Extraction

“Secret Lore Summoning, Seven-Person Procession...”

As the soft female voice resounded, a burst of cyan light appeared before the stunned Seimei and his companions. When the light dissipated, seven dark and eerie figures stood before them.

Wearing conical hats, cloaked in straw raincoats, and with scarves wrapped around their heads obscuring their faces in shadow, the seven tall figures, dressed as travelers, stood in a line. Facing the onslaught of demon soldiers, these seven travelers drew seven different weapons from beneath their raincoats and swung them at the demon soldiers. With a coordinated assault of blades, spears, swords, and halberds, eight or nine of the charging demon soldiers were instantly cut down, causing the remaining ones to retreat several steps in fear, unwilling to advance.

“What... what are these things? Why did they suddenly appear!” the Sanmen-oni exclaimed in shock, staring at the seven figures who had suddenly appeared and slain his demon soldiers. Answering him was the mature, soft female voice.

“The Seven-Person Procession, they are a group of yokai said to haunt the roads in legends. If ordinary people are unlucky enough to encounter them on their journey, they are certain to die...”

Following the voice, the Sanmen-oni abruptly looked up. In the middle of the Main Sacrificial Altar, a woman with white hair and a cyan robe sat atop a floating lamp staff, smiling as she observed everything below. Upon seeing this woman, the Sanmen-oni’s expression turned to one of utter astonishment.

“You... you’re the eighth participant, the Lord of Hyakumonogatari, Ao Andon!”

“Oh my~ I didn’t expect my title as the Lord of Hyakumonogatari to spread so quickly. Lord of Nightless Island, you must also be watching our battle through some other means, aren’t you?” Looking at the Sanmen-oni below, Ao Andon’s smile didn’t waver, but the other’s expression grew even more astonished.

“No, that’s wrong! You should be completely hypnotized and controlled by Yakumo Yukari, just like the other Yokai Lords! How could you be awake!” the Sanmen-oni continued to shout. As he spoke, he glanced at the other four Yokai Lords still floating in mid-air.

“Oh... so you even know all this. Quite capable, aren’t you? Yes, I fell into a slumber and was brought here by Yakumo Yukari. However, I wasn’t hypnotized by her; it was self-induced slumber. Among the secret lore I possess... there are many ways to achieve such an incredibly realistic feigned sleep.” Ao Andon continued to speak with ease, and the Sanmen-oni, after hearing her words, was momentarily stunned before speaking again with an incredulous tone.

“You said you fooled Yakumo Yukari? How is that possible! After your battle with Owl, your demonic energy should have been completely depleted. How could you have any spare demonic power to fool Yakumo Yukari?”

“Hehe, well... that’s a secret...” Ao Andon said with a smile, crossing her legs. At the same time, she recalled her conversation with Owl not long ago, amidst the ruins of Nightless Island’s West Island.

...

“What? You want me to pretend to be captured by Yakumo Yukari to find out what she’s plotting? And where those captured Yokai Lords are?” With a startled expression, Ao Andon looked incredulously at the mysterious Great Yokai shrouded in a black robe before her.

“Yes, the situation is already clear. Yakumo Yukari and Tamamo-no-Mae have conspired to secretly harm us participants. Instead of waiting for death, it’s better to strike proactively. Yakumo Yukari’s next target is very likely you. Why not take advantage of this? Besides... aren’t you very interested in uncovering the truth of secret lore?” Standing on the ruined street, Miketsu spoke unhurriedly to Ao Andon.

“This is truly... a bold plan... Hehe, Owl General, while I agree with your idea, isn’t the risk too great? Yakumo Yukari is an extremely powerful yokai. She likely controls the other Yokai Lords using potent mental interference. I’ve just fought a great battle with you, and my demonic power is at rock bottom. With so little demonic power, would I be able to resist Yakumo Yukari’s demonic arts or even successfully deceive her? Even if I were lucky enough to succeed, what kind of trouble could I stir up in their lair with so little demonic power?” Facing Miketsu’s proposal, Ao Andon immediately posed a series of rhetorical questions. Indeed, for her, lacking demonic power, the risk was too great.

Facing Ao Andon’s questions, Miketsu showed no difficulty whatsoever. As if she had anticipated them, she looked at Ao Andon and continued.

“What if... I could restore your demonic power to its peak state?”

“What? You... do you have some secret medicine or secret art?” Hearing Miketsu’s words, Ao Andon was first surprised, then her eyes lit up as she asked.

“No, I have none of those, but you do.”

“Me? While my secret lore abilities have many uses, they cannot restore demonic power.” Hearing Miketsu’s words, Ao Andon frowned slightly in confusion. Her own secret lore recreation couldn’t create power out of thin air; in a sense, it followed a law of conservation.

“Didn’t you say before... that you absorbed most of the Forest King Yamakaze’s demonic power? That means you can absorb other yokai’s demonic power, right? Now... use that ability to absorb my demonic power.” Miketsu said slowly, pointing to herself. Her words stunned Ao Andon.

“Absorb your demonic power?! You... aren’t you going to face Shuten-doji soon? If you give me your demonic power, what will you fight him with?” Ao Andon said in surprise, and in her heart, she couldn’t help but think, “You just summoned a deity, how much demonic power could you possibly have left?” She hadn’t expected Owl to actually offer her demonic power for absorption.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Just absorb my demonic power. Absorb as much as you can contain, completely disregard me. In a full demonic power state, you should be able to deceive Yakumo Yukari and cause some trouble in their lair, right?” Miketsu said directly and generously to Ao Andon. Hearing these words, Ao Andon was stunned once more.

“That’s truly... a willful statement...”

...

“Heh... I truly didn’t expect that even after I absorbed demonic power to my absolute limit, that fellow still seemed completely unfazed. What a terrifying existence... I’m even more interested in you now... Owl...”

The memory ended. Ao Andon whispered in a voice only she could hear, thinking that even after she had absorbed demonic energy to the brim, Owl showed no signs of discomfort. A small sense of disappointment lingered in her heart.

“I originally only intended to observe what Yakumo Yukari and her allies were plotting, but I never expected to encounter such an unexpected situation. I believe this current predicament wasn’t anticipated by Yakumo Yukari either.” Ao Andon continued, looking at the Sanmen-oni below. Her feigned slumber had only just automatically lifted, and then she heard the Sanmen-oni’s words about sacrificing all the Yokai Lords and Black Tortoise demonic power. It was then she knew it was no longer time to pretend to sleep.

“Hmph... if you intend to oppose me, then there’s only a dead end for you! ghost spirit songstress!”

At this, the Sanmen-oni pointed his hand at Ao Andon, and the massive ghost spirit songstress before him also placed her hand to her mouth, blowing another wisp of faint pink, illusory mist toward Ao Andon.