BOOM!!!
As Ye Xing pulled the trigger, the shotgun emitted an ear-splitting blast.
The shotgun pellets transformed into dozens of pitch-black steel balls the moment they left the barrel, hurtling toward Nurarihyon.
Facing this sudden attack, with his calf already pierced by a bullet, Nurarihyon should theoretically have been completely unable to dodge.
Yet in this seemingly fatal situation, both he and the distant Gyūki simultaneously revealed meaningful smiles.
"Found our opening."
Nurarihyon's wide kimono fluttered as cherry blossom petals scattered like illusions around him, his entire figure vanishing instantly from his original position.
"Underestimating the commander..."
Gyūki exhaled in relief as he saw Nurarihyon, now wielding Nenekirimaru, instantly appear behind Ye Xing with his blade poised to pierce the young man's back.
"...comes with dire consequences."
The pain and sluggish movements Nurarihyon had displayed when shot earlier by the pistol...
Had all been an act.
In Japan's various legends, the Nura Clan leader was never famous for brute strength, but rather for cunning and agility.
Feigning weakness to observe the enemy, then seizing the perfect moment for a decisive strike - this was precisely what Nurarihyon excelled at.
Had Ye Xing initially used a pistol formed from evil spirit power, firing bullets condensed from the same energy, it would indeed have been devastatingly effective against the yokai Nurarihyon.
But what he'd used was merely the most ordinary standard-issue police firearm (Special thanks to: Kyoto's Most Square-Jawed, Metropolitan Police Department Criminal Director, Soichiro Yagami).
Nurarihyon could heal damage from ordinary metal in less than a single breath.
Were this not the case, during humanity's centuries of extermination campaigns, the yokai race would have been wiped out long ago.
Why would they have needed Onmyoji? Just massed archery volleys would have sufficed.
Age had caught up with Nurarihyon - he could no longer fight Gyūki for three days and nights without rest, as he had in his youth.
A swift resolution was the most reasonable approach.
Clang!
Just as Nenekirimaru's tip was about to pierce Ye Xing's back, Onimaru Kunitsuna at his waist suddenly unsheathed itself, the blade intercepting Nurarihyon's certain strike.
"What!?"
Nurarihyon's expression changed dramatically as he swiftly retreated several paces.
He hadn't expected his attack to fail in such a manner under those circumstances.
With both hands gripping the shotgun, drawing his longsword to parry would require first discarding the firearm, then unsheathing the blade - all while accurately blocking this strike without rear vision.
Nurarihyon had initially tested the waters, concluding that in terms of pure strength and spiritual power, he was inferior.
But when it came to instantaneous speed and sword techniques, he held the advantage.
Yet despite all calculations, Nurarihyon could never have anticipated that Onimaru Kunitsuna would automatically unsheathe itself to protect its master.
What kind of sorcery was this?
Sword control technique?
"Hmph."
Ye Xing turned to face Nurarihyon in the distance, speaking deliberately.
"Your disguise was good. Pity you overlooked one thing."
"What thing?"
"Never underestimate... the bond between me and Onimaru Kunitsuna!"
Nurarihyon was nearly at his limit.
It was just a fight.
Why keep spouting these passionate lines?
Making him seem like some villain...
Wait no - judging by the other's words, he'd led hundreds of yokai including Gyūki (who'd killed humans before) to invade Kyoto...
Realisation dawned on Nurarihyon's face.
Was he the villain here?
"You're strong."
Ye Xing dissipated the black shotgun, extending his right hand to rest five fingers slowly on Onimaru Kunitsuna's hilt.
"I'm satisfied."
Nurarihyon's footwork and blade were blindingly fast.
How fast?
Fast enough to make "outside seven steps the gun is quicker, within seven steps the sword prevails" no longer just an internet meme.
Against such an opponent, wielding a firearm single-handed left half your defences exposed.
Dual-wielding shotguns? That was practically inviting decapitation.
Seeing Ye Xing stow his firearms and reclaim his sword didn't ease Nurarihyon's tension - if anything, his expression grew graver.
Staring at the pitch-black Onimaru Kunitsuna, he spoke solemnly.
"You... actually gained Onimaru Kunitsuna's recognition? And infused it with your own power?"
"Your phrasing is wrong."
Ye Xing shook his head, reiterating what he'd once told Soichiro Yagami.
"It's not that I gained Onimaru Kunitsuna's recognition. Rather, Onimaru Kunitsuna gained mine. Don't reverse the hierarchy."
"And..."
Levelling Onimaru Kunitsuna horizontally, Ye Xing ran five fingers of his left hand along the obsidian blade, smiling.
"In these fortnight days with me, it's slain more evil spirits than its entire previous history combined."
"A blade forged to exterminate monsters... naturally belongs to one who exterminates monsters."
"What do you think, old man Nura?"
Nurarihyon sighed, feeling both impressed and exasperated.
Should he call this kid rude or polite?
Using the honorific "you" yet still addressing him as "old man."
This brat was truly peculiar.
...
Meanwhile, Miko Yotsuya and Rio Futaba, alongside Hachishaku-sama, the Goat-Headed Deity, and two fox-faced divine envoys, were holding their own against hundreds of yokai from the Nura Clan.
Though it was said to be hundreds, Gyūki—their strongest fighter—wasn't among them.
After being gripped by the pale ghost hand for over twenty minutes, he felt an inexplicable chill deep within his body, his limbs trembling uncontrollably.
Gyūki couldn't comprehend what that thing had been.
When it held him, it didn't feel like a hand at all.
It was... strange.
Almost as if...
His very soul was being shamelessly scrutinised by some unknown entity from a higher plane of existence.
It was an agony worse than death.
"Bone Woman!"
At Rio Futaba's call, Bone Woman—clad in a loose kimono—instantly extended dozens of pale bones from her body, forming a shield in front of Rio.
Kubinashi's attack struck, but only shattered the bone shield, failing to reach Rio herself.
"Rio."
Miko merely uttered her name, and Rio nodded in understanding.
"Mm, got it."
Immediately, a nearly two-metre-long sharp bone spike extended from within Bone Woman's kimono.
Rio yanked it free and handed it to Miko, who took it and assumed a javelin-throwing stance, murmuring softly,
"Come, Hyakume."
As the words left her lips, an eye-shaped pattern appeared on Miko's pale right wrist.
Her golden irises, now streaked with crimson, resembled blood-veined gemstones—beautiful yet chillingly dangerous.
"Go."
Miko hurled the bone spike with a sharp whistle through the air.
"Look out!"
Seeing the white projectile streak toward him, Kubinashi's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he retracted his threads, weaving them into a shield.
In an instant, the tide of battle had turned.
This was the thrilling combo of Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya!
Though, judging by their calm expressions, it wasn't all that thrilling—they'd done this countless times before.
Miko, with her greater spiritual power and exorcism experience, had gained the ability to partially fuse with her soul's true form, much like Ye Xing.
Rio hadn't reached that level yet.
But she had her own advantages.
Bone Woman was stronger than Hyakume; her bone spikes could detach from her body, and they naturally countered evil spirits.
After some thought, Rio—the chief strategist of the Supernatural Society—devised this tactic.
It kept Bone Woman close, protecting Rio's vulnerable body, while maximising Bone Woman's value by providing Miko—the more spiritually powerful, combat-specialised exorcist—with mid-to-long-range offensive options.
Add to that Hachishaku-sama, an ever-dutiful, evil spirit-bodied meat shield ready to block attacks at any moment.
It was a perfect combination.
Compared to Ye Xing, who often acted alone, these two girls and one spirit truly embodied the Supernatural Society team.
The bone spike collided with Kubinashi's thread shield, producing a deafening roar.
The shockwave alone forced the hundreds of yokai present to stagger back several steps.
"ROAR!!!"
The towering Goat-Headed Deity positioned itself before the yokai, bellowing triumphantly.
But before its roar could fade, a dispassionate voice cut in.
"Enough posturing. Get to work."
At Ye Xing's words, the Goat-Headed Deity crouched low, suddenly docile.
A textbook case of wild turning tame.
...
Once satisfied that Miko's group was safe, Ye Xing turned his gaze back to Nurarihyon, standing a short distance away.
"Well? Still got fight left in you?"
"Hmph."
Nurarihyon snorted, then abruptly shrank back into his elderly form and began fleeing into the distance.
Watching the retreating figure, Ye Xing shook his head with a soft chuckle.
"Still putting on an act. Truly worthy of the Nura Clan."
Since the other was committed to the performance, Ye Xing was happy to play along.
Their chase led them nearly three hundred metres away, to a barren plot behind the shrine.
"This should do, no?"
Hearing Ye Xing's unsurprised tone, Nurarihyon turned, reverting to his youthful form, and spoke gravely.
"It seems we share the same thought."
"Indeed."
Ye Xing smiled nonchalantly, tightening his grip on Onimaru Kunitsuna.
"The shockwaves from our battle would be too much for your ordinary yokai to handle. And my people would be at risk too."
"In other words..."
Ye Xing met Nurarihyon's eyes squarely.
"You're only getting serious now, right?"
"Just as you say."
Nurarihyon took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
When they reopened, his golden-brown irises gleamed with the same sharpness as centuries past, when he'd slain the great yokai Hagoromo Gitsune.
"Now this is the Nurarihyon I wanted to see."
Genuine excitement flickered in Ye Xing's eyes.
Whoosh...
A faint gust later, Nurarihyon—clothes still fluttering—was already before Ye Xing.
"Fear."
With that single whispered word, an overwhelming, oppressive aura erupted from Nurarihyon.
The very flow of air shifted direction instantly.
The atmosphere itself seemed to bend to his will.
The wind moved with his blade.
Air and steel descended as one.
"Interesting."
Ye Xing's two-word reply preceded his raising of Onimaru Kunitsuna to meet the strike.
BOOM!!!
This time, it wasn't the clear ring of clashing steel.
It was the deafening crash of two trains colliding.
Nenekirimaru met Onimaru Kunitsuna.
The ground beneath their feet cracked violently.
A simple exchange of blows sent dust and debris flying.
Nurarihyon didn't relent.
Unlike Ye Xing, his aged body could only sustain this youthful form briefly—he needed to end this quickly.
"Still Water..."
With a nimble slide, he shifted to Ye Xing's unarmed left side.
Flames burst to life along Nenekirimaru's blade.
"Slash."
Facing the fire-wreathed sword, Ye Xing's smile vanished. He raised his left arm and murmured,
"Shield."
Thick black mist coalesced into a massive, heavy shield.
The flaming Nenekirimaru struck it.
Silence fell.
Only the crackle of flames remained.
Less than two seconds later.
The fire on Nenekirimaru's blade flared brighter.
So did the gold-brown of Nurarihyon's eyes.
"Slash!"
With that shout, the evil spirit-powered shield was torn asunder.
The flaming blade arced toward Ye Xing's neck.
Nurarihyon's first thought:
Victory.
But then, Ye Xing did the unexpected.
He raised his left arm—directly into the path of the blazing, razor-sharp Nenekirimaru.
If even the black shield couldn't withstand Still Water Slash, this outfit stood no chance.
The blade cleaved through Ye Xing's arm, stopping only when it hit bone.
"Ah... that hurts."
A normal person would be writhing in agony—or at least sweating and grimacing.
But Nurarihyon frowned at Ye Xing's utterly calm, smiling face and placid tone.
Was this guy a monster?
How could a mere human take such an injury without even a whimper?
What astonishing willpower was this?
"It hurts too much, the bone's damaged."
Ye Xing glanced down at his left arm and delivered his injury assessment with unsettling nonchalance.
Then he performed an act that would forever sear itself into Nurarihyon's memory.
"Never mind, I'll just replace it."
As he spoke, Ye Xing released Onimaru Kunitsuna. His right pale ghost hand came to rest on his left shoulder.
CRACK!
Amidst the sickening sounds of snapping bone and tearing flesh, Ye Xing brutally tore off his entire left arm and casually tossed it aside.
Nurarihyon could only stare in stunned silence.
What... what was this?
Self-mutilation?
Some kind of dark ritual?
But then Nurarihyon witnessed something even more unbelievable.
A thick black mist coalesced around the stump of Ye Xing's severed arm.
Within a single breath...
His left arm had regenerated completely; the sleeve and glove formed from evil spirit power had formed seamlessly over the new limb.
"Ah, almost forgot."
Having completed this grotesque self-repair, Ye Xing looked at the discarded arm on the ground.
"Can't waste resources or leave traceable evidence."
His mouth opened slightly - had Miko Yotsuya and Rio Futaba been present, they'd have recognised this motion as identical to when he devoured evil spirits.
The severed arm dissolved into black mist, which Ye Xing then swallowed whole.
This spectacle left even Nurarihyon - the centuries-old leader of all yokai who'd witnessed countless wonders - utterly dumbfounded.
What manner of monster was this!?
Regenerating limbs?
And recycling the discarded ones?
You're telling me this is human?
He's more yokai than actual yokai!!!
"Taste was... acceptable."
Ye Xing raised his head, meeting Nurarihyon's dumbstruck expression with a light chuckle.
"Never seen anything like this before, have you?"
Then he grasped the floating Onimaru Kunitsuna, grinning at Nurarihyon.
"Let me show you something even more interesting."
Before Nurarihyon could respond, Ye Xing turned and flashed towards the shrine.
With no time for deliberation, Nurarihyon immediately gave chase.
Against ordinary members of the Nura Clan, someone with such power and that unnatural regenerative ability...
It would be nothing short of slaughter.
As the Nura Clan's supreme commander, he couldn't allow that to happen.
When the two arrived back at the shrine, the situation had shifted dramatically.
The Goat-Headed Deity who'd been so majestic just five minutes ago now appeared semi-transparent and flickering, clearly weakened.
Hachishaku-sama's porcelain skin bore numerous unhealed wounds.
As for Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya...
Apart from heavy breathing from exhaustion...
They remained completely unharmed.
Obviously.
Neither the Goat-Headed Deity nor Hachishaku-sama were fools.
Their wounds would heal quickly enough.
But if anything were to happen to these two honoured ladies, how could they possibly face Lord Ye Xing's wrath?
Wouldn't they be devoured alive?
"I estimated you'd last about this long."
Kyoto might be hosting an elite battle...
However, sending Rio Futaba, Miko Yotsuya, Hachishaku-sama, along with the Goat-Headed Deity and two fox-faced divine envoys to face off against the Nura Clan's hundreds of yokai was, of course, an impossible battle to win.
The fact they'd held out this long was already proof enough of Futaba and Miko's capabilities.
"Hold it!"
Nurarihyon sheathed his blade, his form reverting to that of an elderly man.
He still had some strength left.
However, it was clear that Ye Xing still had reserves as well.
"Now... shall we talk?"
Facing the hundreds of Nura Clan yokai surrounding them with predatory gazes, Ye Xing simply stowed Onimaru Kunitsuna away and looked towards Nurarihyon standing not far off.
"Didn't I say I wanted to show you something?"
Without waiting for Nurarihyon's response, Ye Xing continued speaking as if to himself.
"I told you earlier—any weapon I know how to craft can be materialised using evil spirit power."
"But there's one thing I forgot to mention..."
As he spoke, Ye Xing slowly raised his right hand, his tone indifferent.
"The number of weapons I can materialise simultaneously... isn't limited to just one."
The moment his words fell, the Nura Clan yokai, along with Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya, suddenly felt the sky above them darken in an instant.
Dense shadows blanketed the shrine grounds.
When everyone looked up and saw the spectacle in the sky, they froze.
Swords, spears, halberds, blades, shields, bows, chains, morning stars, poleaxes—even a fangtian halberd.
Thousands of cold weapons, all condensed from evil spirit power, their surfaces pitch-black, hovered silently in mid-air.
Even the bright moonlight could only struggle through the gaps, casting mere slivers of light upon them.
At some point, Ye Xing had already taken position atop the shrine's roof.
Looking down at the Nura Clan yokai, he spread his arms wide. Against the backdrop of countless blackened weapons, his dark attire and the pure black mask he wore merged into an overwhelmingly oppressive sight.
"This is my exclusive..."
"Unlimited Blade Works."