Miss Hebe is Slaughtering Her Way Out of the Lostbelt!

Compared to the libraries of the various noble houses in Heian-kyō, the Seiwa Genji's collection was more specialized. As the front line of the conflict between Mount Ōe and Heian-kyō, information about the enemy was essential.

The Seiwa Genji's library consisted entirely of illustrated books on various yokai and the Oni Host, so that in case of a sudden incident, they could immediately identify the enemy's origin and devise a solution.

"From today, you will also study here at night." Hebe retrieved an oil lamp and blew on the empty lamp holder, causing light to emerge from it.

Green fox fire burned quietly in the lamp holder, and Hebe, holding the oil lamp, cast the shadow of her three tails onto the library walls.

Yes, three tails.

When Hebe found Minamoto no Yorimitsu, a phantom image of her third tail had already appeared. As their master-disciple relationship was established, her third tail fully formed.

The ability of this tail was to exchange temporary fate with a designated target. Misfortune could be turned into good luck, and good luck could also turn into misfortune.

It was like a lotus flower blooming together.

Thinking back now, Hebe had indeed changed the fates of many people, and the ability awakened by the fox tail was closely related to the environment.

Therefore, it was only natural that she awakened such an ability when she came to Minamoto no Yorimitsu's side.

Thump.

Hebe placed the lamp holder on the table, then transformed into her fox form, curling up among the scrolls with her three fluffy golden fox tails flicking.

The scrolls were spread out before Minamoto no Yorimitsu, but her gaze kept drifting to the tails behind Hebe.

I really want to cut off Teacher's fox tails and hide them, then Teacher won't be able to leave me after losing her tails... Just like a celestial maiden who lost her heavenly clothes and could only marry a fisherman.

In a daze, the shadow behind her monstrously grew horns, and two points of light like lightning flashed on her pitch-black face.

Hebe casually flipped through the scriptures on the table, her fox tail shadow growing larger behind her.

The lamplight burned quietly.

The fox tail and the ox demon's shadow chased and tore at each other's forms within the scrolls. They crossed every stroke etched on the bamboo slips, repainting their faded bodies black in the dry ink. They pursued and cornered each other in the gaps cast by the walls and shelves, vying for every inch of space to rest in the lamplight. They entangled endlessly in every particle of dust floating in the air, until the dust fell into the light emitted by the lamp, turning into shimmering points of light.

On the ground, the shadows of the two figures stretched longer and longer.

The fox tail grabbed the ox demon's body and pulled it forcefully in three directions.

The Gozu Tennō, whose eyes were filled with lightning, stared intently at Hebe. She struggled but could not escape the restraint of the fox tail.

Plop.

The lamplight flickered peacefully.

The shadow that filled the entire library suddenly disappeared again.

Minamoto no Yorimitsu shivered and saw the fox spirit still curled up in the scrolls, her three massive tails lazily slapping the ground.

The scroll in front of her remained on the first page.

In the depths of her consciousness, Ushi Gozen's roar had disappeared, becoming extremely faint.

The projections of the two on the sliding paper door merged into one, extremely intimately.

When night deepened, no further anomalies appeared.

As daylight broke, Minamoto no Yorimitsu realized with a start that she hadn't slept all night, yet she still felt energetic and radiant.

"This is normal." Hebe twitched the corner of her mouth. "Be prepared, Yorimitsu. This process might take a very long time."

As the sunlight streamed in, the fox spirit blew on the oil lamp, and the green fox fire instantly extinguished.

"Teacher, how long will this process take?" Minamoto no Yorimitsu asked.

In the light, the fox spirit transformed back into human form, a wicked arc forming on her lips.

"Until you come of age, don't even think about sleeping."

However, to Hebe's surprise, Minamoto no Yorimitsu did not show a shocked expression. Instead, she replied with a faint smile.

If that's the case, then it's also very good, Minamoto no Yorimitsu thought. After all, the time I spend with Teacher will be longer by extension.

Feeling suddenly bored, Hebe flicked her tails and walked out of the library.

She intended to let Minamoto no Yorimitsu gradually begin dealing with yokai and the Oni Host.

How could a famous sword not be sharpened by blood? And before commencing large-scale slaughter, she must first make her adapt to blood.

No, perhaps for Ushi Gozen, blood and death are precisely the sacrifices that promote her revival, Hebe thought indifferently, her hands tucked into her sleeves.

She was about to personally push Minamoto no Yorimitsu onto the battlefield of destiny.

And at the end of this path, Minamoto no Yorimitsu would inevitably merge with Ushi Gozen... In other words, Minamoto no Yorimitsu's best outcome would be to die before being assimilated by Ushi Gozen.

Hebe glanced at the fox tails behind her.

From this perspective, the third tail had indeed arrived at a most opportune time.

77. Obedience is Better Than Respect

Although there were still more than two months until Minamoto no Yorimitsu's coming-of-age ceremony, she had already personally killed over a dozen "beasts."

To avoid causing a large-scale disturbance, Minamoto no Yorimitsu always began her battlefield after nightfall.

Hebe always followed behind her, partly to support Minamoto no Yorimitsu and partly to clean up her mess.

Influenced by Ushi Gozen, Minamoto no Yorimitsu's fighting style was extremely ferocious. When she entered her state, she would urge on her raging thunder and storms regardless of her own safety, leveling the entire battlefield like a natural disaster.

Fortunately, following Hebe's teachings, she first lured the target into the wilderness before engaging in the punitive expedition.

Otherwise, it would be hard to say whether the interference of the demon and oni was greater, or Minamoto no Yorimitsu's destructive power was stronger.

After Minamoto no Yorimitsu finished her subjugation and left, Hebe entered the battlefield to begin the ritual to purify the residual influences.

Calling it a ritual was an exaggeration; it merely involved changing into tabi socks and stomping the ground a few times.

If the onmyōji in Heian-kyō were to do it, they would likely need several consecutive days to completely exorcise the residual influences.

And considering Minamoto no Yorimitsu's frequency of subjugation, the onmyōji of this era would be completely unable to bear the burden.

What's more, the nobles of Heian-kyō would never allow it—if all the onmyōji and sorcerers were busy assisting Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who would protect our noble lords and ladies?

Ultimately, under the protection of onmyōji and sorcerers, as long as the nobles of Heian-kyō didn't court disaster themselves, the probability of being targeted by demons and oni was very low.

According to the statistics from the Bureau of Onmyō, only nobles and samurai were considered casualties... As for the commoners who were killed or injured? They weren't even counted as numbers.

"Oof, when that Gozu Tennō swept across the battlefield, I almost got caught in the crossfire."

Tanutarō said, following closely behind Hebe, still feeling a sense of lingering fear.

Hebe had initially thought this Bake-danuki had fled far away, but it had suddenly shown up half a year ago, saying, "A promise is a promise."

To have free labor and not use it would be a terrible waste. Moreover, although Tanutarō's combat ability was a complete mess, with the illusions of a Bake-danuki, he was more than capable of acting as a scout and informant.

During this time, Hebe had, on one hand, selected suitable practice targets for Minamoto no Yorimitsu based on the records of the Seiwa Genji, and on the other hand, dispatched Tanutarō to gather intelligence in advance and confirm the targets' whereabouts. Finally, Minamoto no Yorimitsu would deliver the decisive blow.

Few yokai could survive this onslaught and still cling to life. If there were any, the waiting Fox Spirit would make them regret not dying earlier.

"Lady Tamamo..." Tanutarō hesitated.

"What is it?" Hebe picked up a shell still stained with blood from the ground and put it into her sleeve.

"That Gozu Tennō, after every subjugation, she goes to a certain place to wait alone until dawn... Do you want to go see her?"

Hebe thought for a moment. "No."

Minamoto no Yorimitsu, or Ushi Gozen, they indeed needed a space of their own.

For them, nothing in the world was more intimate than each other.

Besides, Hebe actually had things to do.

Under the night sky, a light rain fell, and Heian-kyō slept peacefully.

Hebe, wearing wooden sandals and holding an umbrella, walked past the vermilion Rashōmon.

The rain intensified, and wisps of white mist rose from the ground, intertwining like dragons and snakes.

The air on Suzaku Avenue subtly distorted, as if something was about to erupt.

Hebe frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the majestic Firebird at the end of Suzaku Avenue.

"Be quiet."

The spirited Firebird's eyes gradually dimmed, and the flame-like feathers that burned all over its body also darkened, losing their brilliant radiance.

This Firebird was the personification of Heian-kyō's barrier, and it instinctively rejected any non-human species from entering Heian-kyō.

Normally, Hebe would not be detected by the Firebird when entering Heian-kyō, but today she carried many remnants of yokai that Minamoto no Yorimitsu had defeated, which caused the Firebird to react.

In the drizzling rain, the Fox Spirit knocked on the door of a house.

"Who is it?" a hoarse voice came from behind the door.

"I sent a Bake-danuki to deliver a calling card the night before last, and we agreed to visit tonight," Hebe replied.

The door opened, and an old man with bright eyes stood in the small courtyard.

"Miss Tamamo, please come in, please come in—you brought the items, didn't you!"

"Naturally," Hebe smiled. "Mr. Yasutsuna, it wasn't easy to bring them."

The old man before her was the swordsmith Yasutsuna, who historically lived in Hōki Province, but at this moment, he appeared in Heian-kyō.

He was here to collect the essence of demons and oni to forge a peerless legendary sword.

After receiving the news from Tanutarō, Yasutsuna had been eagerly awaiting her arrival.

"Heh heh, heh heh." The old man rubbed his hands together. "My skills are nothing special; the materials Miss Tamamo brought are the most important."

He looked at the remnants left by the yokai, his joy evident, even drooling from his mouth.

"Bliss..."

Yasutsuna gazed at the materials for a long time before reluctantly looking away. "Miss Tamamo, the materials you brought are truly too perfect. In that case, the ore I have in reserve is a bit inadequate..."

This was an extremely awkward situation. Yasutsuna had initially thought the yokai materials Hebe brought would be mediocre, and his own collected minerals, gathered over half his life, would be sufficient.

But now, not only were the yokai materials Hebe brought abundant and of superior quality, but they even carried a vibrant life force.

Yasutsuna could even faintly hear the wails entangled in the shells and limbs, the resentment of the yokai unwilling to die.

Hebe pondered for a moment. "Is ore absolutely necessary?"

"No, ore isn't strictly necessary," Yasutsuna shook his head. "If there were swords of sufficiently high quality, I could melt them down and reforge them, thus creating a sword blank."

As the words fell, a redwood scabbard inlaid with gold appeared before Yasutsuna. It felt heavy in her hand, and a metallic clinking sound came from within as she gently shook it.

"This is the beloved sword of the Great Tengu of Mount Kurama. I rightfully won it after a duel with her," Hebe stated plainly. "Unfortunately, the blade itself is destroyed. Please take a look and see if it's usable."

Yasutsuna's arms trembled, and she was momentarily speechless.

Hebe, assuming Yasutsuna was unsatisfied, flicked her sleeve again, and a pile of bone fragments glinting with gold fell out.

"These are the personal effects of Ibaraki-dōji, the Demon King of Mount Ōe. I fought her when I passed through Mount Ōe," Hebe pointed to the pile of bones. "This sword was forged from the bones of an evil oni, and I destroyed it during our fight... Well, they're still bones, so they probably won't meet your needs."

Hebe then drew a cold, gleaming longsword from her side. A faint, sweet aroma of sake flowed along the blade's edge.

The only flaw was a very noticeable dent on the sword's body, like a scar left by a punch.

This longsword was somewhat bent, but at least it was still intact.

"This is the sword of Shuten-dōji, the Demon King of Mount Ōe. I obtained it as well. Take a look..."

"Enough, enough, enough!" Yasutsuna cried, tears of joy streaming down his face. "Oh, all the gods and Buddhas! Today, I shall forge a supreme artifact!"

He looked at Hebe and said solemnly, "Please watch me forge this sword. I stake my life on it, and I will not disappoint Miss Tamamo!"

Hebe nodded. "I am honored to accept."

78 Skyflint

Yasutsuna began forging the sword.

Suoyan, Hizukuri... Before the forging furnace, Yasutsuna's sweat began to pour. He concentrated, chanting incantations from the land of Tang. As his prayers continued, the furnace fire's temperature grew hotter.

"May Suiren grant me bones of a hundred refinements, and let this broken body become a new furnace..."

Hebe listened carefully, knowing these were prayers directed at "Great Lord Suiren" or "Supreme Suiren, the True Brightness of Scarlet Heaven."

The "Suiren" mentioned was precisely the honored name of September Archon, Skyflint, within the cultural sphere of Zhendan.