Even Touya didn't want to face another calamity youkai while not knowing the whereabouts of the notorious Namahage. There were also some extra soldiers traveling on a boat led by Ayaka and her team. They didn't want to attract any unnecessary problems, at least not for the time being.
"A wise decision. Now, Kouyo, would you kindly set us down?"
Satisfied with Touya's response, Shusui smiled and made the request to the dragon. The borrowed divine dragon responded with a low growl and slowly, yet majestically, descended to the ground.
Shusui and the others touched down just as the dragon made contact with the ground. In the aftermath of the extinguished flames of the Purifying Fire, many soldiers and the commander gazed in awe at the scene. Even without a trace of spiritual power, they seemed instinctively aware of the divine presence emanating from Kouyo, sensing the true power of Shusui and his companions.
"Head of the Servant Group, we apologize for our early arrival."
Suddenly appearing by their side and bowing, it was Muja. They had received a response from the shikigami sent by Shuri, stating that reinforcements would be sent soon. However, given the circumstances, Muja had anticipated potential personnel issues, so they were surprised by how quickly the reinforcements had arrived.
"Of course. This matter concerns the authority of the Imperial Court and the reputation of the Onitsuki family. But more importantly, where are the others? Where's Miss MurasakiMurasaki-dono? And Yun-shoku?"
"Yunshoku, he has gone on a separate mission to search for Namahage. As for Miss MurasakiMurasaki-sama..."
"I'm right here."
As everyone turned their gaze to the boy who couldn't quite be called a boy or a girl, Shirowakamaru arrived. Shirowakamaru had walked through the snowy field to reach this place. He lent his shoulder to Murasaki, who was fully armored except for her head, and came together. Murasaki's armor made clattering sounds as they joined Shisui and the rest of the group.
"Miss MurasakiMurasaki-dono, have you been injured?"
"I believe you have also noticed, but we were attacked by the calamity youkai. I twisted my ankle from its initial blow."
To be more precise, just before the calamity youkai's fist struck, Murasaki's youkai sword, which was still in its sheath, turned into a big snake and jumped in front of her like a wall, protecting her from a deadly attack. Unfortunately, Murasaki hurt her ankle in the process, but it was worth it to save her life.
Then, right before the youkai could strike again, it suddenly changed its target and went towards the western gate tower. Shirowakamaru, who was helping Murasaki because she couldn't walk properly on her own, came all the way there to explain what happened.
"H-Head of the Servant Group...?"
"Miss MurasakiMurasaki-dono, first, please accept our apology. We deeply apologize on behalf of the Onitsuki family for the unexpected turn of events."
Seizing the initiative, Shisui apologized deeply, bowing deeply. However, Tōuya understood that it was just a performance. Even he could understand that Murasaki had a sweet personality that could be easily persuaded by words alone, being a daughter of the Akō family.
"No, it is I who should apologize. Despite being entrusted with the task bestowed upon the Onitsuki family by the Imperial Court, I find myself in this dire situation. I have no complaints."
Shisui bowed once again to Murasaki's words, then continued.
"The requested evacuation supplies through the water route are already being transported. They should arrive in two days. We are the advance team. And we will take over the search for Namahage from now on."
"Understood. I also have already dispatched a search party from here. Let's contact them and order them to join forces with you. However..."
"However?"
Shisui slightly tilted his head at Murasaki's indescribable attitude. Murasaki, too, had a facial expression that seemed to be struggling with what to say, or whether to say anything at all... and finally, she declared it as if she had made up her mind.
"No, I appreciate the assistance, but... if possible, I would like a little more consideration."
And Murasaki showed the reason behind her awkward manner to Shisui and the others.
"..."
Involuntarily, Shisui and Tōya averted their gaze in silence.
In Murasaki's hand, the yokai sword that looked like a snake was acting weird. It was kinda half-baked, spewing out black smoke and its eyes were white-eyed...
* * *
In the county capital of Hieda, the atmosphere with Murasaki and the others had become tense. However, in the forest further west from there, a completely different situation unfolded—a situation filled with tension.
...Quite literally, they were in a life-or-death situation.
'...!!!!'
The huge old woman continued to charge forward, blowing away trees in her path without discrimination. With a delightfully wide smile on her face, she relentlessly pursued the person.
"..."
On the other hand, the ones being chased attempted to escape in silence. Having already fled far from the Hieda county capital to a secluded location, he had abandoned his reliance on the Matagama's stealth ability. After all, the Matagama was mainly designed to be used against humans, and it was useless against the huge monster he was facing behind him.
Dressed all in black, he desperately jumped from tree to tree. Each time he moved, the snow that had piled up on him would fall to the ground, causing a brief pause before the loud crunching sound echoed. The time between those sounds was getting shorter, which meant the gap between them was changing.
Because the noise coming from behind was so loud, the person in black started to feel nervous and kept looking back to see how close the creature was.
And the monster was getting closer and was almost able to grab him.
"...!!"
Right after that, a trap that had been set in place was activated. The trunks of the large trees on either side exploded, causing them to collapse as if to crush the monster underneath. The monster became trapped beneath the fallen trees.
Immediately, the old woman's punch sent one of the large trees flying high into the air. It was brutally bent, torn apart, and shattered into scattered fragments. It crumbled as easily as crushing a baked snack.
"Tch..."
Despite the expected outcome, an involuntary click of the tongue escaped. However, even if only for a moment, he had bought some time with that move. The distance between him and his pursuer widened slightly, so he quickly looked straight ahead again.
Suddenly, a person came, right in front of him.
"Well, it seems like your little chase is over, don't you think?"
"...!!"
Just as a dark, shapeless mass like slime lunged at him, he swiftly twisted his body and narrowly avoided it. It was an impressive move, like something out of a movie. However, it turned out to be a mistake.
'Aaahhh!!!'
As a result of changing his trajectory, he ended up landing on the ground, and immediately the old woman, who had been pursuing him from behind, pounced on him with great force. Showing her randomly grown teeth and sporting a wide grin, she jumped in a posture close to a cheer (banzai). The person wearing dark robe hurriedly tried to escape, but his movement was momentarily delayed by the snow under his feet. In a sense, that delay was fatal.
"...!!?"
In the blink of an eye, the monster leaped toward him. He received the flying snow from the impact on his back, and as a result, he was sent flying.
Nevertheless, by taking a perfect defensive posture, he dispersed the impact of the attack and avoided being slammed into the ground. But as he stood up in the next moment, he caught sight of the old woman's wrinkled palm.
"!?"
This time, he had no time to escape. The Hannya mask was firmly caught in her grasp. The grip tightened, and a creaking sound emanated from his entire body. Then, the old woman attempted to bring the mask down over his head... but her body's movement was forcibly halted. Her shadow was trampled upon.
"Hey, hey, hold on a second. Don't be so eager to devour him like that. It's not food, you know?"
As Kamui successfully restrained the movements of the calamity youkai by "Binding Shadows," he slowly moved forward. However, it seemed that even with Kamui's power, binding a calamity youkai was not an easy task. His steps were somewhat uncertain, and his expression was slightly distorted.
"Well then, let's see... Greetings are important, right? Long time no see, servant of Onitsuki. Hasn't it been since the incident in the capital?"
Approaching swiftly beside the captive, Kamui greeted him. The captive, in silence, only turned his face towards Kamui.
"Well... That's not very polite to remain silent, is it? You don't need to be so hostile."
"Why is the troublemaking Ezo from the capital here? And is this old woman your wife?"
With a jerk of the chin, he pointed at the old woman and interrogated Kamui. Kamui shrugged his shoulders.
"No way! Please stop. It's not that I dislike mature women, but there's a limit, you know? Besides, all I can do is lure her with bait or temporarily restrain her like this."
His statement was not modesty or anything of the sort. He was just stating some facts. It also not really sure if the 100 youkai generals who fought with Kubou during the Great War were actually fully under his control. Some of them probably joined the youkai army without any clear organization or command structure. They were just following their animal instincts, guided by a strong force. In that way, this old woman, the Yamanba calamity youkai, was kind of similar.
As a side note, after the Great War, Nue had captured and protected this youkai from among the numerous youkai leaders simply because her ability was useful in producing disposable military power. Whatever the case, there were plenty of alternative means.
To "Tapir (貘)," who was the main strategist for Kuubou during the Great War and took over command when Kuubou was sealed away, Yamanba was basically useless. Even during the war, this creature did whatever it wanted without listening to a single order from Kuubou. Yamanba was a burden, costing a lot of food to keep around. Nue and Tapir agreed that they should get rid of her at the right moment before their final plan reached its last stage.
And now was the opportunity to dispose of her. Kamui's purpose in accompanying this old woman was precisely to act as a supervisor, playing the role of an animal trainer to move this unpredictable monster according to plan.
*To be Continued*
