Ryūkotsusei Appears

In Musashi Province stood a vast, prosperous city, a city belonging to humans.

In this era, every city had its own independent government. A single city was equivalent to a small nation.

The lord of this city was Izayoi's father.

Strong soldiers guarded the gates, and along the walls, a soldier stood watch every meter.

Every one of these soldiers was tall and powerfully built, their eyes fierce. They were no mere showpieces, but men with genuine combat experience.

In this world overrun by demons, humans often fought yokai to protect the people within their cities.

The great general of this city was Setsuna no Takemaru, reputed to be its strongest warrior.

Ever since Tōga had taken Izayoi away, Setsuna no Takemaru's hatred of yokai had only deepened. Over the years, he had often led armies to slaughter the yokai nearby!

It was as though he saw every one of them as the dog yokai who had stolen the woman he loved.

He hated himself for his lack of strength, and he hated Izayoi for abandoning him.

His strength had steadily increased over the years, making him the strongest man in the entire city.

On the eastern side of the city stood an enormous estate, so spacious and opulent that it scarcely seemed like a general's residence.

Troops were stationed throughout the estate, and the city's common people dared not approach it.

Setsuna no Takemaru's intimidating presence struck fear into everyone. His methods were ruthless, and he tormented every opponent to death.

In a bamboo grove not far from the estate, a man in armor with long red hair and savage eyes gripped a chillingly sharp sword, honing his sword techniques!

Every swing of his blade produced a tremendous, shuddering roar. His strikes were swift, fierce, and utterly violent.

An ordinary person watching could never have discerned where the blade came from. His slashes fell like a raging storm, compressing the air into waves of sword pressure.

Energy tore through the sky, a white shock wave taking the shape of a sword as it blasted outward.

Rumble!

All the bamboo within several yards of him was shredded, and sword marks of every size scarred the ground!

"Not enough! Still not enough! Nowhere near enough!"

Setsuna no Takemaru roared. The sword in his hand had drunk the blood of hundreds of yokai, its murderous aura and resentment so dense that they had become almost tangible.

The blade was blood-red as Setsuna no Takemaru slashed madly through the bamboo grove. Among human generals, someone with such strength was unquestionably a true powerhouse.

But Setsuna no Takemaru's opponent was that man who seemed like a god or demon-Tōga, overlord of the Western Country.

The power that man had displayed that day was branded deep in Setsuna no Takemaru's heart. He had been utterly helpless!

He had fallen to the ground without even managing to hurt a single finger of his opponent.

"Tōga! You deserve to die!"

Setsuna no Takemaru threw back his head and roared. His eyes were terrifying, and a bloody gleam seemed to shine from the depths of his pupils.

This world was strange. When a person brimmed with wicked thoughts and hatred, they attracted yokai that delighted in devouring such power.

Setsuna no Takemaru hated Tōga, hated Izayoi, and even hated the city lord!

His overwhelming hatred drew yokai from every direction.

"A bunch of vermin! You think you can devour me?"

As a human general who had fought yokai for years, Setsuna no Takemaru naturally knew how to detect their auras.

All manner of yokai surrounded him, but they were far too weak.

Creatures that barely possessed intelligence wanted to devour his soul?

How utterly laughable!

"Die!"

Setsuna no Takemaru let out a harsh cry that scarcely sounded human. He was like a vengeful ghost, brimming with boundless killing intent.

His figure abruptly vanished from where he stood as he charged into the surrounding horde of yokai.

At that moment, he wanted to vent, wanted revenge. He wanted to kill Tōga, kill Izayoi, and kill every human and yokai who displeased him!

The yokai trembled in terror. They had never imagined that a human's murderous aura could be so horrifying.

Sword energy swept through them, cold light flashing viciously. The yokai's wails filled the air, and not one could withstand Setsuna no Takemaru's sword techniques!

As the slaughter continued, the red glow in Setsuna no Takemaru's eyes grew deeper, an exceedingly uncanny sight.

So uncanny was the change that Setsuna no Takemaru himself failed to notice it. He only felt a pleasant release throughout his body as the murderous thoughts and hatred in his heart poured out.

Only after he had terrorized and exterminated the surrounding yokai did Setsuna no Takemaru's hideous, terrifying expression regain some semblance of normality.

"Huff... hah..."

Setsuna no Takemaru's red hair was soaked. The pristine white snow had become a sea of blood, and his entire body was drenched in sweat and gore.

After venting his fury, Setsuna no Takemaru had reached the limits of his endurance. His breathing was ragged, his chest heaving rapidly as he stood among the yokai corpses, a terrifying sight!

"Good! Very good!"

Just then, an inscrutable voice sounded from deep within the bamboo grove, reaching Setsuna no Takemaru's ears.

"Who is it? Get out here!"

Setsuna no Takemaru shouted, instantly turning the sword in his hand. A flash of sword light swept past, and another swath of bamboo collapsed.

"Setsuna no Takemaru, you are quite impressive."

A figure emerged from the depths of the bamboo grove, dressed in black robes. Horns resembling those of both a deer and a dragon rose from his head, and a strange mask covered his face.

His peculiar appearance and attire made it clear that he was not human.

Then he was a yokai!

"Who are you?"

Setsuna no Takemaru's expression darkened. His cold gaze lingered briefly on the other's horns as he tightened his grip on his blood-red sword, his body tensing and every hair standing on end.

The yokai before him was anything but ordinary. Setsuna no Takemaru could not gauge his true nature at all. He was nothing like the minor yokai from earlier.

"I am Ryūkotsusei. We share a common enemy!"

The man spoke calmly, a strange smile appearing on his face. His introduction nearly made Setsuna no Takemaru's heart leap out of his chest.

Ryūkotsusei, a supreme Greater Yokai, stood above countless other yokai.

And he had actually appeared here!?

"A common enemy!?"

Setsuna no Takemaru's thoughts stirred, though his body remained cautiously tense. He had been gathering information about Tōga all this time, so naturally he knew that Ryūkotsusei was Tōga's enemy.

But after Tōga defeated him decades ago, he had vanished without a trace for many years.

Setsuna no Takemaru had never expected Ryūkotsusei to still be alive, much less appear here.

"You want revenge on Tōga?"

Setsuna no Takemaru looked at the uncanny Ryūkotsusei before him. A moment's thought was enough to understand his purpose.

"Indeed. You should know that Tōga will soon fight Michinaga of the leopard cats to the death at Heavenly Lake. I know you desperately want him dead. So do I. I wish I could tear Tōga into a thousand pieces!

We can work together."

The strange smile remained on Ryūkotsusei's face, but at the mention of Tōga, an exceptionally intense killing intent radiated from him.

That killing intent added another layer of bitter cold to the already frozen, snowbound surroundings!

Clearly, Ryūkotsusei had not forgotten the grievous injuries that had nearly killed him in their battle decades ago. He would never forget such a deep grudge.

And now, a perfect opportunity had presented itself.

An opportunity to slay Tōga!