The Heian period was not just an ordinary feudal era—it was also an age where demons and spirits ran rampant.
On that small island nation, legends of all kinds of monsters and ghosts were never in short supply.
One might dismiss it as the ignorance of the island's people, but the truth was... some of those supernatural tales were real.
Among the legends passed down from the Heian period, the most famous was undoubtedly that of the fox spirit's son, Abe no Seimei—the greatest onmyoji of the Heian era, said to command shikigami and commune with heaven.
When Abe Nobumasa uttered this name, Shinichi's jaw dropped in astonishment. "
What? You mean... the myths are real? Onmyoji actually existed?"
Leaning against the wooden doorframe, Nobumasa affectionately ruffled the hair of the sleeping Tsukiyomi.
Hearing Shinichi's shocked voice, he chuckled before replying calmly, "They're real... but not entirely. At the very least, I can say that after this ancestor of the Abe clan truly rose to fame, he was indeed an onmyōji."
With that, Abe Nobumasa turned his head and gazed intently at Shinichi, asking a very serious question.
"Child, have you ever wondered what the true meaning of existence is for every person, even every living creature in this world? And where do they go when life ends?"
"Uh, what? Life? I don't understand what you mean," Shinichi frowned and shook his head.
"Heh, in our beliefs here, we believe that human souls return to Yomi after death. In the distant eastern lands, people believe in an afterlife realm called the Underworld. Further west, those furry folk think there are two destinations after death—Hell and Heaven."
"Truthfully, no matter the culture, humans wish to believe in an afterlife. And in reality, such realms do exist. Whether its called the Yomi, Underworld, Hell, Heaven, or the River Styx... all these names ultimately refer to the world of the dead—a realm completely different from ours, where life and death are inverted."
Hearing this, Shinichi seemed to grasp something.
He looked at Abe Nobumasa and Abe Tsukiyomi, his fists involuntarily clenching.
"So, you—no, that Abe no Seimei—are connected to Yomi? And the Demons' existence is also tied to it?!"
Abe Nobumasa nodded, then shook his head.
"You could say that, but it's not entirely accurate. The blurred boundary between life and death is real, as is the Yomi. Throughout history, humans who covet the secrets of life and death from Yomi have never been in short supply. The pursuit of immortality is practically an impulse engraved in every soul."
"It is precisely because of such people that the balance between Yomi and the human world has been repeatedly disrupted, and the boundary between life and death affected accordingly. When forces not of this world seep from Yomi, legends of ghosts, gods, and spirits emerge throughout history. This is no isolated phenomenon."
"The Demons lurking in the shadows now, the vampires of Western folklore, the Jiangshi of the eastern lands—all are results of the disturbed boundary between life and death. Of course, just as there are humans greedily seeking immortality, there are also those who guard the balance. The Abe clan is merely one of many families in history who learned the secrets of the Yomi and swore to protect that balance."
The ancient tale unfolded from Abe Nobumasa's lips, leaving Shinichi stunned as he was filled with an overwhelming sense of unreality.
Yet when he looked down at his own hands and recalled those hazy memories—of another world—if something as impossible as crossing worlds could be real, then legends of the Yomi and the cycle of life and death didn't seem so hard to accept after all.
Under Abe Nobumasa's narration, the story emerged of a guardian of life and death who should have remained steadfast but fell to the basest temptation of wealth.
Once a protector of the Yomi, this man stole power from it and sold it to a noble in exchange for boundless riches.
As a result, the Yomi' curse spread through the entire Abe guardian clan, turning most of its members into mindless monsters who no longer understood life or death.
In the end, they were all slain by the few remaining sane members of the Abe family—including that first betrayer.
However, such belated efforts could not alter the curse of the Underworld.
The curse born from stealing the power of Yomi would forever haunt the Abe family—this was the Underworld's punishment for the fallen.
Thus, in just two short centuries, the Abe family dwindled to only a handful of members.
It was during that time that Abe Nobumasa's elder brother—the true grandfather of Abe Tsukiyomi—vowed to end the family's curse after losing two sons and a daughter in succession.
Abe Nobumasa did not know what his brother had done, but one late night, his brother vanished.
Shortly after, terrifying legends of demons began spreading in Kyoto.
From that moment on, Nobumasa never saw his brother again.
And on the very night those demons appeared, both he and Abe Tsukiyomi became the objects of pursuit by the progenitor of demons—Muzan Kibutsuji—transformed into immortal, undying demons.
....
Deep within the dense forest, a figure clad in purple moved silently, the fluttering butterfly-patterned haori leaving a graceful afterimage in the air.
Shinobu Kocho wore a flawless smile, as though attending an elegant tea party rather than tracking a bloodthirsty demon.
Her steps were light and precise, each movement measured to avoid making even the slightest sound.
"Lady Shinobu... shouldn't we... wait for reinforcements...?" A young Demon Slayer panted behind her.
Without turning, Shinobu replied in a voice as soft as a spring breeze.
"No need~ I'm more than enough on my own."
Though her tone was gentle, the Demon Slayer couldnt help but shuddered.
Ever since the Forest Hashira... disappeared, the Insect Hashira had become like this.
On the surface, she remained as kind and approachable as ever, but those eyes... those violet eyes were utterly lifeless.
Suddenly!
From the depths of the forest came the eerie creaking of puppet joints, accompanied by a childlike yet bone-chilling laugh.
"Ara~ Found you." Shinobu's smile widened slightly, though her eyes remained cold.
She leaped gracefully onto the branch of an ancient tree, her purple butterfly haori fluttering faintly in the wind.
Below, on the empty ground, a grotesque puppet tilted its head, its painted eyes fixed on her.
The puppet's mouth stretched into an impossibly wide grin, revealing rows of pale white teeth.
"Demon Slayer Corps~" the puppet squeaked in a shrill voice.
"So clingy, aren't you? Aren't you afraid of death?"
Shinobu's smile didn't waver, but her fingers tightened imperceptibly around the hilt of her Nichirin Blade.
The slender blade within its sheath was coated with her latest neurotoxin, potent enough to paralyze and kill any demon instantly.
Hidden within the folds of her haori were countless sharp, deadly weapons.
"After slaughtering so many children~" Shinobu's voice dripped with sickly sweetness, "I absolutely won't let you escape this time~"
Before the words fully left her lips, her figure vanished.
As the Nichirin Blade left its sheath, a faint purple mist—alive with lethal intent—spread outward, enveloping the entire clearing.
"Damn it! Don't think I'm actually afraid! After killing you, I'll use your heads to make new puppets!"
The puppet Demon sneered, its body twisting unnaturally to evade the blade while its joints creaked ominously.
Sharp claws extended from various parts of its body, savagely swiping at Shinobu.
Yet Shinobu's assault never faltered.
Each of her strikes was swift as lightning, the poisonous mist growing ever thicker.
Her expression remained fixed in that flawless smile, as though she wore an exquisitely crafted mask.
-----------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator