The woman's tone shifted. Her voice tensed. Where the soft voice had vanished, it was replaced by an ancient, bloodthirsty aura, and… hunger.
"Hundreds of years ago, I devoured a sorceress ten times stronger than you. You will only be my next meal…"
Lance raised his sword, and for the first time that night… the air around them began to vibrate.
The woman clasped her hands tightly together. Instantly, a dark light enveloped her fingers—coalescing like thick smoke—and from within that mist, a sword slowly emerged. Its blade was slender and proud, reflecting a strange silvery sheen, as if it were absorbing the light around it.
"This is the Kusanagi sword," the woman said in a flat yet threatening tone. "Given directly by Amatsu-Mikaboshi. With this, I have beheaded thirteen great sorcerers. Now… it's your turn."
In a flash, the woman plunged the sword into the ground. A silent thud echoed—inaudible, yet felt to the bone.
The earth cracked. The air seemed to exhale a breath of death. From the fissures spreading in all directions, thick black mist seeped out like boiling blood of darkness.
Then came the sound. Laughter. Wet, shrill laughter that did not come from a single mouth—but from hundreds, perhaps thousands of lost and angry souls.
In an instant, the creatures appeared. Their bodies were transparent yet smeared with darkness. Swollen faces, elongated, or even eyeless, each reflecting unspoken suffering and hatred.
The evil spirits howled. They floated in the air, circling Lance like hungry sharks sensing blood.
Lance sneered, one eyebrow raised cynically. His eyes reflected the flickering magic fire that began to ignite around his body.
"Damn," Lance muttered. "I'm really seeing the Night Parade of One Hundred Ghost of Japan… in the middle of America."
...
...
...
This is the original Japanese version of the Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts, more commonly known as Hyakki Yagyō. The ghosts that appear at the front of the procession are merely ordinary evil spirits—vague yet common frightening forms. But at the back of the line, that's where the real nightmare begins. Strange monsters that have evolved from the shadows of legends and superstitions writhe to the surface of reality.
There is a tree spirit resembling a moss-covered tree man, its eyes peering from the cracks in the bark that resemble a face. A dog ghost with a severed neck walks with blood dripping from its flesh, staring with empty eyes that continue to glow. A bird ghost like a burning phoenix, its body shimmering red-orange, spews embers from its charred beak. Then there is a skeletal ghost whose upper body is that of a beautiful woman with a terrifying smile, but from the waist down, it transforms into a giant white spider scuttling with its spiny legs.
A long-necked ghost emerges from the darkness, its neck even longer than a giraffe's, twisting in the air like a cursed snake. Behind it, Hyosube appears—a yokai said to be three times uglier than the ugliest monkey, its body covered in filthy fur and laughing with a hoarse voice like stones grinding. A weasel ghost appears with sharp eyes, and its scythe-like claws tremble in anticipation of blood.
Most of these hundreds of strange monsters are not mere wild creations. They are drawn from archetypes of yokai and evil spirits from various corners of the world, reinterpreted in Japanese mythology, and then resurrected in this terrifying parade. There are also ancient illustrations of Hyakki Yagyō depicting this scene—but none as accurate as this. Because now, the parade is alive.
And Tamamonomae—the legendary creature standing at the forefront of this procession—truly looks like a nine-tailed fox. But not an ordinary fox.
Where this female fox holds the Kusanagi sword in her hand, as if it has been a part of her from the very beginning. The aura of the sword vibrates the air around her, as if repelling anyone from approaching. Shadows of spiritual fire flicker around Tamamonomae's tail fur, making her appear like a goddess of death from another realm.
Um... this fox must be a hybrid.
Hundreds of ghosts and monsters rush toward Lance, like an unstoppable wave.
With this sight, even two or three high-level spellcasters might not be able to withstand it. No wonder the demon woman is so confident.
Lance looks around. The air is filled with spirit mist, low-hanging gray clouds, and winds that roar like the cries of the dead. The world around Lance shifts—it's as if he has fallen into another realm, an underground world that completely isolates him from reality.
The demon woman raises her hand and creates a barrier again. This time, it is much larger. This space has become a small dimension, isolated from the laws of the outside world. Without it, it would be impossible to summon so many beings without destroying the surrounding environment.
Lance suddenly remembers something.
In South Korea, there is also a legend of the nine-tailed fox, but their abilities are not comparable. They are much weaker... too different from these terrifying creatures.
These beings are not just nine-tailed foxes!
Does this have anything to do with the God Amatsu-Mikaboshi?
"God Amatsu-Mikaboshi... I feel like I've heard that name before. But who is he, really?" murmurs Lance, his brows knitting in tension.
Boom!
A loud sound shakes the place. The first monster finally arrives.
It is a female ghost transformed from a wisteria tree. In legend, it is a spirit that waits for a thousand years just to meet her lover who never comes. A creature full of obsession and suffering. But now, it is no longer just a melancholic spirit.
It has now grown into a giant creature, its movements slow yet filled with pressure. Hundreds of purple vines extend from its body, thrashing wildly in the air like whips of a demon, slicing through the wind with a sharp whistling sound. Each whip falls like an old purple lightning bolt, heavy and fierce.
They strike the ground like small meteors, shaking the earth.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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