seimei felt as if the man was staring directly at him.

"Old gentleman, you... know I am from the Capital?" Seimei asked cautiously, looking at the old fisherman who had suddenly addressed him.

"Nonsense. In this Kanto region, your Kyoto accent couldn't be more obvious. Those rogue mystics outside might try to wear Kariginu, but they aren't nearly as tidy as you." The old fisherman spoke with a matter-of-fact tone. Seimei was momentarily speechless, and the old fisherman chuckled before continuing.

"Heh... I heard you want to go to the island but can't find a boat. I might be able to lend you a hand..."