Chapter 45: The Fierce Monster Attacks

"If the Young Lord wishes to become the head of the house, he must first obtain those two treasured blades."

To be frank, the old man Matsudaira Iwamaro was quite a cunning fellow. Once he brought this matter into the open, Hyakusuke could no longer afford to remain an outsider.

After all, when the Kurohimeshama family had initially taken in Tsukayaro Yoake's group, settled the displaced people of the domain, and guaranteed the safety of the scattered members of the Tsukayaro clan, it was entirely to secure a strategic foothold in Northern Mutsu.

This prospective son-in-law could ensure that the Kurohimeshama family could legitimately infiltrate the northern Oshu region.

If Yoake were to lose the position of family head now, the Kurohimeshama family's early investments would go up in smoke.

As a Chunin of the clan, Hyakusuke was obligated by his allegiance to prevent this from happening.

*Therefore, regardless of whether I genuinely knew that Lady Mei was actually Yoake himself, since old man Matsudaira has brought it to light, I have no choice but to get involved.*

Still, he was simply riding the coattails of the situation.

Old man Matsudaira had generally treated him quite well over the years, so there was no real reason to fuss over such a trivial matter.

Furthermore, this so-called "struggle for the succession" was essentially a storm in a teacup—all thunder and no rain—and would not prove particularly troublesome.

"However, the most urgent matter right now is to ascend the mountain first."

A flicker of anxiety crossed the old man's eyes, though he masked it well.

"Let us prepare to ascend immediately."

***

Gogen-ji Temple was located deep within the mountains, the sole path to its gates consisting of a flight of stone steps.

This ancient temple nestled upon the great mountain was enshrouded by a potent barrier.

The monks residing here were unsuited for exorcism and combat, but they possessed a unique and peerless mastery of barrier arts.

Gogen-ji was protected by multiple layers of barriers, ensuring absolute safety.

The group ascended the stone steps to reach the mountain temple, where the abbot, Master Sando, was already waiting for them at the mountain gate.

"It has been a while, Master Sando."

"And to you as well, Lord Matsudaira. It appears you remain as vigorous as ever, your martial prowess undiminished..."

The elderly abbot appeared to be in his fifties or sixties, standing behind him in a neat row were some thirty or forty temple monks.

"That is undoubtedly thanks to the blessing of the Buddha."

The two exchanged familiar pleasantries.

"Oh, and the hour grows late. Speaking of which, you have another guest awaiting you—she has been waiting here for quite some time."

"A guest?"

Matsudaira and Yoake exchanged glances.

Seeing their reaction, Abbot Sando offered a wry smile. "I imagine Lord Matsudaira is aware of the situation. The venerable swordsman entrusted those two treasured blades to me, but I am merely keeping them in custody. Who ultimately claims the two blades must be decided by the Tsukayaro clan themselves; I cannot arbitrarily interfere in this matter."

"Please rest assured, this is an internal affair of our clan; we would never place Master Sando in such an awkward position..."

Yoake hurriedly interjected.

"Th-This is..."

The elderly monk furrowed his brow deeply.

"Let us set aside that discussion for now."

Old man Matsudaira cut him off.

"Where is the guest? We wish to meet with them."

"The guest..."

Abbot Sando started to speak.

"Waaah!?"

Suddenly, a strange cry rang out from among the monks, as if someone had been shoved forward.

Whoosh!

A rush of wind stirred, and a human figure dropped straight down from atop the heads of the assembled monks.

The newcomer was a young maiden of seventeen or eighteen years. She landed with a remarkably theatrical posture, her trench-coat-like outer garment fluttering behind her like wings—well, it was undeniably an unforgettable entrance.

Beneath the gaze of everyone present, the young maiden rose to her feet as if nothing had happened—

"The acting head of the Kaniya clan, Kaniya Tomoe, has arrived."

Her voice was bright and unburdened by tension.

Her long, flame-red hair fluttered in the breeze.

The maiden struck a samurai-like pose and introduced herself.

Only then did Hyakusuke recognize the young woman as Kaniya Tomoe, the "acting head" of the Kaniya clan.

Her attire was utterly bizarre. Beneath her arm-pit-revealing exorcist uniform, she casually draped a furisode kimono like an oversized coat.

It was a gorgeously ornate furisode kimono, yet she wore it loosely slung over her shoulders like a cape or a haori.

"Oh~~ If it isn't Lord Matsudaira! It truly has been a long time."

Tomoe first greeted the old man, and the very next second, her gaze fell upon Tsukayaro Yoake, who was clad in a deep purple kimono.

"You... Could it be..."

Her eyes glazed over slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching unnaturally.

Then, the acting family head let out a muffled "pfft" and burst into laughter.

"Ahahahahahahaha..."

She threw back her head and let out a shrill, booming laugh.

"Th-This is simply too hilarious."

***

"Come now~~ Everyone needn't look so tense, just sit down."

Upon entering the guest quarters prepared by Abbot Sando, Kaniya Tomoe behaved entirely as if she were the master of the house.

Once all four of them, including Hyakusuke, had taken their seats, the Kaniya clan's "acting head" waved her hand, causing several tea sets to fly through the air and land neatly upon the tatami mats of the monk's quarters—unseen artificial shikigami immediately sprang into action, brewing tea, pouring water, and thoughtfully serving sweets.

"Um, Lady Acting Head."

Yoake's voice carried a distinct trace of guilt and awkwardness.

"Regarding this matter of the Tsukayaro family head..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she was nearly startled out of her wits as Tomoe leaned in close, bringing her face right up to hers.

"Real... or fake?"

Her older female cousin began circling her, scrutinizing her from top to bottom with a critical, appraising gaze.

"Isn't this completely indistinguishable from a real woman?"

Tomoe's eyes sparkled with intense curiosity. She leaned in even closer, right beside Yoake's neck, and took a few experimental sniffs.

"Fascinating."

She extended the tip of her bright red tongue and licked her lips.

"I smell it—the faintest trace of blood~~ Heh-heh-heh, little Yoake, are you having your monthly visitor?"

Yoake's cheeks flushed a brilliant crimson, resembling a peeled ripe pomegranate. She desperately lowered her head and instinctively curled inward.

"My, my~~ What is there to be embarrassed about?"

Tomoe chuckled playfully, then reached out a finger and poked Yoake right in the chest.

"Yaaaaaah~~~!"

Yoake let out an adorable, bizarre shriek that sounded like the distress call of a small bird.

At that instant, having been poked in the chest by Tomoe's finger, she reacted like a frightened little animal, scrambling backward while tightly crossing her arms over her chest.

"T-Tomoe-sama, what on earth are you doing?"

"Feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

Tomoe grinned wickedly, sliding closer across the tatami mats.

"Don't worry about it, don't worry about it... Didn't we used to bathe together when we were little? What's the harm in a little touch?"

"That was when we were children!!"

Yoake's face burned scarlet.

"Besides... men and women should not sit together after the age of seven!?"

She used a tea tray to block Tomoe's wandering hands from reaching her chest once more.

"What does it matter~~ You aren't a man anymore anyway; we're both women now, nothing to fuss over."

Tomoe laughed naughtily, continuing her advance. Seizing the opportunity, she covertly gave Yoake's bottom a pinch, prompting yet another adorable shriek from the youth.

"Tomoe-sama, please stop!"

Ayaka could no longer stand by and watch, stepping forward to wrap her arms around Tomoe from behind.

"Elder Brother is already suffering enough, please don't tease him like this~~"

"Alright, alright..."

Forcefully restrained by her adoptive younger sister, Tomoe finally raised both hands in surrender.

"I didn't mean to bully little Yoake, I was just curious~~"

"That kind of curiosity places too much pressure on Elder Brother; his stress tolerance is remarkably low..."

While Ayaka spoke, Yoake had curled up into a tight ball in the corner of the room, his shoulders trembling.

"Ahem..."

Matsudaira, acting in his capacity as a vassal, forcefully interrupted the farce with a cough.

"Very well, Lady Tomoe. You brought us all the way out here surely not for the sake of such games?"

Getting straight to the point, he demanded that Tomoe discuss official business.

"Ah, right you are."

Tomoe sighed. "You must all be here for those two swords belonging to the Tsukayaro clan, correct? So, little Yoake, what are your intentions?"

"Eh?"

Hearing her own name, Yoake lifted her head.

"As the young lord of the Tsukayaro family, do you still intend to reclaim your clan's territory and rebuild the house of Tsukayaro?"

Tomoe asked with rare, uncharacteristic seriousness. "If you have no such intentions, then I will take the Masayoyo and the Suizuken for myself, as I too possess the legitimate right to inherit the head family's name."

"Of course."

Yoake's expression turned resolute.

"I will defeat that great demon and reclaim our ancestral domain."

"That is bound to be terribly difficult, you know!?"

Tomoe countered. "Can you truly see this through to the end?"

"I will."

The maiden replied with unwavering determination. "Though I cannot guarantee success, I will certainly try."

"Understood."

Tomoe let out a breath. "I shall relinquish my right of inheritance. Afterward, I will have Abbot Sando hand over one of the twin blades, the Suizuken, to you.

Since I am withdrawing, only you and Kujutsu Ikki remain as eligible successors to the headship. By tradition, you are entitled to hold at least one of these two treasured weapons..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a dying shriek echoed from outside.

Hum...

Everyone felt a strange sensation of ringing in their ears. Following that, those among them possessed of spiritual perception faintly heard a sound resembling a cracking eggshell.

"The barrier... The barrier of Gogen-ji has been breached."

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Tomoe leaped toward the sliding door. The instant she slid it open, Abbot Sando stumbled headlong into the room.

"Master?"

"The... The monsters are here."

Struggling for breath, the elderly monk—his face stained with blood and his body injured—held out two archaic blades.

"It is... the damn insect fiends. They shattered the barrier."

Sando used his right hand, blood seeping through his sleeve, to grip Tomoe's shoulder.

"Run... Run away. They are fierce fiends, and they have come specifically for you."

"To be precise, they have come for the two treasured blades held by the Tsukayaro during the great turmoil of the past."

A deep, gravelly voice echoed.

High in the air, a massive silhouette descended.

It was a fierce fiend radiating an overwhelming, volatile aura of demonic energy, burning like a pillar of flame.

Its entire body was covered in pitch-black chitinous armor, an insectoid carapace equipped with four articulated arms.

It was a colossal insect fiend whose appearance called to mind a kabuto-mushi, a Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Twin horns sprouted from its forehead, and its eyes, brow, and cheeks were studded with multiple crimson jewel-like compound eyes, its entire form encased in colossal armor.

"I am known as 'Hokaku', bearing the title bestowed by you humans as the 'Sovereign of Calamity who Ruins Countries, Destroys Nations, and Eradicates Bloodlines'—in other words, the vanguard under the command of one of the Five Demon Kings, the Fiend Lord Chigioni."

The great insect fiend formally announced its name.

"Though the great turmoil of the past has quieted, the remnants of our 'Blood-Path Outer Gate Faction' have yet to be exterminated by you humans... I have come today to claim the two treasures, the Masayoyo and the Suizuken."

The giant insect fiend, clutching a sword, a shield, an axe, and a cross-shaped spear in its four arms, let out a laugh.

"Of course, you are free to refuse to hand them over to me... Though your fate will inevitably match those lying at my feet."

At the feet of the pitch-black insect fiend lay several corpses. They were the bodies of the temple monks, sprawled out in pools of their own blood, which had pooled into mirror-like crimson puddles.