Volume 1 Chapter 15 Kansai Disturbance Night II – Ikoma’s Oni
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
On a moonless autumn night, the breath in the mountains was white.
Receiving reports of signs of a Great Youkai’s appearance, the first to rush to Ikoma Mountain were the 8 members of the local Ayabe family’s exorcist team, known as the “Rat Team.”
Dressed in matching black outfits and hiding their faces with white fox masks, they quickly blocked the main road over the mountain and sealed off Ikoma Mountain with barriers.
The time was already deep into the night.
It was not a time for ordinary people to be wandering around, but this was a matter involving a Great Youkai believed to be an oni.
If any sensitive civilians happened to be nearby, they might be drawn into the mountain by its strong presence.
After making all necessary preparations, the 8 entered the mountain to confirm their target and guide the main team later──but they soon had to stop in their tracks.
They sensed the presence of the Great Youkai already coming toward them.
Of course, just as the Ayabe exorcists noticed it, the Great Youkai must have sensed them too.
Yet, it did not immediately show any signs of movement, perhaps due to some scheme or just a whim.
While dealing with the lesser ayakashi drawn in by the Great Youkai’s presence, the Rat Team kept their eyes on the main target’s movements.
”What is its power (youryoku) value? Have you observed it?”
”Yes, leader. From the waveform, it seems to be an oni. The spirit power level is──about 500,000.”
”That’s ridiculous, 500,000…!?”
”No, if it’s a Great Youkai, that number is certainly possible, but…”
”Be quiet, don’t disturb the presence.”
That was just a number, merely a guideline.
However, if a confrontation was unavoidable, it painted a desperate picture of the team’s potential annihilation.
Even though they had been warned to avoid engagement, the oni had no reason to hold back. It was no wonder the members of the Rat Team felt a chill down their spines.
”──Haa… haa….”
Perhaps no one was aware, but their breaths were becoming heavy under the pressure.
Tension alone could wear them out quickly.
In such extreme circumstances, where even a slight movement felt hesitant, it was even more so.
The second-class exorcist leading the team realized they were no longer in a condition to fight at full strength.
Worse still, if the standoff continued, someone might lose control and act.
Of course, what awaited them was death.
Yet, enduring the approaching threat without moving felt far more difficult than fighting.
──Is the main force here yet?
It had been less than 15 minutes since the last contact with the district commander.
Yet, it felt like that moment was a distant memory.
”Ah, leader, the target is moving──.”
As reported by a team member, they sensed the Great Youkai beginning to move.
It was not climbing; it was descending the mountain.
Moreover, it was heading west, toward the more populated Osaka area. As if drawn along, the Lesser Youkai that had emerged were also moving in the same direction.
”Hold on, our mission is to observe. I repeat, do not interfere with the target. Combat should only be for clearing out the small fry.”
Suppressing the urge to click their tongue, they checked with everyone again and thought about the necessary actions.
Should they retreat? Probably, yes.
But if they backed down in fear, the opponent would see them as easy prey.
That could create an opening for them, so they needed to eliminate any reason to hesitate in descending the mountain right now.
Then──
”Fall back to just before the barrier. Quickly, but quietly.”
The team members nodded softly in response.
Indeed, Ayabe’s team would be praised by anyone who saw them, as they moved in a coordinated manner to withdraw from the mountain.
The Great Youkai did not stop, but it also did not hasten its pace to chase the exorcists.
It descended the mountain at its own pace, as it desired.
”──Alright, this is far enough. Prepare to wait, but do not draw your weapons.”
”Yes.”
Returning to the road at the edge of the barrier, they warned their team about the risk of an accidental discharge.
Satisfied with the smooth replies from their team, they looked up at the eerily quiet Ikoma Mountain.
It was dark, painted in the colors of night, far from the brightness of the city.
The mountain, which should have looked the same as always, was now filled with an unsettling atmosphere that felt otherworldly.
──Just a few minutes after the exorcists had fallen behind, it slowly revealed itself.
The team leader, who had forbidden their subordinates from drawing their weapons, almost reached for their short dagger due to the ominous and fierce presence, unmistakably that of a youkai.
It stood about 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall.
A woman with copper-colored skin and long golden hair.
Two asymmetrical horns extended from her forehead.
Dressed in a black leather jacket adorned with flashy fur, a pink leopard-print tube top, low-rise distressed jeans, and black boots, this youkai had a truly imposing physique.
Even from a distance, it was clear she was a woman, with a slim waist that curved out and a prominent bust that asserted her femininity.
As the light from the streetlamp illuminated her face, it revealed a strikingly beautiful yet terrifying visage, filled with an unsettling aura.
The youkai’s heterochromatic eyes, one gold and one silver, glinted with a dangerous light as she brought a gourd covered in gold leaf to her lips.
Draining the contents that clashed completely with her Western-style clothing, the youkai finally seemed to notice Ayabe’s exorcists and locked eyes with them.
”I thought if you showed a decent response, you would receive a fitting welcome──but is this all you have to offer?”
Her cool voice posed a casual question.
However, a chill ran down the spines of the exorcists, as if ice had been thrust into their backs.
”──Ugh!”
──This is bad. This is really bad…!
The youkai’s words were directed not only at Ayabe’s exorcists but also beyond them, towards the exorcists of Kansai who were not present here.
”If that’s the case, how sad it is, so very sad──what might I do, even I do not know.”
Was they underestimating them? That was the feeling of dissatisfaction.
When such a powerful ayakashi exploded, they couldn’t even imagine what would happen.
Here, wasn’t it necessary to show a bit of pride and strength?
Not for self-defense, nor for pride, but simply out of necessity.
At that moment, the exorcists of Ayabe began to gather their spirit energy (reiki) without caring for their own safety, and the oni suddenly looked away into the distance.
”Well.”
What the exorcists had been waiting for arrived just after that.
”──Nah, nah, these days, even if just one monkey or deer comes down from the mountain, folks make a huge fuss, right? And we’re talkin’ ’bout an oni here. I really wanna steer clear of this.”
How had they managed to hold it back until now? The strong presence he felt behind him, which was no less than the oni in front of him, made the exorcists of Ayabe involuntarily turn around.
* * *
”What era do you think this is? Hey, you all think so too, right?”
A casual voice sought agreement in the middle of small talk.
”Kazuramichi’s acting head…!”
”Ah, sorry for keepin’ ya waitin’.”
A tall, handsome man in student-like clothes with straw-colored hair waved one hand.
The strongest exorcist in Kansai was there as if he had just come for a walk.
They felt a slight lightness in his shoulders, and the fact that he had come alone, likely teleporting through the spirit path, caused confusion.
”Are you alone, acting head?”
”Yeah, I could handle this on my own──if that was all it was, but it ain’t. There’re a bunch of Intermediate Youkai over by Otsu and Yoshino, plus signs of a night parade in Midosuji. Tonight’s gonna be pure chaos everywhere.”
”What…?”
A great disturbance ran through the exorcists of Ayabe, who had managed to stay calm until then.
It was not only the seriousness of the situation they were informed about but also the determination of Naoshi, who had come here all alone.
”Well, they don’t seem too unhappy ‘bout it. Guess it’s all good.”
Now that he mentioned it, the oni, who had been in a bad mood earlier, was sitting cross-legged in the air, smiling slightly, sipping from a gourd.
The strong smell of alcohol wafted around, as if the oni was enjoying Naoshi’s exchange.
”However, this is reckless. Its spirit power exceeds 500,000…!”
”My spirit power’s sittin’ at 530,000. That was from last year.”
”Wha…!?”
They had heard it was a monster, and some had even experienced its power firsthand.
But they never expected it to be that much, and the exorcists of Ayabe gasped.
”Well, this ain’t no game; numbers don’t always mean much.”
”That’s true, but at least let us help…!”
”Nah, nah, we’d just end up steppin’ on each other’s toes. Besides, this is a formal request from the district commander. I’m supposed to handle this on my own.”
With a sharp tone, Naoshi narrowed his eyes and twisted his mouth into a smirk.
”It ain’t bad bein’ needed, but bein’ popular sure is a pain.”
He probably had a smile on his face. However, whether it was because of the impression he gave or not, it felt like he was looking down on them.
”But, well, as expected from the Ayabe family.”
The words that followed lacked sincerity, especially when mentioning the family name.
It was well-known that Kazuramichi Naoshi openly criticized the current head of the Ayabe family.
But because of that, the weight of the words that followed resonated.
”It ain’t tough steppin’ up out of desperation. Even fools can run scared. What’s hard is facin’ the danger and standin’ firm──thanks for keepin’ it together.”
”Yes──.”
There was no need for that at all.
However, the exorcists of the Ayabe family bowed their heads as they realized they should do so for their main family.
Those who worked behind the scenes for the family took pride in it and desired understanding and praise above all else.
”So, leave the rest to me. From here on, it’s my job.”
Once that was said, there was no room for disagreement.
”──Understood.”
No matter how motivated he was, once he stepped between Naoshi and the oni, they would be scattered like dust.
It was much more meaningful to focus on dealing with the still restless Lesser Youkai.
”Oh, one last thing. If, by any chance, I don’t make it, y’all know what to do, right?”
”Y-Yes, we will all fight to the last breath against the oni──.”
”That’s not it.”
”Huh?”
”If I go down, your job is to buy time. Even if it means beggin’ like fools, you need to buy as much time as ya can. It don’t matter how pathetic it looks.”
”But, if we do that──!”
”Only folks with a shot at winnin’ can afford to care ‘bout pride.”
”Ugh──.”
”How many lives you willin’ to waste for pride? Whoever’s next to fight’ll need all the time you can buy ‘til someone strong enough shows up. Might be Kurosu-san’s daughter or some ancient one from Mie, but that’s who you’re stallin’ for.”
Naoshi was demanding not just lives, but even more if necessary.
However, no one in that place had any counterarguments against someone who was willing to risk their own life first.
”──Understood. We will definitely do as you say.”
The second-class exorcist, as the acting head, voiced the consensus.
Naoshi nodded in satisfaction and continued with his usual inscrutable smile.
”Good. Oni are all just a buncha cowards anyway. If the best in Kansai falls, they’ll just be like, ‘Ain’t that a shame, we were beat’ and call it a day. If nothin’ else, you can say, ‘It feels great that a guy I hate lost.’”
”In that case, there’s no need for acting. I’ve been thoroughly beaten by Naoshi-dono in training several times.”
”Is that so? Ah… sorry, what’s yer name again?”
”I am the leader of the Ayabe family’s exorcist group, Ayabe Sasara.”
”Sasara, got it. I’ll remember. Now, step back a bit.”
”Yes. Good luck──.”
”Thanks.”
Sasara had decided to treat Naoshi’s words as if they were orders from the main family.
However, it was a lie to say that there was no need for acting.
Their bad impression of Kazuramichi Naoshi had completely flipped with their brief exchange.
They learned that they had reasons for looking down on and hating the weak.
Being weak meant that realizing it could hurt one’s pride so much.
Choosing to be an exorcist while still being weak, knowing that pain, was something even worse than being a bug.
If they wanted to be proud of themselves, they had to be strong above all else.
Kazuramichi Naoshi showed that clearly with their words, their actions, and everything about them.
(Please, let there be a safe victory──)
So they couldn’t help but wish for that hope.
They wanted themself to remain a dazzling presence until the moment they could get closer and catch up.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.