Tamazuki

As the sun set and the moon rose, at the final moment of twilight, a sliver of residual sunset glow still lingered on the distant horizon. The streetlights began to brighten gradually, and the pedestrians on the streets began to thin out. At the edge of a certain park in the city, fire trucks were parked along the curb, their sirens wailing. Cordon tape had been set up early, keeping the curious public away from the park. Inside the cordon, in addition to firefighters, there were many solemn figures dressed in plain clothes. They held talismans in their hands and carried various strangely shaped instruments. Outside the park, many onlookers gathered to discuss the situation, while several reporters attempted to conduct interviews and film, seemingly trying to uncover exactly what had happened inside.

On the opposite side of the road, Miketsu stood before a small snack stall, having ordered a portion of oden. She stood by the roadside, eating while watching the gathering crowd and the several black sedans parked next to the fire trucks. As she chewed on a meatball, a thought occurred to her.

'The Onmyo Agency moves quite fast; they actually managed to arrive before the police.'

While eating her food, Miketsu began to reflect on the situation she had encountered earlier. She had originally intended to simply go out for a bowl of ramen today, but she hadn't expected to run into Nura Rihyon, much less expected that Nura Rihyon would be targeted by other yokai assassins. Had the Nura Clan stirred up some new trouble recently?

As she pondered, Miketsu finished her skewer of meatballs and then turned her gaze toward the nearby roadside. There, on a lamp post, was a single drop of blood—a drop invisible to the eyes of ordinary people. Miketsu knew that this blood belonged to the assassin yokai who had previously tried to flee through the air only to be swatted down by a Sugar Shikigami.

'Phew... it actually splattered this far, huh?'

With that thought, Miketsu took the bamboo skewer she had just finished and touched its tip to the drop of blood. Closing her eyes slightly, she began to use this drop of demonic blood as a medium. Using the traces of causality it carried, she reverse-derived the causality of the whole. Deducing the whole from the residue, inferring the past from the present—in just an instant, Miketsu saw through the entire life of this yokai from birth to death. Every event experienced by the black-clad assassin, every piece of information it contained, was laid bare before her. Miketsu easily filtered through it and extracted the specific information she needed.

"The 88 Yokai of Shikoku... subordinate Fuku-gumi... leader Tamazuki... target: Nura,"

Miketsu whispered the information she had reverse-derived. Once she had obtained everything she wanted, she tossed the bamboo skewer into a trash can and looked toward the lunar disk slowly rising in the sky. It was as if memories of the past were being recalled in her mind.

"I really didn't expect it... that you could actually realize your dream one day, to marry eighty-eight wives and father eight hundred and eighty-eight children..." With a slight smile on her lips, Miketsu continued to speak to herself.

"In a certain sense, that counts as being extraordinarily capable, Tamamura."

Miketsu then placed her hand on her chin and began to contemplate.

'So, what identity should I use to intervene this time? Hmm...'

The night deepened as the stars and moon revealed themselves, and darkness fell completely. Colorful neon lights flickered to life in various corners of the city. The arrival of night brought a time of activity for many lives that had been silent during the day. In Tokyo, in a quiet district far from the bustling center, inside a dilapidated and abandoned high-rise building that seemed to be undergoing renovation, shadows covered everything. In the dark and lonely abandoned tower, there were no flashing lights, only the multicolored neon reflecting through broken windows and the cold moonlight from the sky.

In this profound darkness, countless presences were moving in the shadows. Fierce gazes flickered in the gloom, and whispers emanated from corners. The roars of beasts echoed through the stairwells scattered with rubble. Many deformed and terrifying shadows were projected onto the walls, and a cold chill permeated the corridors. This was a demon's den, a den where hundreds of yokai had gathered. For so many naturally chaotic yokai to gather in such a small space while maintaining relative order was a situation that, in all of Tokyo, should have only existed at the Nura Residence. However, the current situation seemed different.

In a large room on the top floor of the building, a young man stood. He had short black hair, a handsome face, and a sharp gaze. He was dressed in a spotless white shirt and a blue suit. His simple attire, combined with his pale and eerie face, radiated the aura of a wicked scholar. This eerie youth stood in the empty room, looking up at the moon slowly rising in the sky. A pile of construction materials was stacked beside him. Atop these materials, another youth dressed similarly in a shirt and suit, with messy brown hair, was crouching. His arms were extended forward, and a tongue far exceeding human length stuck out from his wide-open mouth as he panted, much like a dog.

"Tamazuki, how much longer until we can go and have a satisfying slaughter with those Nura guys? I can hardly wait."

The dog-like youth crouched on the materials, his elongated claws screeching as they scraped against the steel pipes in the pile, producing a harsh and unpleasant sound. Speaking with an impatient tone, the youth asked his question.

"Don't be so anxious, Inugami. Although the Nura Clan is more like a dog than a tiger these days, to avoid unnecessary minor injuries, it's better to pick off their officers one by one before launching the final total assault."

Hearing the words of the dog-like youth, the young man named Tamazuki spoke slowly with a smile. Upon hearing this, Inugami spat on the ground.

"You're still too cautious, Tamazuki. Rumors about what the Nura Clan has become today have already reached Shikoku. Every ghost realm in the country knows the truth—that the Nura of Kanto is currently weak and incompetent. There are plenty of leaders wanting to snatch territory or nobodies hoping to make a name for themselves. Aren't you worried that if you dawdle, some other guy will beat you to it?"

With a smirk, Inugami continued to speak to Tamazuki. Hearing Inugami's words, Tamazuki remained unmoved, keeping his eyes on the moon as he spoke.

"Don't worry. Those yokai generals with some actual strength are just like my weak father, pedantically following that ancient Sengoku Covenant. They only think about guarding their own territory. Even if they see an opportunity, they won't act. Otherwise, with the Nura Clan's current state, they would have been gone long ago. But thanks to that broken agreement, I have my chance. We have plenty of time to play with Nura slowly."

As he spoke, Tamazuki looked toward the western sky before continuing.

"I truly feel pity for my father, who has already lost his fangs. If he had listened to my advice, he clearly could have unified Shikoku and Kanto, becoming the greatest yokai general in this country in one fell swoop, and then perhaps even plotted for the whole world. But he insists on caring about some past Sengoku Covenant and refuses to act. It is truly a waste of a god-given opportunity."

Tamazuki sighed as he spoke, while Inugami beside him continued to sneer twice before speaking.

"Heh, isn't that for the best? If Inugami Gyobu won't do it, you will. As long as you can grasp this opportunity, why give it to that old fossil of the previous era? Instead of letting Inugami Gyobu be the joint ruler of Shikoku and Kanto, it's better for you to defeat Nura yourself and become the Grand Commander of Kanto. Once you hold all of Kanto, you can use that prestige to return to Shikoku and force that old man to abdicate completely. In the end, you will govern both regions yourself and become the strongest Grand Commander. That's probably what you truly desire in your heart, right, Tamazuki?"

Hearing Inugami's words, Tamazuki said nothing more. He looked at Inugami in silence for a moment before slowly speaking.

"I couldn't tell before, but Inugami, you're quite clever. But as a dog, you don't need to be so smart."

"Heh, after being with you for so long, Tamazuki, I've managed to figure out a bit of what you're thinking. It's nothing to do with being smart or not," Inugami continued with a sinister laugh. After glancing at Inugami, Tamazuki gave a cold snort.

"Hmph, forget it. It's night now; time to start a new round of hunting. Prepare to move."

As he spoke, Tamazuki prepared to turn and walk into the shadows. Seeing Tamazuki about to leave, Inugami hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

"By the way, Tamazuki, the informants active today gathered some rumors. They say the Young Lord of the Nura Clan has recently changed from his previous decadence and has suddenly started seriously revitalizing Nura. I heard he goes out every night to subjugate evil spirits and yokai who don't submit to Nura. Should we go find him tonight? If the Young Lord dies, the Nura Clan will surely fall into chaos, and our subsequent actions might be much faster."

Hearing Inugami's words, Tamazuki was slightly stunned. Then, he continued with a smile.

"Thinking about revitalizing now? It's too late. In that case, let's go look for him tonight. Supposedly, the Young Lord only has a quarter-blood yokai heritage. We'll go let him witness what a true yokai is. However, according to the rumors gathered by the informants, that Young Lord somehow obtained a powerful demonic blade. His strength has increased greatly, and so far, none of the yokai or evil spirits he has subjugated have survived."

"A demonic blade? The Nura Clan actually managed to get a demonic blade too? It seems they've put in quite a bit of effort to revitalize their kamon. However..."

While speaking slowly, Tamazuki reached his hand into the shadows beside him. From them, he pulled out a tattered tachi sheathed in a decaying scabbard.

"No matter what demonic blade the Nura Clan found, it eventually cannot compare to this—the sinister blade that can pull out my father's fangs. There is no demonic blade in this world that can stand as its equal."

"With it, I shall become the Lord of the Hundred Demons who unifies the demon realms of the world..."

Holding the tattered tachi up to the window, letting the cold moonlight spill onto the blade that radiated an ominous aura, Tamazuki whispered with a trace of daze in his expression. Seeing him like this, Inugami couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly.

Boom!

Just as Tamazuki was intently staring at the demonic blade in his hand, a sudden sound came from outside the window. The ground trembled slightly. Tamazuki snapped out of his daze and shouted loudly.

"What happened!? What's going on?"

Responding to Tamazuki's shout, a water-dwelling yokai in the form of a Kappa came running in panic from a distance. Bowing before Tamazuki, he spoke nervously.

"Re... Report, Lord Tamazuki! Other yokai are attacking from outside! Nura... the Nura yokai are attacking us!"

Hearing the subordinate's report, Tamazuki froze in place. He hadn't expected that before he could go looking for others, they would take the initiative to strike first.

Below the abandoned shopping mall building, on the dark street without streetlights, the Young Lord of the Nura Clan, his yokai blood awakened, shouldered a pristine tachi that glinted coldly. Surrounded by Yuki-onna, Aotabo, Kurotabo, the Headless Yokai, and others, he walked slowly forward. On either side of them, countless diverse yokai of the Nura Clan charged ahead, throwing themselves into a fierce brawl.

Under the moonlight, Rikuo pointed the tachi—carved with the rice ear, flying dog, and bird feather—toward the dark shopping mall ahead. The cold blade, under the moonlight, became entwined with dense demonic energy.

"Charge, Hundred Demons of Nura!"