Reunion of the Commanders

In the shadows of the sprawling metropolis, upon the battlefield ravaged by demonic winds, the yokai of the Nura Clan and Shikoku were meant to fight a life-and-death struggle under the leadership of their respective young lords. The outcome of this clash was supposed to determine the future ownership of the demon realm in Tokyo and even the entire Kanto region. However, no one could have predicted the sheer number of unexpected turns that would follow.

From the rampage of the flesh-and-blood monsters to the world-shaking strike of the pitch-black demon, unexpected situations far beyond the understanding of the gathered yokai occurred one after another. After these several upheavals, the yokai felt their turbulent hearts gradually turning numb, their capacity for acceptance growing stronger. Yet, this new situation sent massive shockwaves through the hearts of those who thought they had finally adapted—especially the yokai from Shikoku. Why would their Great Clan Leader, Inugami Gyobu Tanuki, who was in semi-seclusion and rarely meddled in clan affairs, suddenly appear here? Why, after appearing, did he not stand by Young Lord Tamazuki but instead beat him senseless on the spot? More crucially, after the beating, why did he drag him along to kneel and apologize to that powerful and mysterious black-robed yokai? And why did he call the other party 'Commander'? What did that mean? The Commander of the Grand Commander?!

Hearing Tamamura's words, all the Shikoku yokai were momentarily at a loss for words, staring blankly ahead while their minds raced with various thoughts. Every yokai present, whether from Shikoku or the Nura Clan, knew the fame of the Grand Commander of the 88 Yokai of Shikoku, Inugami Gyobu Tanuki. He was a hero who had emerged from the fierce conflicts among great yokai during the Sengoku period, a yokai commander who had pacified the entire Shikoku demon realm during the wars and established its current order! He was one of the victorious hegemons of that chaotic era!

And now, such a hegemon was showing such reverence, obedience, and humility toward that black-clad yokai, even calling him 'Commander.' This series of actions didn't just leave the Shikoku yokai frozen in place; it also sparked a flurry of discussion among the Nura Clan yokai on the other side.

"It can't be true, right? That... that Inugami Gyobu Tanuki of Shikoku actually called Owl 'Commander'... That means..." Kejoro's eyes were wide with disbelief. Beside her, Kubinashi nodded with a solemn expression. "...If we go by what Lord Gyuki said, Owl is a yokai who was active during the Heian-kyo period a thousand years ago. Inugami Gyobu Tanuki, who rose during the Sengoku period, could indeed have been his subordinate. And if Inugami Gyobu Tanuki is like this, then there might be..." As Kubinashi spoke, even more explosive possibilities began to form in his mind. Closer to the center of the clearing, Rikuo, who had been standing there, was also startled by the sight of the large tanuki bowing. Hearing the tanuki's words, Rikuo couldn't help but be stunned. 'Ah... this old tanuki is the old man of that little tanuki... which means he is the yokai commander of Shikoku. But he calls Lord Owl 'Commander' too. That proves he and Grandpa are...' At the thought of the relationships that might have existed a thousand years ago, Rikuo's thoughts became slightly muddled.

In short, whether it was shock or bewilderment, Tamamura's actions created massive waves among the gathered yokai. At the center of these waves, before that pitch-black figure, the massive, stout body remained prostrated on the ground. With his other large hand, he was firmly pressing the head of Tamazuki—who had already reverted to his true form—into the earth, forcing him to kowtow. In the face of Tamamura's actions, Miketsu did not say anything immediately, merely watching the aged form before her in silence. Tamazuki, pinned down by Tamamura and unable to move, his body covered in blood, trembled and twitched as he spoke in a weak voice. "Old... what are you doing, Old Man!"

"Shut up!"

Hearing Tamazuki's words, Tamamura flared up in rage again. He lifted Tamazuki's head and slammed it back into the ground. After the ground was smashed into a crater with numerous cracks, Tamazuki finally fainted, losing consciousness. After personally beating his son into a state of heavy injury, Tamamura let out a long sigh of relief. Then, he continued to prostrate himself, speaking again with earnestness.

"Commander... in the battle of the Devil King's Mallet two hundred years ago, I was not only heavily wounded but also lost many of my children. For a century, I was physically and mentally exhausted. He was the only child I had left, so I did everything I could to dote on and spoil him. This led to his current rebellious nature and the disaster of today... All of this is my responsibility for failing to educate my son. If you wish to punish someone, please punish me. My final request is that you spare Tamazuki's life."

Tamamura spoke with such a low posture before Miketsu. Looking at her former subordinate, Miketsu sighed inwardly. She then looked at Tamazuki in Tamamura's hand and spoke slowly in a steady tone. "Which son of yours is this?"

Hearing Miketsu's words, Tamamura was slightly taken aback, then responded directly.

"Commander, this brat's name is Tamazuki. He is my eight hundred and eighty-eighth child."

"Eight hundred and eighty-eight? Not bad. It seems you all completely fulfilled your original ideals..." As Miketsu spoke, she turned her head to look at Rikuo behind her and the Night Parade of the Nura Clan further back. Seeing the careers established by her former subordinates and the lineages they had passed down, she momentarily recalled the time back in Choyo-machi.

"Thank you for the compliment, Commander," Tamamura responded. At this moment, he was still tensely waiting for Miketsu's decision regarding Tamazuki. After finishing her internal reflections, Miketsu turned her gaze back to Tamazuki and spoke bluntly.

"Tamamura, you want me to dispose of your son... but what I want to say is that this conflict has nothing to do with me. Kanto and Shikoku are not my territory, and those who fought and died are not my followers... How this conflict is settled and disposed of is a matter between you and Slippery Nura's families. I have no interest in meddling..."

Miketsu spoke calmly to Tamamura. Her meaning was simple: since your two families have already become independent, then handle your own affairs yourselves... there is no need to seek my opinion. I am just a yokai who has been retired for many years. I am not the leader of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, nor am I the joint ruler of the demon realms of Kanto and Shikoku. Any subsequent cleanup and settlement matters should be discussed and handled by yourselves. Do not come looking for me.

As soon as Miketsu's words left her mouth, the gathered yokai, who had been waiting to see Tamazuki's fate, were all stunned once again. They then began to whisper among themselves. To these ordinary yokai, the opportunity to dispose of the young lord of Shikoku was a manifestation of immense power. However, that black-robed yokai seemed completely indifferent to such power, not even wanting to acknowledge it. Although Miketsu's words seemed carefree, they were actually a declaration of her intention to slip away and slack off. Miketsu did not want to get herself embroiled in this mess because of some 'disposal,' only to be tied down by the various trivial affairs of the Shikoku and Nura Clan yokai. The yokai had mixed reactions to Miketsu's words, while Tamamura was overjoyed. He knew that Owl was handing the power of disposal over to him and Slippery Nura—meaning the issue would be resolved through negotiations between the Nura Clan and Shikoku.

While Shikoku would certainly have to pay a great deal of compensation, at least he could ensure that Tamazuki would not lose his life.

"Thank you, Commander! We will definitely give this brat a severe punishment later, making sure he can never do something like this ever again!"

Unable to hide his joy, Tamamura's aged face broke into a smile. He then gave Miketsu a deep bow before slowly standing up. After letting out a breath, he turned his gaze toward the ruined building above. He shouted loudly toward a shadow behind a broken window that seemed unoccupied.

"Hey! Come out, Slippery Nura! The Commander told us to handle the cleanup here together."

Slippery Nura?

Hearing Tamamura's shout, the gathered yokai—especially those of the Nura Clan—shuddered. They all turned their gazes toward the direction Tamamura was calling. Whether it was Rikuo's expression or those of the Nura Clan cadres, they were all quite a sight. In the shadows behind the window, Slippery Nura, who was using his ability to hide, felt his heart tighten. He cursed inwardly, then looked at Tamamura with obvious dissatisfaction. Slippery Nura had originally planned to stay hidden until everything was over and the crowd had dispersed. Then, he would meet Owl privately away from the Night Parade of the Nura Clan. This way, he could maintain some face before his followers; otherwise, appearing before so many yokai to pay respects to the Commander would somewhat affect his authority.

Slippery Nura knew that with Owl's personality, she wouldn't care about such small things. So, he had planned to wait here until Owl left alone or the yokai had mostly scattered before coming out to see her.

That was Slippery Nura's little scheme, but unfortunately, it was seen through by Tamamura. Not only was it seen through, but it was also unceremoniously exposed—and looking at his expression, it was completely intentional.

'You damned tanuki, you're setting me up!' At this moment, Slippery Nura's expression was full of dissatisfaction as he looked at Tamamura. Tamamura responded with a 'guileless' and 'innocent' smile.

'Kid, you want to stay out of it and keep your dignity? Not a chance! Since I came down to kowtow to the Commander, you're not escaping either!'

Watching the behavior of Slippery Nura and Tamamura, Miketsu couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. She naturally knew what they were thinking. She had actually sensed Slippery Nura hiding there long ago and was also prepared to meet him alone later... but she hadn't expected him to be dragged out like this by Tamamura's trick.

'You two are already old men over a thousand years old, yet you're still exactly like you were before.'

Having been set up by his old friend and rival, Slippery Nura finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He let out a light cough and deactivated his ability, revealing himself before the eyes of the gathered yokai. Seeing his revealed form, the Nura Clan yokai broke into a noisy commotion. The cadres and Rikuo also spoke up one after another.

"Grand... Grand Commander?"

"Grandpa?! So you were here all along?"

"As expected. It seems the Grand Commander and Inugami Gyobu Tanuki are the same..." Kubinashi said understandingly. At this moment, Slippery Nura leaped down from the abandoned building, landing lightly in front of Miketsu before bowing respectfully.

"Greetings, Commander!"

As soon as Slippery Nura spoke, the agitation among the Nura Clan yokai grew even more intense. Many of them had never expected that not only did the Inugami Gyobu Tanuki of Shikoku call that black yokai 'Commander,' but their own Grand Commander did as well! They had speculated about the black yokai's origin, but they hadn't expected it to be so grand!

Seeing this, Kubinashi let out a long sigh among the Nura Clan cadres, then spoke up.

"I really didn't expect it. The Nura and Shikoku clans actually share the same origin."

Hearing Kubinashi's exclamation, Kejoro said in shock, "Same origin... That... that means the fight we just had..."

"Yeah. In a sense, our fight just now could be considered a civil war. A civil war under the legacy of the Owl..." Watching the figures reunited after a millennium, Kubinashi couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"A civil war under the legacy of the Owl?" Hearing Kubinashi's words, Kurotabo pressed down on his bamboo hat, then spoke with a look of regret. "Then it really is a pity. They should have been allies, yet they fought like this... causing nothing but meaningless casualties."

"...Yeah. But I see that the Grand Commander and Lord Tamamura seem to have a good relationship. The reason today's situation occurred was entirely because of that Shikoku Young Lord Tamazuki's personal reasons. Honestly, to cause such a situation for the sake of one's own desires..." Kejoro said with some indignation. Meanwhile, Kubinashi continued to think deeply.

'Was it really just because of Tamazuki alone...?'

Moving back in time, before the darkness had completely descended, and before the conflict between Shikoku and the Nura Clan had erupted.

In the Nura Residence, the young lord of the Nura Clan had just set out with the gathered yokai, leaving the residence empty of its main defenses. Above the residence, a figure flew through the sky.

It was a yokai in the form of a black-haired woman. She had black wings, bandages wrapped around her face, and a short sword in her hand.

Watching the main force of the Nura Clan depart below, a smug thought crossed the yokai's mind.

'They've already headed your way... Lord Tamazuki, please use that demonic blade to fight to your heart's content and buy me enough time.'

While thinking of his role as a pawn, the Yosuzume shook off her black feathers.