Sū ěr thoroughly agreed with Nurarihyon judgment.
Although he had half-jokingly speculated when he first arrived in this era whether Yakumo Yukari had died of old age or been killed over the long centuries, in reality, it was hard for Sū ěr to imagine that cunning, cautious, and ruthless female youkai failing to make it to the modern age.
It was a pity he couldn't find Yakumo Yukari—the "Great Library" of information who had survived countless storms since ancient times. If even these youkai hiding in human cities were so well-concealed, finding a Yakumo Yukari that even they couldn't find seemed like an even taller order.
Legends and stories could be gathered slowly. Compared to those, Sū ěr was more concerned about the "Great Feat" Nurarihyon had mentioned twice—something he had supposedly done with Yakumo Yukari and some "Great Dog General" he'd never heard of. So, he asked.
"The Youkai War," Nurarihyon told him frankly. "To be precise, it was a war against the gods on the moon and the Lunarians. I heard it was quite brutal. I was running pretty fast at the time, so I didn't participate—luckily."
Sū ěr: "..."
This seemingly formidable old youkai shamelessly admitted to running away without the slightest concern for his dignity.
Gods on the moon? Lunarians?
Sū ěr couldn't help but look up at the bright full moon in the night sky. It wasn't its own light, but the reflected light of the sun. When he first arrived in this era, he had merely punched through the atmosphere to confirm the moon's shape, but he hadn't actually gone to the lunar surface. Was something hidden up there?
I'll go up and have a look later.
"It seems you don't remember that either... well, that's normal. Sleeping for too long always leads to this or that issue." Mistaking Sū ěr silence for reminiscing, Nurarihyon refilled the sake and said, "Do you like this current era? Or rather, these things created by humans? Why don't you stay with me for a while? My house is quite large—enough for you to slowly experience this world of centuries later."
Nurarihyon pointed to the distant skyscrapers, which remained brightly lit even in the dark of night. Their light spilled over the courtyard walls. Unlike this traditional courtyard, those buildings carried the scent of modernization—a city that never sleeps.
"No need, I have a place to stay," Sū ěr simply declined. "Besides, your grandson has likely recognized me. I'm currently working part-time at a McDonald's, and I happened to run into him this afternoon."
Nurarihyon: "..."
This time, he was genuinely stunned to the point of being slack-jawed. The sake cup he had been holding between his fingers actually slipped and fell, though he managed to catch it in the next second.
"That... that is truly... shocking?" Taking a reflexive sip, Nurarihyon found the fact that this Great Youkai was personally working a part-time job far more staggering than the fact that Sū ěr didn't hate the human era.
"Let's talk more about your kind," Sū ěr said, waving a hand to move past the topic of his job. "Are all the youkai active in human cities like you people?"
"You mean we don't look like youkai anymore, right?" Nurarihyon held out his hand and opened his palm between them with a bitter smile. "It's not just habits or speech; we have become fundamentally different from the youkai of several hundred years ago."
As he spoke, a swirl of black youki began to spread along his arm like a mist, emitting a faint bluish light. As it gathered, it actually outlined a blurry humanoid figure, though the specific shape remained unclear.
"This is the youki of a Nurarihyon—dreamlike, a mirage. For all youkai who haven't hidden in a 'Hidden World' and instead survive in modern human cities... we are essentially a different race from the youkai of the past..."
As Nurarihyon voice dropped to a whisper, his youki draped over his shoulders and back like a piece of clothing, translucent as gauze, shifting with indistinct imagery.
"This power is called Fear [Osore]," Nurarihyon said with focus. "Dread, awe. Using this emotion as a catalyst, one can shake the heart of an enemy youkai or make them feel terror. At that moment, one can break through the opponent's youki with irresistible force."
"Unlike the youkai of centuries ago who could move mountains and fill seas with their own raw power, all the youkai who remained in the outside world over these centuries have been gradually weakening. Many youkai who struggled to be born can't even manifest a basic physical body. In a way, this is an ability we evolved to become stronger and protect ourselves in this difficult environment."
"Every youkai's Fear has a different ability; it can even change according to personality and emotion." Nurarihyon grinned. "Most importantly, Fear can be stacked—and this provides the strength for us lingering survivors to live through the encounters with human Onmyoji [exorcists] and those 'Oddity Experts' who have emerged in recent years."
"Because of this, youkai who can gain the trust of others to share their Fear and lead them to survive in this world are called Lords of Youkai—a Hyakki Yagyō [Night Parade of a Hundred Demons]."
"The Nura Clan is such an existence." Draining his cup, a flash of light passed through Nurarihyon old but sharp eyes. He continued, "And the one leading the Nura Clan is myself—the Lord of Pandemonium."
In that moment, the old youkai seemed to regain his youthful vigor. Sū ěr did indeed sense the aura of a Lord of Youkai from him. However, that feeling vanished without a trace in the next second due to his subsequent actions.
"Of course, that all happened after Great Youkai like you stopped appearing in the world. I've long since retired to live out my old age." Suddenly reverting to his previous "grumpy old man" persona, Nurarihyon shrugged casually. "Although I don't know why you all chose to go into seclusion at the same time, the chaos of the world always needs to be settled."
The old man was essentially excusing himself for calling himself the Lord of Pandemonium, and the truth of his words was open to interpretation. One could tell he must have been a wild and unrestrained character in his youth, but Sū ěr didn't care about such empty titles.
He roughly understood now. These youkai living in human society had indeed silently changed their essence over the long years. Setting aside whether this change was evolution or devolution, it had certainly helped them survive.