As Sesshomaru sped toward Kyoto with Haru, Atsu, and an unseen tagalong, the demon-ruled city hummed with tension.
The Hundred Demons Night Parade's veterans rallied around Nurarihyon, scheming against the Lord of Yellow Springs.
They'd die for the Slippery Gourd. Two centuries ago, they'd followed him against Hagoromo Kitsune, odds be damned. They were his Night Parade; a chaos lord's loyal group.
They toppled Hagoromo Kitsune, climbing high. As they planned their exit, an onmyoji, the Lord of Yellow Springs appeared.
No one knew how, but he swayed the Slippery Gourd. They crushed the Keikain clan, the era's top onmyoji, and settled in Kyoto, aiming to dominate.
At first, Yellow Springs' vision thrived. The demons even admired him.
But as time went by it soured. The Hundred Demons turned oppressors, not protectors.
Kyoto darkened, even for demons and the Slippery Gourd doesn't even want to see his son. Was he still himself?
Yellow Springs' endgame was murky, but the veterans wouldn't wait. They'd strike first!
Rikuo was their core, not only because he was the heir but also of his strength.
He shed his laid-back mask, diving into tactics. Outnumbered, they relied on surprise and Shiro's aid.
Bird demons kept watch, guarding their secrecy.
But they didn't know that everything they did was seen by a certain existence; the so-called privacy was a myth.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the verdant tower "Ukiyo," Shiro paused his junk-sorting and glanced at a mirror.
"Hundred Eyes, why show up yourself? You usually send Jiu."
A green slit pupil gleamed in the glass, its voice rasping. "Hehe, I was afraid that little girl would make mistakes so I came by myself...Still tidying? Your precious Yellow Springs Hundred Demons are crumbling!"
Shiro sighed. "So it's time. I figured they'd hold off longer. Impatient idiots… If they'd stayed quiet, I'd have ignored it. What a shame."
"You're not worried?" The eye narrowed. "The power you have worked so hard to build is collapsing."
"Why would I be?" Shiro tilted his head. "It's just a few people who rebelled. Why do you want to implicate the entire Yellow Springs? "
"Why should I be?" Shiro tilted his head, unruffled. "It's just a handful of rebels. Why dismantle everything over them?"
"You're stronger, yes, but this could spiral. You stand to lose more than you think."
"Oh, that." A slow, knowing smile crept across Shiro's face. "It's already taken care of."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a leader. I know my people, their whispers, their discontent. If they turn against me, they'll rally around the old guard, especially Nura Rikuo." His smile sharpened. "So, a year ago, I had rat demons plant explosives beneath their homes. After months of careful setup, the blast… well, I wouldn't want to be near it."
He leaned closer to the mirror. "Rikuo's place got triple the load. He was my student, after all, so I have to deal with him properly."
The eye widened, momentarily speechless. "…You're merciless. Are you even human?"
"Human?" Shiro's laugh was low, tinged with darkness. "You, who've walked through rebirth with me, should know what I am."
"I nurtured a hero, not a demon king."
"What's the difference?" His voice turned cold, resolute. "Heroes and demons are the same. They do what must be done. Only the goals shift. I faltered once, missing something vital. If playing the demon king completes me, so be it."
He fixed the mirror with a steely gaze. "Hundred Eyes, ever since you handed me that 'method,' I've distrusted you. Until now, I still don't know your true purpose…..I know that you're using me, but as long as it serves my dream, I'll play along. Cross me, though—"
"I'll end you."
The threat hung briefly before his tone softened, a disarming warmth returning. "For 250 years, I've chased this obsession. I'll crush anything that stands in my way."
Hundred Eyes faded from the mirror without a word, leaving silence in its wake.
Shiro clapped once, and Jiu stepped from the shadows. "Lord of Yellow Springs, your command?"
"Tell the rats: detonate."
"Yes, my lord!"
She turned to leave, but Shiro's lips parted as if to speak, then closed. Alone, he drifted to the balcony, gazing out at Kyoto's radiant sprawl. "Jiu… What's wrong with me?"
"Am I still myself?"
Through countless lives, his reflection had grown foreign. Only an unyielding drive remained. "Kyoto's beautiful," he murmured, tracing the city's glow. He yearned to leap, to glide like a bird, free of burden.
But humans don't fly.
"Without aid, humans can't take flight… I'll be their wings… Me?"
"…Who am I?"
A wave of vertigo gripped him. "It has collapsed to this extent. I am afraid I can't hold on for much longer….I just hope I can last till the end moment.
Then, explosions ripped through the night, fire blooming across Kyoto like deadly flowers.
"Heh… pretty."
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Numbers can turn the tide.
In an age where swords outmatched firearms, gunpowder was a rarity among demons. It was too crude, too unstable. But amass enough and ignite it? That was sheer lunacy, a gamble no one dared take.
So when it erupted, no one was prepared. They didn't even recognize the force that shattered them.
Demon flesh, hard as steel, tore apart, charred, and scattered in the blast. In moments, an estate vanished, its inhabitants reduced to blood and ruin.
The Hundred Demons' veterans, once a formidable core, were decimated. From a tight-knit force, only a few like Yuki Onna and Ushi-Oni clung to life amid the wreckage.
Rikuo let go of the Karasu Tengu in his hand with a serious expression. If he hadn't used his ability to protect him in time, this veteran cadre of the Hundred Ghosts who was older than him would have been doomed.
"Rikuo, are you hurt?" Yuki Onna's voice sliced through the haze, edged with worry.
"I'm fine. Karasu's breathing, just out cold." He stood, steadying himself. "That was…"
"Gunpowder, maybe," Ushioni rasped, his face drawn. "I've seen it before, but never like this. It's obviously a human creation."
"Don't underestimate them," Rikuo said. "This world's more theirs than ours." Half-human himself, he straddled both worlds but burned with demon pride.
"Are we the only ones who survived… Teacher, you're so ruthless." Rikuo's voice tightened, a knot forming in his chest. The pain of loss gripped him, heavy and unyielding.
Seventy-three loyal demons had stood by his side mere moments ago. We were outnumbered but battle-hardened, ready to face the odds. Now, they were ash, their strength extinguished in a single, brutal stroke.
The Lord of Yellow Springs, had struck without mercy, obliterating them despite their disadvantage. "This is grim. It's just us now against whatever lies ahead," Rikuo muttered, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
His sword gleamed as it sliced through the air.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed as a faceless figure in white robes collapsed. Its death seemed like a single as many more white-robed figures appeared, their numbers growing like a tide.
"Rats… or executioners?" Rikuo counted swiftly. "One, two… over a hundred. My teacher must think highly of me." He hoisted Karasu Tengu over his shoulder and let out a dry laugh, facing the encroaching swarm.
A lone figure stepped forward. "Rikuo, the Lord of Yellow Springs summons you and the elders to Yellow Springs Tower. Your father awaits there."
Jiu drew her short sword, her posture radiating menace. "Resist, and even if you are the young master, they'll cut you down!" Her words were cold, unyielding.
She had come to end him, her squad primed to thwart his slippery tactics.
"Yuki Onna, Ushioni… you don't have to die here with me…"
"What nonsense are you talking?" Ushioni barked, unsheathing his blade. "I'm no coward!"
"Rikuo, do I seem weak to you?" Yuki Onna's smirk was bold, unwavering.
Rikuo grinned back. "Sorry, that was a foolish thing to say… Let's strike them hard!"
"Clear Mirror, Still Water…"
Darkness swallowed them whole.
"What—"
A robed figure split apart mid-scream by an invisible attack.
"Stay sharp! It's the Nura clan's invisibility technique. Use the robe curses—argh!"
Seeing the bodies of their captain and their teammates, the enforcers faltered, their numbers useless against an unseen foe.
"Tch, useless!" Jiu snapped. "Move!"
"Ninja Art: Kamaitachi Whirlwind!"
Her hand signs unleashed a storm, toppling all in its path. The wind grazed something unseen, a faint ripple in the air.
Jiu's eyes glinted. She flung shuriken. There was a clunk sound and few sparks erupted as they struck an invisible blade.
"Hmph… target where I mark!" She traced the distortion, hurling more.
Her squad responded with a barrage of blades, stones, flames, bolts of lightning; all hammering Rikuo's position. Yuki Onna and Ushioni surged forward to aid him, but Jiu signaled, and arrows rained down on them.
"This won't hold!"
The air shimmered and Rikuo reappeared, blood-streaked, beside his comrades. "Take my hands!"
"Mirror Flower, Water Moon!"
A storm of attacks crashed where they'd stood…
Jiu halted her squad, scowling. She tested the air, then spat a curse. "They're gone? Not for long!"
"Rikuo's dragging three wounded; they'll be slow. We'll intercept them at Rashomon! We must not let them escape!"
"Captain… some elders survived."
"Hundred Demons elders?" Jiu's lip curled. "The Lord loathes traitors. Finish them."
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jiu's instincts proved keen. Rikuo was skilled but young, and carrying three companions sapped his strength. He stumbled before reaching Rashomon.
"Rikuo, you should escape alone. We can't breach the gate like this," Ushioni said, his voice thick with resignation.
Yuki Onna nodded. "You've done enough. It's senseless if you fall. The Hundred Demons need you alive!"
"Enough!" Rikuo snapped. "Abandon my team? What kind of leader does that make me? Even if it's just us, you're my Night Parade! I won't leave anyone behind!"
White robes closed in. Ahead, Rashomon towered; their final hope.
"I'll force it open…"
He gripped Nenekirimaru tightly. The gate's demon heads glared down.
"Well, well, young master Rikuo! You look rough," the red head taunted.
"Like a stray dog," the green one jeered.
Rikuo's heart raced. 'They don't know?'
"Nothing…I just had a little argument with my father," he said, forcing a casual grin as he scratched his head. "Ushioni and Yuki Onna got caught up in it… Dad's been in a foul mood lately."
The heads smirked. "So, you're fleeing?"
The pursuers neared. One shout, and the gate would seal.
The tension pressed but Rikuo kept his composure. "Yeah."
Creak!
Rashomon began to part…
"Stop!" Jiu's voice thundered.
The gate halted, a narrow gap remaining.
Rikuo spun, flashing Jiu a mocking grin. "Mirror Flower, Water Moon…"
"Damn you!!!" Jiu roared, glaring at the oblivious gate, then bolted after them.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Huff… huff…"
Rikuo gasped for breath while Yuki Onna and Ushioni slumped nearby. Karasu Tengu, still unconscious, somehow looked the least worn.
They never expected Jiu to be so relentless. She chased after them for nearly a hundred miles without rest.
'Is she insane?'
Rikuo knew it was her unshakable loyalty to Yellow Springs. That determination was ironclad.
"This is bad… she'll wear us down…"
"Done running?" Jiu emerged, her weary squad in tow. Exhausted yet fierce, she fixed them with a glare. "No more escapes!"
Rikuo sighed, a faint chuckle slipping out. "Heh… dying by your hand wouldn't be the worst fate…"
Then suddenly he and Jiu froze, glancing upward. "What's that?"
A demon cloud descended. A striking figure, neither distinctly man nor woman, landed with two boys. Haru steadied himself, eyeing Rikuo's hair. 'That's him.'
"Who are you?" Sesshomaru's voice was flat, devoid of warmth. "This is near Kyoto? Are you linked to the Yellow Springs Hundred Demons?"
Rikuo and Jiu tensed, wary.
Jiu's men didn't wait. Outnumbered and bristling from the chase, one shouted, "Hey, who do you—"
His head rolled before he finished.
Sesshomaru's gaze swept the rest. "Anyone else?"
"Hmph! There are only three! Let's attack them!"
Jiu's eyes widened. "Idiots!" She began her signs…
"Hmph, although it's wasteful, but one-by-one is tedious." Sesshomaru drew Bakusaiga.
One swing, a thousand cuts–unleashed!
.....
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