The night was deep, and Kanbe Hikaru traveled through the mountains and forests.
[Phantom Step] was used continuously, his figure like a phantom—or rather, he was already a phantom, an Oni Samurai formed after death.
His long pale hair flew in the wind, and his grey clothes rustled.
The red comb in his bosom was vibrating.
"Hey."
Yura of the Hair's voice was muffled, "Are you sure you want to go alone?"
"Not alone."
Kanbe Hikaru did not look back and repeated again, "There is also you."
Yura of the Hair was speechless for a moment, but Kanbe Hikaru ignored her and suddenly asked:
"What is the specific background of those four vanguards?"
This was, of course, information that needed to be understood beforehand.
Silence.
The skull on the comb turned, as if it were thinking.
She did not hide it either.
"The one to the west is a Thunder Beast."
"Thunder Beast?"
"Mm."
Yura of the Hair explained, "It is a very ancient yokai. It is said to be the fallen descendant of a beast that served the Thunder God. It can control lightning and its speed is extremely fast."
Kanbe Hikaru's footsteps faltered for a moment.
This Thunder Beast reminded him of the so-called Thunder Beast brothers from the original work... Could it be related?
Besides, it was to the west.
That was the territory of the Imagawa Clan.
It was the daimyo ruling Suruga Province, the faction currently at war with the Hojo Clan.
"Continue."
"To the north is the Venomous Flood Dragon."
Yura of the Hair's voice carried a hint of disgust, "An old snake that has attained spirit form. Its entire body is highly poisonous, capable of corroding even the air."
"It is hiding within the Hojo Clan's territory. It is said to have already poisoned several villages to death."
Kanbe Hikaru nodded.
These two vanguards were positioned right on either side of the battlefield.
"And the south?"
"That is a yokai named Gakimaru."
Yura of the Hair's voice dropped even lower, "A giant moth yokai that can release scales that bewilder the human heart."
"It is said that those affected by its scales will fall into an eternal nightmare."
"And the last one? To the east?"
"A Nekomata."
Yura of the Hair spat out these two words.
Nekomata.
Kanbe Hikaru had an impression of this name.
A yokai from Japanese legends, formed when an old cat cultivates to attain spirit form.
Its tail splits into two, hence the name Nekomata.
It is said to be able to control the corpses of the dead, making them move like puppets.
"Of these four, which is the strongest?"
"There is no strongest, but for me, the most troublesome one is the Thunder Beast."
Yura of the Hair did not hesitate, "While I am no match for the other yokai, I have no problem running away from them. Only the Thunder Beast is different—its speed is too fast, so fast that even my hair cannot escape it."
Kanbe Hikaru's eyes narrowed.
A speed-type yokai.
A bit troublesome.
"Then we shall start with it."
He changed direction and dashed toward the west.
He was going there to find it—and then, eliminate it.
To defeat the strong with the weak—as long as he planned ahead, with his current methods that were stronger than a normal Six Transformations, it was not impossible to achieve.
...
Meanwhile.
In Suruga Province, the main castle of the Imagawa Clan.
In the Tenshukaku, within the main palace.
Imagawa Yoshimoto sat kneeling in the main seat, with over a dozen mages before her.
These mages wore various types of attire; some looked like Onmyoji, some like monks, and others like shrine maidens.
They were all experts invited by the Imagawa Clan at a great cost.
"So."
Imagawa Yoshimoto's voice was calm, yet carried a suppressed anger, "You have investigated for three days, and the conclusion you finally reached is simply—you don't know?"
The mages looked at each other.
The leader was an old man with white hair and beard, wearing the attire of an Onmyoji. It was said he was from the Onmyo Bureau in Kyoto, but had been demoted and forced to become a retainer for a regional daimyo.
"Reporting to the ruler…"
The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead, "That lightning was indeed not a normal celestial phenomenon; it contained a dense Demonic Qi."
"But as to exactly what yokai it is, we…"
"Cannot find out, is that it?"
Imagawa Yoshimoto interrupted him.
"Yes."
The old man lowered his head, "That thing comes and goes without a trace, never revealing itself."
"We set up a Barrier, but it seems to be able to travel underground, completely unaffected."
Imagawa Yoshimoto's fingers tapped on the armrest.
Traveling underground, coming and going without a trace, and appearing with lightning every time.
"Do you have no other methods?"
"This…"
The old man hesitated for a moment, finally forced to speak, "If you could invite stronger mages, such as those great Onmyoji from the Kyoto Onmyo Bureau…"
Imagawa Yoshimoto sneered.
"Kyoto?"
"I am currently at war with the Hojo Clan; where would I find the time to go to Kyoto to invite people?"
"By the time they are invited, the city would already be burned to the ground—if Master Taigen Sessai hadn't happened to be away, why would I need useless people like you?"
The old man buried his head even lower, and the other mages also fell silent in fear; they dared not refute this statement in the slightest.
The name of Taigen Sessai was enough to make them silent in fear.
Silence permeated the great hall.
Imagawa Yoshimoto closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.
She hadn't slept well these past few days.
Every night, she would have that dream.
In the dream, lightning raged, and the city burned.
But there was also another figure.
A figure standing amidst the lightning.
Pale long hair, crimson eyes.
Holding a long sword, cutting through the lightning.
If she could find that figure… but, there was too little information, how was she supposed to find it?
Imagawa Yoshimoto had no clue; she knew she could not go on like this.
"You may all leave."
Imagawa Yoshimoto waved her long sleeve, her pretty face beneath her black hair ice-cold, "Continue to monitor the movements of that lightning."
"If there is any unusual activity, report it immediately."
"Yes."
The mages were relieved as if granted amnesty and retreated one after another.
Silence returned to the great hall.
Imagawa Yoshimoto stood up and walked toward the inner room.
That was her private space.
It was also—
The place where she kept her treasured sword.
Sōza Samonji.
It was a famous sword passed down through generations of the Imagawa Clan. It was said to have once been the personal sword of a former Ashikaga Shogun, and later fell into the hands of an ancestor of the Imagawa Clan who had blood ties to the Ashikaga family.
It had been passed down in the Imagawa Clan for several generations and was her most precious collection.
Imagawa Yoshimoto pushed open the door to the inner room.
Then—
Her footsteps halted.
There was someone in the inner room.
That figure stood before the sword rack, with their back to her.
Gray robes, pale long hair.
Gleaming coldly in the candlelight.
The figure was facing the Sōza Samonji on the sword rack, muttering something.
"…How many years have you been here?"
"Are you bored?"
"Does your master talk to you?"
"Probably not; most of them don't understand this."
Imagawa Yoshimoto was stunned.
This person—was talking to a sword?
And in that kind of… conversational tone?
She opened her mouth, wanting to call for help.
But the figure turned their head first, crimson eyes meeting hers.
A pale face, handsome features.
Young, dashing, and giving off a cold, hard impression.
"Oh."
The other party spoke, his tone very casual, "Are you the owner of this place?"
Imagawa Yoshimoto's hand was already pressed against the short sword at her waist.
Although she knew it was useless; an existence capable of sneaking into the Tenshukaku without a sound was definitely not something she could handle.
"Who are you?"
Yoshimoto asked.
Her voice was calmer than she had imagined.
"Not a human."
The yokai shook his head.
"I am a yokai."
He turned around from the sword rack, facing Imagawa Yoshimoto directly—and with those non-human eyes, stared at her.
The demon smiled.
That smile appeared somewhat eerie in the candlelight.
However, Imagawa Yoshimoto was not afraid.
Instead, she was stunned.
Because this figure, this posture.
Reminded her of her own dream.
Pale long hair, crimson eyes, and that long sword dancing amidst the lightning—
"Who are you..."
"Kanbe Hikaru."
The demon stated his name: "I have come to help you resolve that 'Thunder' in your castle."
"However—"
His gaze fell upon the Sōza Samonji on the sword rack.
"Your castle, and this sword, must be lent to me for a use."
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