The Kidnapping of the Young Lord

Tokyo, a bridge over a river somewhere in Ukiyoe-cho.

The artificial lights flickered out one by one, plunging the bridge and both banks into darkness. The bright moonlight reflected off the flowing river, and a cool breeze carried by the water swept across the bridge, fluttering black robes. Beneath the shadow of a hood, a crimson one eye stared forward.

At the end of that dark figure's gaze, Nura Rikuo, a boy of about twelve or thirteen with yokai blood, watched the uninvited guest with a solemn expression. Before him, the Yuki-onna Tsurara and Aotabo had already stepped forward, focusing entirely on their duty as guards.

Tsurara and Aotabo stared intently at the black figure that had suddenly appeared, their internal alarm levels steadily rising. As yokai, Tsurara and Aotabo could clearly sense that the presence before them was currently walking within the demon realm; this was definitely no ordinary human.

A human? No, a normal human couldn't walk in the demon realm... A yokai? But they could barely sense any demonic energy... Furthermore, the figure had directly mentioned the names of Slippery Nura and Rikuo. It was obvious this was someone well-versed in the affairs of the demon realm. Such an existence, whether human or yokai, required vigilance. With these thoughts, Aotabo and Tsurara spoke up.

"Who... are you!?"

"Hey... where did a guy like you come from? I've never seen anyone like you in Ukiyoe-cho before. Do you know the rules here?"

Facing the wariness of Aotabo and the Yuki-onna, the black-robed shadow stood still and slowly spoke in a low, deep voice.

"Just a yokai... I came here to see the grandson of Rihyon..."

Hearing the words of the black-robed shadow, Aotabo and Tsurara were slightly startled, and their vigilance jumped another level. Aotabo clenched his fists and shouted loudly.

"Damn it! You dare call the Grand Commander by his name? Do you not know the rules of this place! It seems you need a lesson!"

"Hey! Ao, don't get excited. He hasn't shown any hostility yet." Seeing the angry Aotabo, Rikuo quickly offered a few words of comfort. He then stepped forward from behind Aotabo and Tsurara, standing between them as he looked at the black-robed shadow ahead.

"I am Nura Rikuo. Do you have business with me?"

Rikuo spoke with a serious tone, and Miketsu answered in a heavy voice.

"It's nothing. I just want to ask you a question. Are you the Third Head of the Nura Clan?"

As soon as the black-robed shadow spoke, Rikuo froze slightly, a look of difficulty appearing on his face. He lowered his head slightly and did not immediately respond to Miketsu's words.

"Young Lord... say something!"

"Answer him, Young Lord! Just say you are!"

Seeing Rikuo like this, Tsurara and Aotabo spoke urgently. However, their words did not move Rikuo much. He remained there with his head slightly lowered, silent, not answering the question posed to him.

Watching the silent Rikuo, the black-robed shadow continued.

"Can't answer? ...Heh... In that case, come with me, Nura Rikuo."

As the low words fell, the black-robed figure stepped forward. The crisp sound of footsteps rang out again in the darkness. Hearing Miketsu's words, Aotabo and Tsurara's vigilance reached its peak. They immediately took up combat stances against the slowly approaching black-robed shadow.

"Hmph! You really are up to no good! You want to take the Young Lord? Not a chance!" Aotabo shouted as he clenched his fists, stomping his foot on the ground and charging straight at the approaching black-robed shadow. Rikuo saw this and wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

"Ao, wait!"

With the shattering of the ground beneath him, Aotabo's tall frame became like an arrow released from a bow, shooting violently toward Miketsu. His fists were clenched tight... yet the black-robed shadow showed no reaction, maintaining the same steady pace forward.

Just as Aotabo's rushing shadow was about to reach the black-robed figure, a loud boom exploded in the darkness.

Bang!

Abruptly, the charging Aotabo was struck by a massive force. His flight path bent into a ninety-degree angle as he was suddenly sent flying sideways at high speed. He crashed violently into the iron frame of the bridge. With a loud clang, the entire frame buckled under the massive impact, and the whole bridge couldn't help but tremble.

"Ao!"

Seeing this, Rikuo shouted in shock. He looked toward where Aotabo had been thrown, only to see the tall yokai's body deeply embedded in the steel frame. He was motionless, only struggling to let out a faint groan...

"Young Lord... run..."

With those final words, Aotabo lost consciousness. The Yuki-onna was so terrified she covered her mouth with both hands. Rikuo's eyes widened, his heart churning with horror.

'He was defeated... defeated in one blow... Ao, who is known for his strength, was actually defeated in a single move... No, maybe it wasn't even a move... because... I didn't even see him strike...'

'That guy... is strong...'

Amidst Rikuo and Tsurara's shock, the black-robed shadow continued its slow approach. Every step seemed to carry a suffocating pressure, giving them an ever-increasing weight that made Rikuo and Tsurara's hearts beat wildly and their breathing grow shallow.

Finally, under the high-pressure tension, Tsurara's composure broke, and she could no longer hold back from attacking.

"Young Lord! Stand behind me!"

Stepping forward, the Yuki-onna Tsurara stood before Rikuo. After taking a deep breath, she blew out a breath of frigid air.

Tsurara's cold breath instantly turned into a piercing blizzard, howling forward from her position. In an instant, a layer of bitter frost condensed on the bridge's surface. The white wind swept toward the black figure, covering it in a short moment. Before that happened, the black-robed shadow showed no sign of trying to dodge.

'It successfully covered him... this should be enough to freeze him solid...'

Tsurara thought to herself as she stared at the patch of crystalline white. But before she could confirm the situation within the frost, the low voice rang out from behind her.

"The breath of a Yuki-onna from this era... isn't quite so bone-chilling..."

Hearing this voice, Rikuo and Tsurara's hearts skipped a beat. They both turned around in shock, only to see that crimson one eye nearly right in front of them.

The black-robed shadow that should have been covered by the cold wind... had somehow silently appeared behind them.

"Watch out! Tsurara!"

Seeing this, Rikuo spoke urgently. He then reached out and drew the tsubaless tachi that Tsurara had been holding in her arms. Once drawn, he slashed directly at the black-robed shadow behind them, a cold light reflecting the moon as it swept toward the figure.

Then... it stopped in mid-air... Sweat beaded on Rikuo's forehead. This strike, delivered with all his strength, could not advance a single inch. A power he could not resist was currently controlling his blade...

The black-robed shadow stood before Rikuo, a bandaged hand extended. Two fingers casually pinched the blade that shimmered with cold light. Looking at the weapon, the figure spoke indifferently.

"Traces of Fujiwara Clan craftsmanship... a blade forged by an Onmyoji... It can disperse demonic energy; it's a decent piece."

The black-robed shadow evaluated the blade's craftsmanship, while Rikuo gritted his teeth and strained to grip the hilt, trying to pull the sword from the shadow's fingertips. However, no matter how hard he pulled, the pinched blade remained motionless.

In that moment, Rikuo experienced the same irresistible power that had left even Aotabo helpless.

"Let go!"

At that moment, the Yuki-onna, having finally reacted, attacked again. With a wave of her hand, she prepared to fire a frigid ice spike at the black-robed shadow. However, before the spike could be launched, the deep red eye narrowed.

Suddenly, Rikuo and Tsurara both felt demonic energy... a massive demonic energy unlike anything they had ever felt before. It was vast, heavy, and terrifyingly suffocating.

"Ugh... this is..."

Under the close-range impact of this horrifying demonic energy, the Yuki-onna Tsurara shuddered, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed unconscious. Rikuo, meanwhile, fell directly to his knees.

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Pressed down by the terrifyingly intense demonic energy, Rikuo felt as if a mountain were resting on him. He could only gasp for air with great difficulty. The irresistible pressure caused his consciousness to fragment and his mind to gradually drift away.

"How... is it possible... just from demonic energy alone... how..."

In an unbelievable whisper, Rikuo gradually fell powerless to the ground. The scene before him grew dark. In that hazy blur, the last thing he saw was that crimson one eye, from which no emotion could be read.

Finally, under the high pressure of the irresistible demonic energy, darkness swallowed Rikuo's vision, and he fell into a deep coma.

Looking at the unconscious boy, the black-robed shadow paused for a moment. Then, she spoke again, but this time it was no longer a cold, deep voice, but a soft and gentle tone.

"Even with only one-quarter yokai blood, he could hold out this long under pressure? Heh, he does have some talent... judging by his previous performance, there's still hope for him..."

The black-robed Miketsu spoke to the unconscious yokai boy. Then, her gaze turned toward the lunar disk gradually rising high into the sky.

"Well then... it's time to start the next step..."

"Cough, cough... It's been a long time since I've used that tone; I'm really not used to it..." As she spoke, Miketsu began to rub her throat.

"I'll buy some watermelon to eat later to soothe my throat..."

...

Time flowed quietly. About ten minutes later.

The cool river breeze swept across the bridge. The Yuki-onna Tsurara, in her human form of about thirteen or fourteen, lay on the cold surface. As the breeze brushed against the girl's hair and cheeks, her eyes twitched slightly before slowly opening.

"Ugh... my head is so dizzy... how did I... pass out..."

Tsurara sat up slowly on the bridge, clutching her head as she looked forward blankly. As she struggled to remember, the images from before she lost consciousness quickly surfaced in her mind. Recalling that last sight—the crimson one eye in the shadows—Tsurara couldn't help but be startled.

"It—it was that guy... with just a glance... That's right! The Young Lord... where is the Young Lord?!"

As she spoke, Tsurara anxiously looked around, trying to find Rikuo. However, her surroundings were completely empty. She was the only one sitting on the entire bridge; there were no other figures.

Neither the black-robed shadow nor her Young Lord were anywhere to be found. All that remained... was Aotabo, still unconscious and embedded in the buckled steel frame in the distance.

Looking at the empty bridge, Tsurara's eyes widened, and tears began to well up. She spoke with a slight sob.

"No, it can't be...

"The Young Lord has been... been kidnapped..."

...

Ukiyoe-cho, Nura Residence.

Deep within this yokai manor, in a room of modest size, the First Head of the Nura Clan, the elderly Slippery Nura Rihyon, sat beneath a calligraphy scroll of the character 'Fear'. He was calmly smoking a pipe, exhaling clouds of smoke. Before him, Karasu-tengu was flying back and forth anxiously.

"What time is it? Why haven't the Young Lord and the others returned yet! A class reunion shouldn't last this long... Grand Commander! Could something have happened to the Young Lord and the others!"

Karasu-tengu spoke while turning to ask Rihyon anxiously. After taking a puff from his pipe and exhaling a plume of white smoke, Rihyon spoke.

"Perhaps... after all, even Ukiyoe-cho has been frequently invaded by evil spirits lately. It's not impossible for some unexpected situation to occur at night."

"Then—then we should quickly send clan members out to search for them!" Hearing Rihyon's words, Karasu-tengu shouted. Rihyon responded calmly.

"Don't be so hasty. Rikuo took Tsurara and Aotabo with him. Ordinary yokai and evil spirits are no threat at all. There are no powerful beings outside the main house in Ukiyoe-cho. Even if they encountered a threat, it would just take some time to resolve..."

"Is that so... So he did take guards with him... In that case, it really isn't time to send people out yet... Let's wait a bit longer..."

"Grand Commander!!"

Karasu-tengu was muttering to himself when a sudden cry interrupted him. At the same time, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the room.

As Rihyon and Karasu-tengu's gazes converged, the shoji doors were thrown open. Appearing behind them was a yellow-haired young man with no neck, his head floating above his collar and scarf. His expression was currently one of extreme urgency.

"What's the rush, Headless Yokai..." Karasu-tengu began, but the Headless Yokai gasped out shocking words after catching his breath.

"It's bad! Tsurara just called. She said the Young Lord was kidnapped by a powerful yokai of unknown origin!"

"What!!"

Hearing the Headless Yokai's words, Karasu-tengu practically jumped into the air. Rihyon's expression froze, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"What about Tsurara and Aotabo?! What were they doing? They failed to protect the Young Lord as guards?" Karasu-tengu shouted in blame. The Headless Yokai responded seriously.

"Huff... Tsurara said... the enemy was simply too incredible. It was beyond their capabilities. Aotabo is still unconscious and hasn't woken up yet..."

Hearing the Headless Yokai's words, Karasu-tengu paused for a moment, then lowered his face and spoke with confusion.

"Hmm... exactly what kind of guy could break through their defense and kidnap the Young Lord? There shouldn't be a yokai of that level outside Ukiyoe-cho... Did Tsurara recognize what kind of yokai it was?"

Hearing Karasu-tengu's question, the Headless Yokai thought for a moment before speaking again.

"She doesn't know. Tsurara said she couldn't identify the species of yokai at all... she only knows he was a normal humanoid yokai, wearing a black robe and having a single red eye..."

Snap!

Just as the Headless Yokai finished speaking, a crisp sound echoed through the room. The gathered yokai were stunned and looked toward the source of the sound.

There, their Grand Commander Nura Rihyon sat frozen, his eyes wide. The pipe he had been holding in his hand had been snapped in two.