Chapter 4: Tamamo-no-Mae Truly is a Great Yokai
When the capital of Japan moved from Nagaoka to Heian-kyo (Kyoto) in 794 AD, the Heian period began—an era where Japan gazed across the sea at the prosperous Tang Empire.
Later generations of Japanese would praise the Heian period as an incomparably magnificent and brilliant era. However, it was also a dark time; monsters, spirits, and humans coexisted within the capital, intertwined in an almost ambiguous fashion.
When the sun rose, Heian-kyo, bathed in sunlight, was the imperial capital of a golden age that ruled for over four hundred years.
But when night fell, demonic shadows strode across the great avenues and vengeful spirits intersected. Yokai lived human-like night lives in dining districts and hot spring towns. Those who accidentally witnessed this were either turned into food or cursed to die for no reason later on. Consequently, those who went out at night back then had to sew the Ushnisha Vijaya Dharani into their lapels to pray for the Buddha's protection.
Even though the yokai would hold their breath and vanish from human sight once the sun rose, people still felt their presence with dread. They called the onset of night the "Hour of the Demon" (Hyakki Yagyō), and the legend of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons began here.
The Heian period was the peak of Japanese Onmyodo, an era where Onmyoji and yokai were pitted against each other in constant slaughter. This led to the birth of a large number of powerful Onmyoji in the late Heian period, represented by Abe no Seimei.
But the same applied to the yokai.
In that era, Tamamo-no-Mae was an existence standing at the very pinnacle of monsters—elegant beyond compare and doing exactly as she pleased.
A millennium has passed, and as Tamamo-no-Mae returned to Kyoto, she felt she could no longer understand this place. The "Hundred Demons" had vanished in this era; the other great yokai who were once her equals, with whom she drank and boasted, were nowhere to be found. The "Lord of Pandemonium" had become a mere myth. She could accept all of this, but now, she encountered something incomprehensible and unacceptable.
Setting aside the fact that they didn't recognize her beautiful and powerful self, they actually called her a dog?
You're the dogs! Your whole family are dogs!
Glaring furiously at the group of humans, she would have bitten someone if Hikigaya hadn't pressed a hand down on her.
"Calm down..." Meeting everyone's confused gazes, Hikigaya maintained his composure and solemnly introduced her to the crowd: "She is Tamamo-no-Mae."
The Kansai sorcerers were first stunned, then shocked.
'This dog is Tamamo-no-Mae?
The legendary great yokai Tamamo-no-Mae wasn't a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, but a nine-tailed dog demon!?'
Everyone's first thought was that their ancestors were indeed ancient people who probably suffered from night blindness; their eyesight must have been poor in the pitch-black night, leading them to mistake a dog for a fox.
Then, they began to lose their cool.
So what if she was a dog demon? It should be said she ought to be a dog demon! Since ancient times, haven't those magic creatures with powerful spiritual energy appeared in the form of canines? Everyone grew up hearing stories of Inugami (dog gods) and dog demons. Although Onmyoji had long lost the ability to possess an Inugami as a guardian spirit—let alone a dog demon formed from a backlash—they had never even seen one.
But that didn't stop them from knowing the power of these legendary monsters. Now they had finally seen the real thing, and not just any dog demon, but the former Lord of Pandemonium from Heian-kyo! And now she was a subordinate of the Rakshasa King!
'How wonderful!'
"Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, welcome back to Kyoto," the crowd bowed one after another.
However... Tamamo-no-Mae keenly discovered that these people seemed to still think she was a dog monster!?
"You all think I'm a dog, don't you!? Don't you!?" She was livid; she had actually been mistaken for a canine demon!
The crowd said nothing, but their expressions spoke volumes. Hikigaya felt this was truly a sin. Logically, he should clarify things for Tamamo-no-Mae to save her prestige. But Tamamo-no-Mae's current appearance was indeed too deceptive; even Hikigaya would mistake her for a pup if he wasn't careful.
"Lord Rakshasa, Lady Tamamo-no-Mae, please forgive our discourtesy. Fine wine and food have been prepared in the main hall. We hope the two of you will not find it lacking." Grandmother Seishuin took a step forward and issued the invitation.
She was certain that if this continued, Tamamo-no-Mae would absolutely snap. She hadn't viewed Tamamo-no-Mae as an Inugami from the start; after all, she had seen other Inari gods. Though they weren't powerful, they shared the same type of aura as Tamamo-no-Mae. And she wasn't the only one present who had seen an Inari god; she believed those people would soon realize the truth.
In Japan, Inari shrines aren't exactly on every corner, but there are quite a lot of them, and the Inari gods occupying those shrines are exclusively fox demons.
"Sorry for the trouble." Hikigaya patted Tamamo-no-Mae to calm her down. Then, along with Ena and Liliana, he followed the members of the Kansai Branch along the stone path toward a grand hall that caught the eye immediately.
That was the main sanctuary here.
The base of the Kansai Branch was actually a massive shrine covering a vast area. Except for the lack of stone steps, it had everything: torii gates, approach paths (sandō), purification fonts (chozuya), lanterns, a kagura stage, ema racks, guardian lions (komainu), a worship hall (haiden), a sacred fence (mizugaki), and the main sanctuary (honden).
This pervasive Shinto style was the most awkward point for the Onmyoji. Japanese sorcery originated entirely from Onmyodo, and Onmyodo had long since become a part of Shinto. However, the Meiji government had forcibly stripped the Onmyoji from Shinto and resolutely banned them. That period could be called the era of decline for Japanese Onmyodo. Aside from the shrines that the parishioners worked hard to maintain, by the post-war period, Onmyodo had almost completely vanished in Japan.
The level of contemporary Japanese Onmyodo couldn't even compare to the Warring States period, let alone the Heian period. Ultimately, supernatural power is a byproduct of culture, and the development of culture is always directly influenced by power politics.
With such reflections, Hikigaya entered a large room in the main sanctuary that could serve as a chapel; it was very spacious and bright.
From the Chairman down, all core members of the Kansai Branch sat. Others guarded outside the hall. The shrine maidens who had acted as hostesses by the torii gates now acted as musicians, playing music and dancing to one side.
As Hikigaya sat down, some shrine maidens prepared to serve tea and water, but Ena and Liliana sat to his left and right, and the maidens retreated without a word. Ena personally brewed a cup of tea for Hikigaya.
Hikigaya took Tamamo-no-Mae off his shoulder; the creature was still huffing with rage.
"Alright, don't be mad." Hikigaya patted her head. "Change back to your human form. Once they see how you look, they won't think those nonsensical things anymore."
Tamamo-no-Mae thought this made sense. In the next instant, her fox tail split into nine, and a surging, majestic cursed power erupted, nearly knocking the Kansai sorcerers over. Even the shrine maidens in the distance were blown about by the wind generated by the power.
The next moment, as the shaken crowd focused their eyes, an exceptionally beautiful and radiant girl appeared in the center of the room.
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