Oni. Yes, in this era, Ryuya saw not only youkai but also Oni.
They were lifeforms resembling humans, but only in appearance.
Different from the demons in Demon Slayer, in Ryuya's view, these Oni were more like corpses corrupted by negative emotions such as malice, resentment, and hatred. (T/N: Demon is Oni in Japanese.)
Devoid of intelligence and speech, these Oni emerged from somewhere unknown. They were like born thugs destined to destroy all intelligent life, periodically appearing to attack humans and youkai alike.
Struggling to resist the Oni invasions, humans couldn't distinguish between youkai and Oni. To them, both were the same kind of existence. Naturally, youkai were also despised and attacked by humans.
"This world isn't any I'm familiar with. I don't know what to do either."
It had been about fourteen years since arriving in this world. As he aged, Ryuya now had all parameters at rank B.
If needed, activating The Eternal Nation could boost them all to A++.
But this power, surpassing the era, was of little use because the Oni were endless, their numbers seemingly infinite.
Even though he cleared a large area around the mountain every year, it was futile. The Oni would return the next year.
[As time passed, you believed continuing to hide on the mountain, avoiding human searches and Oni invasions, was no longer a good strategy.]
[You made a decision: to go to the human world and see if the human authorities had any detailed information about the Oni's appearance.]
[Facing your departure, the youkai gathered here expressed their reluctance. Initially, there were only a few youkai, drawn to you by instinct.]
[But over time, the entity known as the King truly attracted the youkai's loyalty. Compared to the complex minds of humans, youkai were purer and simpler. They only knew to be good to those who were good to them.]
[Many youkai from other parts of the land also came, drawn by your reputation, including some great youkai from generations of lineage. But all sincerely honored you as their king.]
[Regarding the youkai's reluctance, you politely declined their pleas to stay. You gathered several great youkai, explained your purpose for leaving, and hoped they would stay safe, avoiding Oni attacks and human assaults after your departure.]
[Pounding their chests to show understanding, the youkai finally saw you off with reluctant eyes.]
[Concealing your fairy's pointed ears, you traveled across this cursed land.]
[After some time wandering, you learned you were in 19th-century Sakura Prefecture. In this era, the shogunate warred, common people were displaced, samurai sought ways of salvation, but most were blinded by desire. They didn't truly care if the Oni were eradicated, as they only wanted fame and to rise above others.]
[Disdainful of these people's actions, you suddenly thought of this scenario's name.]
'Rashomon. The scenario name is Rashomon.'
With a casual swing, Ryuya beheaded an Oni. Having fought for so many years in Camelot, his swordsmanship was exceptionally skilled, not to mention the Sword Saint of Avalon was his wife.
Recalling Camelot's past, he remembered the previous scenario was 'Legendary Lord of Britain'.
'So what was the 'Rashomon' scenario hinting at?'
'Rashomon, the main gate of Rajo in Tokyo, Japan. It was another name for the boundary between the human world and hell, the distinction between truth and illusion.
Seeming to understand the connection between the Oni and Rashomon, Ryuya decided to head to Tokyo to see what the shogunate rulers knew about Rashomon.
[Deciding to go to Tokyo, you slew the Oni you encountered along the way. Many people saw your figure, remembering the swordsman in white robes, unstained by a single drop of blood.]
[Your fame grew. You were hailed as the Pure White Samurai. Countless commoners worshipped you, and numerous nobles sought to recruit you.]
[On your journey, you saved many people: travelers returning home, wealthy merchants, samurai with dreams, and also...]
"It hurts so much..."
'Mother is dead. Father is dead too.'
'So why am I not dead yet?'
Opening her eyes, amidst the false prosperity, a little girl in tattered clothes, starving and hungry, held a broken katana.
She didn't know why she sat here, whom she waited for. She had sat like this for three days, just sitting, looking like she would starve to death sooner or later.
"Father... Mother..."
Staring blankly at the broken blade in her hand, the little girl thought maybe she should just end it herself and join her parents in the afterlife.
But...
Noticing the starving stray dogs on the street, the girl dismissed the thought.
She could choose to end her own suffering, but she couldn't bear the thought of her body becoming food for beasts after death.
'Then I would struggle a little longer...'
Thinking this, the girl sat for another day. Although some commoners pitied her during this time, in this turbulent era where everyone feared for their own survival, who could take in another child?
Corpses littered the fields, and people exchanged children to eat. For most, these might just be a few words in a history book, but in current Sakura Prefecture, this was the bloody reality!
"Ah, am I about to die?"
She no longer had the strength to even move a finger. Her remaining will was about to dissipate. Apart from drinking some dew, she hadn't eaten anything. It was too much for the little girl.
Just then, the winter of Tokyo finally arrived. The usual autumn bleakness quickly turned into a cold winter snow, falling flake by flake on the girl's face.
Squinting at the snowy whiteness between heaven and earth, the girl wondered if freezing to death would come faster than starvation.
"I really want... to eat Mother's cooking one more time."
As if seeing the menacing stray dogs surrounding her, the girl closed her eyes, waiting for the moment her flesh would be torn.
But the expected pain didn't come. Instead, a warm embrace lifted her… she was being held.
"Hey, little one, you probably don't want to die so quickly, right?"
Following the miserable barks and yelps of dogs, the little girl saw a figure clad in pure white clothes, a person as pristine as snow.
"You are..."
"I am..."
Her voice was soft, too faint for the exhausted girl to hear clearly. Yet it was also loud, rivaling bells that could shake the world.
Drifting into a hazy sleep, the girl felt that perhaps... she wouldn't have to die after all.