The exorcists named Kibihagi Kage were not weak. Of course, there is a difference between Kage and the exorcists of the Onitsuki bloodline in terms of strength. However, even so, they are different from the servants. In fact, the fact that he had succeeded in stopping the calamity youkai until the arrival of the reinforcements was the best proof of his strength.
There was no carelessness or arrogance. I believe that even the people around him were on their guard.
Therefore, this was, in a sense, an inevitable fate.
The biggest reason why exorcists were killed by youkai was not simply because of their strength. The biggest cause of their deaths was their compatibility with the youkai and being caught off guard.
"Huh?"
That was the dumb voice I was uttering at the moment the top half of the figure in front of me was torn apart. With a crunch, the wolf lifted its jaws and red splashes flew out, dirtying my cheeks.
I am stunned for a moment. Shocked. Dumbstruck. But I push those emotions aside and brace myself as reason realizes what's happening. And I realize. The seriousness of the situation.
"D*mn it, I didn't even sense that guy's presence at all!?" I thought to myself, realizing that I had made a mistake.
I couldn't even notice the appearance of the wolf devouring the dead body in front of my eyes until the moment of their heinous act. That was my negligence. At the same time, it is also true that I was not careless. No, on the contrary...
"He couldn't even manage to stab back!?" I thought to myself as I witnessed that moment. I saw him waving his Shakujou just before he was about to be devoured. It was a counter-attack that was natural for an exorcist in a situation where their death was inevitable.
But it didn't work. It wasn't because Kage was incompetent. The Shakujou was indeed aimed at the wolf. The problem was that the Shakujou had passed through the wolf's body...
"A conditional ability, huh?" I muttered to myself, realizing the source of the wolf's power. But it didn't matter. The situation has taken a sudden and drastic turn.
'Gye...gye...eee...' howled Dakuryuu.
"!? Well, I guess that's how it goes...!" I muttered as the supply of spiritual power from Kibihagi was lost, causing the Shikigami to lose their power. The two Dakuryuus trembled and then collapsed with a rattling sound. It gave the impression of watching sugar cubes dissolve.
At the same time, it meant that I was now alone and helpless. In front of me were two calamity youkai and a few remaining small youkai, who approached me cautiously. ...Needless to say, the situation was the worst.
'Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...!!!!' growled the wolf. And as I was driven by impatience and despair, the wolf suddenly joins the fight and finishes its meal. The wolf that had finished sucking up the blood and entrails by sticking its face into the cross-section of the remaining lower half of the body suddenly shook violently and transformed. Its body shrank and its fur also shrank. I had seen this kind of transformation before, when Iruka changed from a wolf to a human.
"Has it transformed into a humanoid...?" I wondered.
The shrinking of the body and the shrinking of the hairs of the body were very similar to the change of Iruka when she was trying to change from a wolf to a human being.
...However, compared to her, calamity youkai in front of me was much more like a youkai monster. Even in its current form, it was still clearly a werewolf that had seen a full moon. Its fur was still intact, and its head was clearly not a human skeleton. And it continued to groan and shake its body on all fours, looking troubled.
"Well, well, you're still not very good at changing, are you? I'm sorry, this one is a newcomer. They have trouble with the back and forth of human and youkai transformations. They seem to be excited from just eating a feast earlier," Kamaitachi taunted as they tore apart formulaic talismans on their body but no longer had any power. Their tone of voice seemed to be one of sympathy for their fellow countrymen who were struggling, but it also seemed to be one of ridicule. Their cloudy red eyes glance at the wolf, and then they shift their cold gaze to me.
"D*mn it..." I cursed at the deadly look on their face, and I ready my Dagger (tantō) and my Teguruma (yo-yo like tool) and0020prepare to throw it with extremely natural movements.
I didn't know what kind of calamity youkai this wolf that suddenly appeared was. What I do know is that it was probably the owner of the shed fur collected on the city road, and since this guy is struggling with the change, I doubt that this guy is going to join the fight right now. Seriously, it was one of the few hopes left in the completely unbalanced situation... It was a hope that was too despairing.
"Well, well. This is troublesome. We've lost so many of our men. That wasn't in the calculation. Our boss will be angry... The monkeys that follow us will also come, so we can't drag this on for too long," Kamaitachi looks around at the deserted surroundings and is obviously depressed.
And as I raise my head, eyes filled with malice and hatred shoot through me. The oppressive feeling makes me take a step back.
"But before that, we have to finish our homework, don't we?" Kamaitachi said.
"Ah?" I furrowed my brow at the same time as I heard the words. Before I knew it, I was struck head-on by a whirlwind of Wind Blades. There was no preliminary move. The next thing I knew, I had been slashed.
"Ga!?" I cried out in shock as the cuts on my body started to bleed. The blood was fresh and hot, splattering all around me.
"Was this guy playing with me all this time?" I thought as I collapsed, stunned.
And what was more problematic was that the cloak I was wearing was instantly and completely cut off by the wind blow.
"Ah? Aaaahhhh...!!!?"
The moment the recognition-inhibiting effect of the coat was lost, the cursed snake that had been coiled around my shoulders began to entwine itself around me, tightening and squeezing my entire body.
"Guhh!!!" I fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Unpleasant creaking noises echoed from my whole body as my muscles and bones screamed in agony. My lungs were compressed, and I couldn't breathe.
"This is...!? Well, that's surely a good way to put down a rebellion, you b*stard!!" I thought sarcastically in praise of the creator of this curse as I wriggling like a worm on the ground in pain. It was a torture of pain that was just enough to not let me die. So much so that I thought it would be easier to just die.
"Well, humans are scary, aren't they? They can use such a cruel curse against their own kind without hesitation," Kamaitachi said, taking a step closer as I struggled. This is bad...!!?
I was about to throw the hidden Teguruma (yo-yo like tool) when the scythe pierced through my palm, which made me cried out, "Ggh...? Gaaah!!?" One of the four blades growing from the back of the Kamaitachi's hand penetrated deeply into my hand and reached the ground. It was so painful that my whole body was writhing, but the blade stuck in my hand prevented me from doing even that.
"Hehehehe, does it hurt? It hurts, doesn't it? Human body is fragile, you know," The monster chuckled, their murky crimson-colored eyes narrowed as they looked down at me. Their gaze was as merciless as a child looking at a dissected insect.
"I almost feel sorry for you. Why do you have such weak bodies and yet so much intelligence and reason? Well, that's why you are afraid and suffer in vain. You struggle and resist in vain and die helplessly. I can't help but sympathize with you. It would be easier to live in ignorance like a slug crawling on the ground," the monster continued.
And with a twist of their wrist, the silver blade pierced the wound in my palm. I couldn't help but scream, "Guh...uugh...guh......!!"
"You look so miserable. It must be painful. But it's painful for me, too. After all, my plan was completely ruined by a mere servant. It's so painful that my chest feels like it's going to burst. So now we're even. I'm a philanthropist, you know," the Kamaitachi said, grinning mercilessly.
The youkai exaggeratedly placed their hand on their chest and announced, then smiled and glanced at me.
"Well. Now the nuisance is gone, let me ask you again. How did you find out about our plan? And why did you do such a grandiose thing all by yourself? Could you please tell me? If you do..." the youkai spoke, their voice calm and measured.
"Agh...!?" I cried out as the youkai gouged and shaved my palm. The youkai smiles ecstatically at my screams and licks their lips.
"We don't have much time. Will you answer me? In this world, it's always wiser to go with the flow and take the easy way out in life," the monster continued, both persuading and threatening me.
I look up at the monster with tears in my eyes, laughing submissively and sycophantically. In response, Kamaitachi with a sickle also sneered. Trembling, I opened my mouth...and spat in their feet with all my might.
Immediately afterwards, with a sound that cuts the wind, one of my ears is cut off. "Gaahh...!?" I cried out in pain, holding the section of my ear with the arm that was not impaled. The blood dripped down rapidly and forcefully.
I groan, and the Kamaitachi's foot stomps on my head. My forehead is cut by a stone as it hits the ground. Unfortunately, my head wasn't blown up; they had held back.
"It's impolite to spit on someone's foot, don't you think? Nowadays, even the lowest of servants seem to lack basic etiquette. I can't help but worry about the state of education these days," the youkai scolded me with nonchalant tone but their expression filled with rage.
Their tone of voice was clearly more forceful, or I should say angry. Kamaitachi then played with my ear that they had already grabbed while looking down at me, "But I'm tolerant. I won't get mad at you for this. Everyone makes mistakes and has failures. However ignorance can lead to arrogance, you know?"
Suddenly, the monster shows their feet in front of me. Their thin, white feet that had retracted the sickle and were stained with dirt. "Lick it. Lick it like a dog and clean it with sincerity. Cry, apologize, and confess everything, you monkey... This is your last warning."
As the monster spoke their last words, something grazed against my cheek. A warm, dull sensation runs down my cheek. I looked into their eyes, met with a cruel smile... This was definitely the limit.
"..."
I slowly open my mouth. Then I stick my tongue out at the bare foot in front of me. The monster gave a mocking smile, but I ignored it and leaned in closer and closer to the feet... and then...
"Why don't you become a roasted meal, you monster?" I said.
"Huh!?" Kamaitachi exclaimed.
A moment later, I fired a blast of fire, but unfortunately it didn't reach Kamaitachi. It was because the half-human, half-beast squatting behind the monster grabbed their collar and pulled them away just before the pale flames engulfed them. They held onto Kamaitachi and kept a distance from me. Hidden behind black, long hair, their eyes glared at me while growling as if to intimidate me.
However, Kamaitachi did not express their gratitude. Their companion's eyes also widened and their expression clearly showed their astonishment.
"Hey, hey, this is really a surprise. This presence, that appearance... Is this a joke? Are you really a servant?" Kamaitachi asked me.
What was reflected in their eyes was my own ugly appearance, like a failed monster, wrapped in blue flames all over my body...
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