Kanbe Hikaru and Kikyo had actually been mentally prepared for such a scene from the very beginning.
Because of the Shikon Jewel's existence—this thing had always caused disputes, and no generation of possessors could hold it for long. This included the previous Demon Slayer Village head; even with the strength of the entire Demon Slayer Village and the secret support of various Great Archmages like those from Tahoto, he had ultimately only lasted less than ten years before being unable to hold out—needing to transfer it to a stronger guardian.
Even more so now.
In the midst of this, Kanbe Hikaru suddenly recalled some rumors he had heard on the road.
He thought of the war between the Imagawa Clan and the Hojo Clan.
Both were major powers in the Kanto region. The Imagawa Clan ruled the three provinces of Suruga, Totomi, and Mikawa; although they didn't have actual control over many areas, they still possessed formidable power.
The Hojo Clan, though they were the 'Later Hojo' from outside rather than the purest Hojo lineage, similarly occupied Sagami Province and Musashi Province, neighboring the Imagawa Clan.
The two houses frequently clashed in order to seize more territory.
He had heard recently that a large-scale war was about to break out again.
In theory, although Musashi belonged to the Hojo, it didn't actually border the Imagawa lands.
However, having traveled this world for several months, Kanbe Hikaru had long discovered that the geography of this world differed from the world before his transmigration. It was larger, and some places were different; Musashi Province and Suruga under Imagawa rule truly did have a neighboring area—a very narrow mountainous region, not large, but it did indeed exist.
It was normal for the chaos of war to spread here.
And coincidentally, the Band of Seven appeared in this area at this time, specifically to cause slaughter and resentment... It was hard to say that the conflict between those two houses didn't have the handiwork of the so-called demon from Kyoto behind the Band of Seven.
He suddenly thought of a name.
The name of a Great Yokai that existed in the same work as Nurarihyon and Nurarihyon.
It was a Great Yokai entrenched in Kyoto, gestating the King of Demons.
Its name was Hagoromo Gitsune.
She was a Great Yokai closely related to Tamamo-no-Mae, one of the three Great Yokais of Japan, the nine-tailed fox!
If this incident was truly related to Hagoromo Gitsune...
"This is trouble,"
Kanbe Hikaru whispered.
"What?"
Kikyo turned to look at him.
"Nothing."
Kanbe Hikaru shook his head: "Just thinking that the demons in Kyoto might be even more troublesome than we imagined."
Kikyo did not press further.
She simply quickened her pace.
Not just Kanbe Hikaru, but Kikyo also understood that if that demon from Kyoto had truly set its sights on the Shikon Jewel, Kaede Village would be the next target.
That was the village Kikyo protected.
It was also her home.
"Can we go any faster?"
Kikyo suddenly asked.
Her tone was still calm, but Kanbe Hikaru could hear the urgency within it.
"We can."
He reached out his hand: "Hold on."
Kikyo did not hesitate and grasped that hand.
The next second—
The muscles in Kanbe Hikaru's legs bulged as [Spear-Waist Transformation] and [Sharp Body Transformation] were activated simultaneously, connecting strength throughout his entire body.
And then.
[Phantom Step] was performed in rapid succession.
The speed of the two suddenly surged, like two gusts of wind sweeping through the mountain forest.
Trees retreated rapidly, and mountain rocks turned into afterimages.
Kikyo was pulled forward, her white robe and red hakama flapping loudly in the wind, her black hair trailing behind her in a straight line.
She could feel the temperature of that hand.
It was very cold.
Yet it was reassuring.
...
Meanwhile, at the other end of the land.
Still in Kyoto.
And still within the underground Palace located in the Kinai Region.
An interior where sunlight never reached, filled with stone pillars and mottled murals.
A woman sat on a high platform.
She wore a Junihitoe, the layered and dazzlingly magnificent attire of noblewomen from the Heian Period.
But the most striking feature was the nine tails behind her.
Pitch-black tails that seemed capable of swallowing light.
Hagoromo Gitsune.
Her face was hidden in the shadows, her expression unreadable.
But those eyes, golden vertical pupils, shimmered in the gloom.
"Kidomaru."
She spoke, her voice light yet clearly reaching every corner of the hall.
"Present."
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was a man.
No.
It was an oni.
An evil spirit in the form of an old man, with aged hair and beard, wearing a kimono and carrying an exceptionally long tachi at his waist.
However, the cold aura emanating from him made it clear that he was by no means human.
His name was Kidomaru.
In the ancient ghost stories and legends of this land, he was an oni child raised by demons after being abandoned in the deep mountains.
In essence, he was the manifestation of the resentment of countless abandoned infants across this land.
He was once a subordinate of Shuten-doji, the Great Oni King who occupied Mount Oe in Kyoto five hundred years ago; after Shuten-doji was defeated, he vanished.
No one knew that he was still active in Kyoto.
Today, he is one of the extremely powerful combatants among the yokai active in Kyoto.
"How is the progress with the vanguard army?"
Hagoromo Gitsune asked.
"Deployment is complete."
Kidomaru's voice sounded as if squeezed from the depths of his throat, aged and hoarse.
"I have hired a band of mercenaries with a fearsome reputation among humans to infiltrate the battlefield between the Imagawa Clan and the Hojo Clan."
"These fellows will continuously raid the borders of the two provinces, creating slaughter and chaos."
"The more intense the war, the thicker the resentment."
"The denser the resentment, the more yokai it will attract—those yokai will serve as my vanguard army for that location."
Hagoromo Gitsune nodded, her eyes hidden behind her mask showing satisfaction.
"You have considered this well, Kidomaru. Since they are humans, acting during the day will not arouse suspicion."
"But remember, remember, what we want is resentment and the Shikon Jewel to accelerate the gestation and birth of My Son—not the victory or defeat between humans."
"The more tragic the fighting on both sides, the better."
"When the resentment is sufficient to carry you... that will be the time for your appearance."
Kidomaru smiled: "Understood."
"I have also summoned many yokai who gathered nearby due to the resentment to conduct a probe."
To test the strength of that priestess who holds the Shikon Jewel.
And to wear her down.
Hagoromo Gitsune nodded, quite satisfied.
"Go and handle it."
"Remember—"
Her voice turned cold: "Do not delay the main business."
"The collection of resentment is the highest priority."
"Then, the Shikon Jewel."
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