[Part 2/4]
"That's unfortunate. So, it's impossible to circle around for protection, is it?"
The daughter of a merchant, who appeared genuinely disappointed, placed a sweet in her mouth. It was a mitarashi dango. She took a bite, then used her fingers to scoop up the sauce sticking to her cheek and licked it off. She did it shyly with her small, red tongue.
It was an angelic gesture that would captivate nine out of ten men's hearts, and an unmistakable mark of ostentation that would disgust nine out of ten women. Kochou smiled back at her as a return favor. She exuded allure and a youkai-like charm. Kayo thought it was like a lantern attracting moths. Unfortunately, she couldn't manage such sophisticated and seductive movements as well as Kochou.
"Mmm..."
"Hehehe..."
A derisive smile was directed at the slightly sulking girl. Two women were enough to make it lively. The mock confrontation had come to an end for now. Both straightened their postures and returned to the main topic of conversation.
"...So, should we still wait for a report from Princess Aoi?"
"It's best to let good fortune come to you while you sleep, I suppose."
This act of using Aoi, known as Onitsuki Aoi, as a sacrificial test subject... It didn't bother them at all. After all, the one who suggested it was her herself. She had arranged the situation, and she had promised support afterward. There was no room for complaints, and she would have been aware of it as well.
"If it goes well, it will put us in a dominant position all at once. However, she's still someone who's fearless as always."
The merchant shrugged. As she gazed at the surface of her teacup's water, she recalled the memory of the day she had been reminded of her own defeat. That day, her position had been made quite clear to her. Well, who knows how things will turn out this time...
"Indeed, that's the only thing we have to acknowledge, it seems."
Affirming Kayo's words, Kochou stood up.
"...Are you leaving?"
"Well, I think there are enough other people here... It wouldn't be good to stay here enjoying tea forever. As an old person, I should fulfill my duties a bit. It's better to be ready to move when the time comes."
"Well... Then, I wish you the best of luck."
With a respectful bow, Kayo saw off her ally. In response, Kochou smiled back vivaciously and left. The room was left with only Kayo's presence.
"...In the end, you haven't touched the tea or the sweets, have you?"
Kayo's murmurs were directed at Kochou's seat. She hadn't put anything on it... That old woman was quite the handful. Well, apparently she had been quite mischievous in her youth, so maybe she was just sensitive to retaliation. It was a nuisance.
"...Indeed, quite a nuisance."
Kayo sighed as if in admiration. It was a sigh mixed with exasperation. Kayo had seen through the reason the old woman had left. Was it because she wasn't satisfied with him and had become fixated on someone else? Quite a luxury.
"Well, in that case, she could at least share a part of the spoils with me..."
The mocking murmurs were both contemptuous and chilling, reaching the depths of her heart. It was indeed a witch's whisper.
Somewhere in the distance, the dying screams of a monster echoed once again...
'Ssshhhhh!!'
"Disappear!!"
The intimidating screech, like the sound of metal being torn, transforms into a dying scream accompanied by a flashing blade. Corpses multiply. Corpses approach. Yet another set of corpses is discarded.
A room within the grand establishments lining the streets of the city red-light district looks truly appropriate for a depiction of hell. Quite literally, it's a pile of corpses.
"So many small fry...!?"
Blocking all the sharp attacks of the sharp-tongued opponents, the disdainful Murasaki spews contemptuously. A corpse attempted to jump at her with its tongue severed, but she strikes it with her blade. The knocked-away 'Akaname' takes others down with it, but even as she surpasses this obstacle, even more corpses come pouring in.
It was like an endless abyss of hell. Or perhaps, Murasaki recalls the hell painting she saw in her grandfather's room when she was young. The memory of that night when she almost wet herself because she is afraid to go alone to the toilet was one she'd rather not recall.
"Take this!!"
Joining the exasperating extermination of these monsters, another swordsman enters the fray with loud exclamations. The elegant exorcists, Tamaki and Murasaki, seamlessly deflect the enemy's assaults using the swordsmanship techniques they learned from their master from Ako family, repelling and cutting down their adversaries.
Hotoya Tamaki and Ako Murasaki steadily reduce the number of bodies that have turned into monsters. But...
'Aaaargh!!'
"What!?"
"Kuh!!? A-an arm!!?"
A colossal arm smashes through the wall and enters the room. It's a bright red, muscular limb. It attempts to seize Tamaki and the others, but at the last moment, it missed and catches few nearby 'Akaname' creatures instead. A gruesome chewing sound rings out as it drags them out.
"What the...!?"
"'Onihitokuchi'...!?"
Tamaki is astonished. Meanwhile, Murasaki has instantly discerned the enemy's true nature.
'Onihitokuchi,' or more accurately, it's not a demon (oni). It's a vicious type of artificial youkai, imitating the demon species. Like the 'Akaname,' it's a technique forbidden for creation and use, a genuine forbidden art.
'Roarrrr!!'
The monstrous face peers into the room through the hole it created in the wall. Upon confirming the scene inside, its head and one arm sneak into the room. Its arm stretches out. Immediately, Murasaki kicks away a nearby 'Akaname' and thrusts it forward as a sacrifice. The monster gulps it down in one gulp.
"W-Will it eat allies...!?"
"That's why it's considered forbidden...!!"
Amidst Tamaki's disbelief, Murasaki shouts while striking down the swarming 'Akaname' creatures. Onihitokuchi, embodying greed, gluttony, and insatiable desires, possesses lower intelligence than its massive form and powerful arms would suggest. It posed a threat not only to allies but also to the common folk the court should be protecting. This led the imperial court to prohibit its further creation. A gluttonous and rapacious demon-like being.
Onihitokuchi glances around the room with wide eyes. Then it fixes its gaze on its next prey. A group of geisha who were carrying Suzune, attempting to escape in one corner of the room.
Saliva drips from its mouth at the sight of the soft-fleshed women.
"S-Stop...!"
Tamaki's cry was too late. Well, even if she had cried out, fate wouldn't have changed. In fact, before she even screamed, the outcome had already occurred.
With a ripping sound, flesh and blood burst apart. The sound of bones being pulverized and ground reverberates. The upper bodies of the geisha disappear, and splatters of blood erupt from the severed sections. Unbeknownst to anyone, the beast's cheeks had swollen, giving away what had just happened.
"Mmm, ah...? Eek!!?"
At the disgusting sound emanating from the mouth of the Onihitokuchi, Suzune, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion and fear, finally wakes up. As she does, she lets out a scream at the horrifying scene around her.
"N-No, no, st-stop...!"
'Gulping... sloshing... gulping...!!'
Confused and overwhelmed, the maidservant tries to escape in a panic, struggling to make her trembling legs move. In her desperate attempts to flee, she stumbles and falls headlong onto the tatami. This sight catches the attention of the monster in the midst of its meal.
Gulp, it swallows what's in its mouth. It chuckles. Its voracious smile fixed on its next meal. Then, it leaps towards the terrified Suzune.
"I won't let you do it!!"
With an expression of desperation, Tamaki rushes forward. Overcoming her shock, she races towards Suzune, closing the distance between them in an instant. Amidst her friends and the monstrous creature, she wedges herself forcibly. Without wasting a moment, she swings her blade.
'Roarrr?!'
As an inexperienced combatant, the monster, planning to swallow Suzune whole, was completely off guard. Hence, it was too slow to react to Tamaki's sword strike that intervened. The blade, enhanced with spiritual energy, slices open its massive lips. Fresh blood scatters. Taken aback by the sharp pain, it pulls back its body, only to have its right index finger severed by a counter-strike as it tried to retreat.
But to the monstrous being, it was like a tiny prick from a needle. Perhaps it had never experienced the sensation of pain, though it was delicate, the 'Oniguchi' was genuinely surprised and afraid. Right after, its face distorted like that of a drunkard, reddening as it gnashed its teeth angrily at Tamaki.
However, before it could do something, countless talismans began swirling around.
'Roarrr?!'
"This is...!!?"
They were talismans, indeed. A hundred, two hundred, perhaps even more. These sentient talismans affixed themselves to every inch of the 'Onihitokuchi's' body, restricting its movements. Instantly, Tamaki made her decision. She would use her consecutive strikes technique. She severed the creature's cheeks, nose, lips, and fangs, as if slicing through meat. While the 'Onihitokuchi' writhed in agony, Tamaki delivered a final blow.
She executed one of the swordsmanship techniques passed down through the Ako family.
"'Hoshimono no kushizashi'!!"
It was simultaneous with her shout. Her sword's tip thrust forcefully, creating a shockwave. It pierced through the 'Onihitokuchi's' mouth. The tongue was torn away, the teeth were shattered, and the blade penetrated through its throat, leaving a large hole in the back of its head. Blood and flesh sprayed wildly as the 'Onihitokuchi' collapsed on the spot. It fell and... got back up!!
"What the...!?"
The firm conviction that it was done was instantly shattered, leaving Tamaki astonished. Indeed, ordinarily, the extent of damage it sustained should have been fatal. But 'Onihitokuchi' possessed a stubbornness befitting a self-proclaimed demon (oni), and combined with its ability to deceive friend from foe, it proved even more dangerous. It was only natural that it was designated as forbidden.
"Kuh, damn it...!?"
"N-No way..."
'Rrro, rrooo, rroooo!!'
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