A Shift In Perspective {Omamori Himari/Monster Girl Encyclopedia} (Finished)

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Journal Entry #2.4

The dreams, nightmares, and corrupted memories persisted.

***

But they felt diminished somehow, and less frequent when I was with my girls. ...Especially when I was with Kuesu if I was being honest.

***

Which made a twisted sort of sense considering most of the visions were about the day I failed and let her die.

---

The next few weeks went on just like that. My home life filled with the usual hijinks of the girls and me trying to handle our now semi-polyamorous relationship between all of them. Which was occasionally interrupted by the sudden violence of Demon Slayer work.

But Kesu's assessment back in the hotel proved to be correct; all of the Yokai we fought were just rouges of one kind or another. Rogues begin the kind I felt the most comfortable fighting since they were the type to either hunt and kill humans or just cause random destruction.

I took no joy in killing some of them, but it was necessary to protect the humans, and sometimes even Yokai, under my protection within the city. The only consolation of this being that they were a minority and their rampages were in-frequent at best.

The more interesting parts of my days, and surprisingly the most uneventful and peaceful, were the incursions into other neighboring cities with the Yokai assigned to me by the clan leaders.

They'd decided on giving me four Yokai to shadow and escort; A rokurokubi that called herself Eihei and a kitsune named Etsuko acted as the leaders of the group. The other two, a man and a woman, remained completely in human form and avoided talking to me entirely.

Eihei was at least cordial with me, and her longish black hair that was tied into a bun matched her professional attitude. Etsuko on the other hand seemed... a little too "playful" while near me; often batting my face with her two red fluffy tails.

Though it was funny to see Tama get all huffy when she smelled "The scent of some mediocre Fox." on me.

We had a few close calls with the local Yokai that wanted to get hostile, but I managed to diffuse any attempts at escalation. Me just standing in the room as they negotiated for information was usually more than enough to keep things civil.

But while the trips were relatively peaceful; they also proved to be ultimately fruitless. Whoever these new Yokai from the west were, they knew how to cover their tracks. Aside from their desire to meet with me specifically and that they were from America, they left almost no traces. The only things we got after the finally week was up was a mantra and a general description of their leader or spokesman:

"We merely want to promote blissful harmony between humans and monsters.", was the usual slogan delivered from a supposedly female figure who hid her features in a dark robe.

Then the three weeks were up and they were finally here.

"Uh, Rinko, are you sure you… want….", I try to say before trailing off at the look on her face.

Rinko glared up at me as she hefted her metal bat in her right hand while clinging to me with her left arm. "You dumbass; you're going out in the middle of the night to meet a group of shady supernatural creatures. Again. Of course I'm going to come with you!", she said with a huff. "Hell, you're lucky we're letting you go at all.", Rinko finished before resting the bat on her shoulder, the worn wool jacket and dark pants completing the delinquent look she had going on.

I sighed in defeat before looking around at the group currently following me through the forest. Himari was in front, in her usual purple kimono, Kuesu was bring up the rear in a rather conservative and expensive looking leather-shawl and jacket combo that completely covered her from the neck down. I noticed that Ageha and Shizuku weren't wearing anything different from their usual black dress and skirt-designer top combo respectively.

"Gotta agree with school-girl there; you've got a knack for attracting and meeting scary and dangerous people.", Ageha says from our right.

"A supremely reckless boy.", Shizuku's monotone voice concurs from our left.

"It's hard to believe I ever feel for such a silly man.", Kesu piped up.

"My master is truly too kind for his own good.", Himari calls back.

I feel my cheeks heat up at their teasing, but I mostly take it in stride. I took my eyes off the road for a few seconds to look up at the magical flare that was still quite a ways away from us.

The light wouldn't be visible to normal people and animals; but it basically acted as a lighthouse for any Yokai or magic users with in the city. It didn't take long at all to make the logical leap that it was coming from the supposed group of "peaceful western Yokai from the US".

Me and Kesu were the closets Demon Slayer's in the vicinity, the flare going up in a forest at the very edge of the city, and thus both of us were sent out to investigate. Which was a relief considering I wasn't exactly confident in how the current Demon Slayers would react to potentially peaceful and foreign Yokai.

Though my current entourage of infamously powerful, violent, and armed Yokai is probably not ideal for a potentially peaceful first encounter.(Liz and Aya had taken it upon themselves to provide moral support from afar.) But the girls hadn't budged on this; they wanted me as prepared and backed-up as possible when meeting such a clearly competent and experienced group of entirely unknown Yokai.

And I honestly couldn't refute that logic.

A few more minutes of marching and teasing remarks later and we all arrived at the source; a rather beautiful clearing.

The full moon shown with a silver light that made the clearing entirely visible to even human eyes. It had rained earlier in the night, much to Shizuku's delight, so the grass and trees sparkled lightly with a thick sheen of water.

A lone figure in a long dark robe stood alone in the center, exposed slender arms were extended straight up as she maintained the spell. She stopped immediately upon seeing us approaching, the long sleeves of her attire covering her arms once more.

Though I did catch a brief glimpse of scarlet red from her hands before they were completely covered.

We continued forward until there was only around a dozen meters between us and her.

I decided to step forward and beside Himari, quickly dis-tangling my arm from Rinko, and called out to the figure in a friendly tone. "Hello there! It is my understanding that you are part of a new group of Yokai that wishes to talk to me."

The hooded head tilted to the side curiously at the word "Yokai", but she answered only after a short pause. "Are you the one called, 'Yuto Amakawa'?", she asked in a voice like dark honey. I figured it was just some kind of low-level charm that made her sound more alluring. Not dissimilar to the charm of the elven woman, Shyonia.

"Yes I am. And these are," I gestured toward my small group of friends, "My companions and allies. Why don't you introduce yourself? It seems only fair if you truly wish to have some discussion."

The mysterious woman lets out an amused hum before answering, "I get the feeling that most are more than just 'companions', but I digress." She draws herself up a little more and I see two red orbs peer at me from beyond that large hood.

"My name is Amare Novus, and I hail from America bearing a message of peace and love. My partners are currently watching us from afar; so I will be acting as a spokeswoman of sorts.", she waved a hand and a glass table set appeared in the space between us. And, whether by coincidence or on-the-fly magic, the table was big enough and there were just the right amount of chairs to accommodate seven people.

I was strongly leaning towards the latter.

"Before we begin though; allow me slip into something a little more comfortable.", the sentence was a little ominous, and more than a little on the theatrical side, but that last word held real power in it.

The effects were almost instantaneous.

In less than a second her robe had become skin-tight, showing off the tall stature and curves of the feminine creature underneath. Then it began gathering more around the ends of her arms and legs while thinning around her torso.

When the transformation finished only a few thin straps managed to cover the modesty of her chest and crotch, revealing her tantalizing and unblemished light-purple skin. The rest of the fabric gathering in the form of ornate gloves and thigh-boots, each one with a red crystal embedded into the center. Two small leathery wings unfurled from behind her while a thick tail, almost as long as she was tall, swished out from behind her with a heart-shaped tip.

The glossy black horns that extend up and out from her temples, much like the tips of her gloves and the joints of her wings, were tipped a deep blood-red. The horns were just behind her horizontal and pointed ears, strangely complimenting her long violet hair.

"Ah, I suppose now would be an appropriate time to mention that I am what one might call a 'True Demon'."

***

Author's Note: Sorry if this one is a bit shorter than the others. But don't worry; the next update will more than make up for the difference.

 

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Journal Entry #2.5

I dragged my eyes from her voluptuous form and looked over the glass table-set. I couldn't feel any magic coming from the rather ostentatious pieces of furniture; but I couldn't trust my in-experienced senses alone. I did, however, catch Amare glance at Rinko, but it didn't seem to be anything more than a questioning gaze. Probably surprised at the presence of a regular human.

"Kuesu.", I said simply.

The silver-haired witch responded without hesitation. She walked forward, stride confident and seemingly unperturbed by Amare's appearance. A glyph appeared in front of her outstretched hand and bathed the furniture in a purple glow for the barest of seconds.

"It's clean.", Kuesu said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

We all stepped forward at her confirmation and took our seats.The table was shaped in such a way that we could all sit on the same "side" while Amare sat opposite us.

"Really? No reaction at all? Though I guess it is a refreshing change of pace from the usual gawking and posturing.", Amare said sweetly as she took her own seat. "So, how would you like to start things off? I'd hate to overwhelm you all."

"Let's start with a rough explanation of what's happened in America. I'm guessing that whatever took place there is the cause for you and your group coming here; as well as why you look so… feminine. I've read many texts about True-Demons before; and none of them describe someone like you." Feminine was an understatement, her body practically oozed *tantric energy. A normal human, one that wasn't as willful as Rinko at least, would have thrown themselves to her feet already.

I looked at everyone else and they all gave nods of approval at my proposition.

Amare's reaction was a lot more expressive in comparison. A cheery smile split her face and showed off her slightly fanged teeth; clearly excited to retell the story.

Though I did notice that the corners of her eyes crinkled in amusement when I said "someone" instead of "something". I'd be lying if I said I had done that on purpose; but I'm glad it made her happy nonetheless.

"Well, to start, it had nothing to do with what happened in the physical world. The event took place on a spiritual plane that had an almost exclusive connection to that hemisphere of the world.", she started off plainly; it was a fairly basic explanation of how the realms worked that even Rinko could understand. "A powerful succubus that resided there, unlike her demonic kin, had fallen in love with humanity. She sought to end the constant conflict between humans and monsters; but was not strong enough to simply enforce her philosophy through traditional violence. Instead she rose through the ranks by acclamation of support from other demons; not unlike a democratic takeover, of sorts."

Ageha snorted at that and Kuesu narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, my and Shizuku's warning glares kept back any more interruptions.

"Once her position as the… Ah.", she paused momentarily. "I suppose the closest point of comparison would be a 'Demon Lord', even if the term isn't technically correct. Regardless; her acquisition of power led to something extraordinary.", she extended her hand, palm up, and cast a spell. Four small motes of light appeared above her hand, casting her violet body in an eerier light that was slightly offset by the natural moonlight around us.

The magic was basic, not even illusionary really. Just the simply gathering of light and then slightly changing it's wave length and frequency. The motes were silver, red, pink, and inky black in order from left to right.

"Our Lord gained massive influence and metaphysical power over demons on a continental level. First she reversed our natural inclination to hunt and kill humans, then she changed our bodies to be more feminine and appealing to humanity, and then her nature as a succubus made us lust after humans. With the added bonus of us becoming even more… alluring to the eye. Her last change enhanced our ability to spread and interbreed with humans to make more of ourselves"

Though it sounded truthful; her explanation was bare-bones and definitely lacking in a lot of details, and I said as much. So did Tama and Kesu for that matter; if in a far more aggressive manner.

She raised her hands in a placating gesture at their glares, "I know it isn't much, but you must understand that it is incredibly hard to get get information on the goings on in the spirit world. We were lucky that her daughters were willing to share some of the story that was told to them as children."

Kesu nodded her head in reluctant acceptance, but still kept her sharp purple eyes trained on Amare's face, presumably looking for any hint of deception.

"Fair enough.", I affirmed calmly. "Now there's only the matter of why exactly you're here. It's sounds as though you would have your hands filled already; demons aren't the only supernatural creatures in the West after all."

"We've already been able to deal with them. It was surprisingly simple. And the offer we gave to the factions in America is the same offer were going to give you.", she cleared her throat and steepled her fingers. "We would like for our kind to be allowed sanctioned and protected passage into Japan. With the promise that they would be completely non-violent and would always differ to the Demon Slayers and any other... 'official' supernatural authorities you may have."

Somethings not right here…, thought. It wasn't that she seemed to be lying about her story, and I definitely wasn't one to throw stones when it came to improbably lewd events. And her offer merely needed to be looked over by the other Demon Slayers; I could not and would not make an international decision like that on my own.

I was going to say as much; but just couldn't shake the feeling that we were missing something crucial.

Kuesu slammed her open palm onto the table, a spider-web of cracks coming from the impact point as her eyes glowed suddenly. Everyone, Amare include, jumped slightly at the sudden motion. She pointed one well-manicured finger at the demoness, "She has been withholding information about the corruption."

Tama's nostrils flared and I could see Himari's hand twitch ever so slightly toward the sword in her lap.

I quickly tried to intercede, "What corruption? What has she been withholding, Kesu?"

Her eyes glowed an even more intense silver as she stared down the now startled demon, "I knew her aura was strange, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it until now. When I looked closer I could see that it's been trying to reach for Rinko throughout this entire conversation.".

Rinko's face flushed with anger, but instead of lashing out, she slowly got up and backed away from the table, swinging her bat through the air in front of her.

"Don't worry, it hasn't been able to reach more than a couple of inches past her skin. And I don't think she's been doing it on purpose; but it looks… infectious, parasitic even. And last I checked, demons aren't supposed to be able to infect people."

Oh.

I gave Amare a pitying look as the pieces feel into place. She hadn't been lying, not really, and I believed this could still be salvaged. But she really wasn't doing herself any favors by trying to hide things from us.

Interlocking my fingers under my chin, and leved my gaze with her's, "Alright, Ms. Novus, I don't particularly like having potentially crucial info hid from me or being deceived. But I am willing to hear you out once more, as I do believe that your words of non-violence were truthful at least. Now then; what exactly did you mean you said your Demon Lord 'enhanced our ability to spread'?"

Amare Novus, high-ranking Demon, took a deep breath and sighed in defeat, "It is… complicated."

***

Author's Notes:

*Tantra/Tantric is a phrase from Hinduism and Buddhism that basically means "sexual energy".

Also: This chapter ended up being way shorter than expected.

 

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Journal Entry #2.6

"So, just to recap", I start off. "Your kind cannot, as of yet, give birth to males."

Amare nodded, blushing slightly.

"And you can 'infect' human women and turn them into Yokai?", Kuesu asked archly.

"N- no, not really. A certain baseline connection to natural supernatural forces is necessary and they have to completely want and embrace the change. It's honestly more productive to corrupt monsters than humans. Though human practitioners are a very different story…"

"All in an effort to increase the power-pool of your leader so that you can give birth to… Incubi?", Rinko asked.

Amare leaned back in her chair before nodding in confirmation. Now that she wasn't trying to be secretive the demoness looked far more relaxed than before, she practically lounged on her glass chair. Which, surprisingly, made her seem more perverted with how her languid posture threaten to have her assets spill over the little protection she had.

"How lewd.", Himari, Shizuku, and Tama said in near unison.

"I can get it if the other races get to keep their males, but what about the demon studs? Can't imagine they'd be too happy about being turned into girls.", Ageha asked.

In a rare display of non-allure Amare snorted in response. "Why would my kind care about that? We just... don't think like that. It's hard to explain to beings so close to humanity.", she almost seemed a little offended at Ageha's assumption. "Back in the old age; If demons wanted to mate then they would just run at each other in a screaming fit of rage and lust until someone got pregnant. Trust me; we all prefer our current forms and methods; it is far more enjoyable."

"How vulgar…", Kuesu remarked as she got up. "But I suppose it's better than the alternative. As it stands now; having a group of lustful, yet peaceful, Yokai is better than the non-insignificant number of rogues that attack and eat people."

"What happens to the average human that is exposed to your magic? If they don't accept, or can't, be turned I mean.", in retrospect that should have been my first question, but better "kinda-late" than "horribly late".

She shrugged her shoulders as she got up and stretched, pushing her chest out and tensing her surprisingly toned stomach, "Not much. They become more lustful, less violent, and have a longer lifespan. But such a change would take several nights of intense debauchery to get changes that drastic." Amare leveled a look at me, her eyes uncharacteristically serious, "The last thing we need or want is to cause unnecessary panic among humans or any major authorities. Peaceful spreading of our ideology and accumulating power is all we wish."

I shot a glance at Tama and Kuesu, and got reluctant nods from both of them; Amare was telling the truth apparently.

"Okay, but you'll still need to talk to the other Demon Slayers about this. I am thankful that you came to me first so that I could vouch for you; but I can't promise something like 'free and protected passage' all on my own."

"That is understandable…", Amare says hesitantly. "But could we ask one more thing of you?"

I stand up and walk over to my group, Himari situating herself partially between me and Amare. "I don't see why not? What do you need?"

"Sanctuary."

I raise my eyebrows.

"We have been jumping from city to city, avoiding both mundane and supernatural hostile threats, ever since we arrived in Japan. We would greatly appreciate even a brief safe-haven while we stayed here."

I looked back to my friends and smiled sadly.

They all rolled their eyes, groaned, and let several variations of, "Get it over with already…".

"I'd be happy let you stay at my house for a while; but I would need to know how many companions are with you and who exactly they are.", I said.

Amare gave me a sweet smile and nodded her head, "We can do that right now.". And with that she snapped her fingers and the glass, table, and chairs disappeared. She looked into the distance and gave an "O.K." signal to the veritable wall of trees that surrounded the clearing.

Four figures walked into the clearing.

The first and tallest of the group looked like a younger and more human version of Amare. Her horns and tail were less wicked looking for one. And the few articles of clothing she wore seemed to made of cloth instead of the steely-latex that Amare wore. The same went for the elbow and knee length gloves & boots; her horns were segmented and looked to be made of stone while her wings and tail were just a lighter shade of purple.

"That's Lilinora.", Amare said helpfully. "A fully matured, and quite accomplished, Succubus."

The second one would have looked completely human, if a bit pale, were it not for the fact that her eyes glowed an unholy red and she practically glide across the grassy meadow with supernatural grace.

She was short, taller than Shizuku but shorter than me, and had long black hair that reached the middle of her back. The young looking woman's form however was concealed by a thick leather coat and shawl that matched her equally conservative pants and boots. She sniffed and gave Ageha the stink-eye as she approached.

"This is our vampire and combat expert; Sorina."

While they were intriguing, the last two guests blew Lilinora and Sorina out of the water in terms of eye-catching characteristics.

One was as short as Shizuku, but had two brown animal ears, ridiculously fluffy ankles and paws, along with a squirrel-like tail that was bigger than her entire body. She carried a tightly bound satchel and wore a puffy winter coat.

And the last one just looked like a semi-translucent and sticky woman in a glossy maid outfit. Her form tapered down to an oily black blob of slime that slithered across the forest floor, while dozens of pairs of small yellow eyes were dotted all up her body.

The glossy one gave us a silent wave while the squirrel-girl struck an… odd pose. She stuck her left arm out at a diagonal angel and framed her face with the other before giving a half-courtesy to us all.

"You can call the Slime-", Amare started to say before Kuesu glared at her. "Fine. You can call the Shoggoth, Sophie; she cleans. The squirrel Beastman is Angelica; she's who you should talk to if paperwork becomes an issue."

"It is an honor to meet you.", I said as I approached the vampire, "Sorina", apparently.

The Shoggoth and Beastman had piqued my interest, but Sorina had positioned herself as someone to be addressed immediately.

She stood at the head of the group, only slightly in front of Amare, but still noticeable. Her arms were folded and she periodically swept her gave over all of us. Her posture was defensive, not aggressive, ready for battle but not wanting instigate a fight.

I gave her a proper bow, stood up straight, and extended a hand for a shake while looking her dead in the eye.

The corners of her eyes crinkled a bit before she stepped forward and grasped my forearm, I returned the gesture, and we shared a firm shake. Her eyes never left mine though.

"The feeling is mutual, young hunter.", she said with a vaguely russian accent.

Kuesu decided to speak up then, "A Demon, Succubus, Nosferatu, Eldritch servant, and some form of Lycanthrope. You seem to already have many allies."

"It never hurts to make more friends,", Lilinora intoned before giving me a wink, almost gyaru in how excessively sweet it was. "Or more lovers~"

"Alright, that's enough chit-chat and flirting for one night.", Ageha announced before gesturing toward the path connected to the clearing. "Get to marching and we'll escort you back to Amakawa's residence."

"Ageha…", I said warningly, before Lilinora cut me off.

"Nah, don't sweat it, cutie~ We're use to it.", she said before sauntering down the path, following the others.

Amare and Angelica hung back a little to converse.

"We knew that as soon as we officially revealed ourselves and stated our intent that surveillance would be unavoidable. It's been pretty standard procedure with the other groups as well.", Amare said with a bored tone to her voice.

I let out a small sigh and nodded my understanding before yelping in surprise when Angelica swatted my ass.

"Come on, greet me!", she said in a small and squeaky, yet mature, voice. She held up a hand and waited eagerly.

I gave her a high-five and she squealed with delight before doing a little fist-pump.

It was adorable.

***

The five, "Mamono", didn't take up nearly as much space as one might have thought.

Three of them didn't even need, or want, to sleep. And the other two apparently only needed about a naps-worth of time to get some proper rest. So they were fine with sharing one of the bigger guest bed rooms.

Sophie hadn't even complained when Kuesu, Shizuku, and Himari had forbidden her from going near the fridge.

Kuesu had quickly taken to talking with Amare again and had hashed out a meeting place and time.

In two weeks, the time it would take for the other Demon Slayers to get back and prepare, we would all hold a meeting in their mansion/HQ.

No, the only problems that had arisen were when Lilinora had gotten wind of my… "complicated" relationship with the other girls.

"All of these women are apart of your harem? I knew smelled a ton of tantric energy around you!", Lilinora practically gushed as we lounged on the couch.

"I wouldn't call it a 'harem', we just- What are you doing?"

She'd plopped onto the couch and started snuggling up beside me. "Don't be coy, you know what. While the egg-heads are arguing why don't we go have some fun?"

"Hey, hey!", Ageha barked as she sat on my lap and wrapped an arm around me protectively, "No poaching! Besides; we don't want your weird corruption magic compromising him."

I felt a little touched by how territorial Ageha was being, I guess she really does car

"You'll need to let Kuesu scan for your corruption magic every time your done using him, and you'll need to get in line too."

I got up, took my gratitude, and decided to go talk with Angelica; she seemed the least aggressive and most tame out of all of them.

The squirrel-girl was busy looking over a mix of scrolls and regular paper, that seemed to hold records of some kind, at the kitchen table. She'd decided that the living room was too crowded for what she needed to do. Her ridiculously fluffy tail was hanging over the back of the chair and twitched every so often.

I'm not too proud to admit that I found myself just staring at her tail for a bit; it was really something else.

It seemed to be all fur, had a sleek look with the middle being a snow white while the rest of it was a light brown. The layered fluffy appendage didn't even look dirty or have anything stuck in it like it should have after Angelica's trek through the forest. It seriously looked like it would make a great pillow-

"You can touch it if you want, you know?", Angelica said bluntly.

"Um- I didn't-, I'm sorry.", I blushed like the first time Himari had teased me. Perversion I could handle; but socially embarrassing myself was still humiliating.

Angelica rolled her eyes so hard I thought she might have been possessed for a moment, "Oh, stop blushing like a virgin, you dork. It's nothing lewd, and honestly; I'm quite proud of how well groomed my tail is. So go ahead; pet it."

After a moments hesitation, I stepped forward and gently pressed my hand into the middle of her biggest asset.

My arm nearly sank down to the elbow, the fur oddly constrictive and the inside had an unnatural warmth that soaked into me.

"Whoa."

"I know, right?"

 

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Journal Entry #2.7

I stared up at the ceiling.

Trying to stay awake while being adequately tired, sleepy, and cuddled up to a cute girl is much harder than one might think. The dreams, I'd stopped thinking of them as nightmares, had been manageable at first. But them coming near constantly everytime I rested had finally worn me down enough that I was starting to avoid sleep. I knew I needed to do something about them now, that this couldn't- shouldn't go on for any longer. I just didn't know what.

Rinko pulled herself closer to me and mumbled something incoherent into my chest. I focused on her and tried to get lost in the feeling of us being together. It was her turn in the "rotation" and she didn't, usually, like to share. So tonight we sleep alone, legs intertwined and arms around each other after our… romantic endeavors.

Her body felt unique compared to every other girl I was with. Her back, arms, and legs were all taught and corded muscle. But still held the some of the old slenderness that made it oddy alluring. Her front was the same, but her rather firm six-pack had been an unusual surprise when we had first come together.

I'd asked Rinko about the new physique she seemed set on maintaining a few days ago. And her answer had been surprisingly straightforward; She didn't want to be burden when I inevitably got into trouble again. I tried to argue that she shouldn't be involved in that kind of business in the first place, but she had argued right back that she would probably be dragged in regardless. You know, like the last time.

I sigh and gave her a kiss on the forehead and finally tried to get some rest. The strong and constant pull of sleep finally overcoming me.

Just then what sounded like a high-pitched and reverberating car alarm went off all throughout the house. Rinko made a noise between a snort and a squawk of far as she flailed around in a panic. I was on my feet and out of bed in a second, and had my pants and t-shirt on in less than three.

The rough training* Himari had put me through to improve my speed and reflexes always seemed to be paying off.

Foregoing shoes or socks I slid on some sandals and was out of the room and down the stairs as I felt something slither against the wards around my house. How to describe the feeling… It felt like a leech was trying to physically press it's way through tempered glass. The fact that the "glass" was my own magic made the sensation all the more personal and unsettling.

Repressing a shudder, I made it to the ground floor where I saw Himari, Kuesu, and Sorina already there and approaching the front-door. I could hear the rest of the house come to life as I fell into step behind them.

"Yuto?", Kuesu said tentatively. She wasn't in her typical attire. Only wearing a tank-top that barely held back her impressive bosom, grey sweatpants, and had her hair tied up in a ponytail. While Himari merely had slightly unkempt hair, but otherwise looked normal.

"Whatever's out there, it still hasn't made it past the barrier. And hasn't been making any progress either.", I said. If the wards had been broken, then I would know. Mainly because the results would've been far more physical, and explosive.

"Exemplary work. Witch, take point.", Sorina said tursely. She hadn't slept or prepared for bed at al for obvious reasons.

Kuesu snorted before muttering a quick arcane phrase and clenching a fist in front of herself. The air around her warped subtly as the basic, yet incredibly charged, shield spell took place. The shield would be excellent for reducing, redirecting, and tanking attacks, arcane or otherwise, but seriously hampered her ability to attack.

She opened the front door and walked outside, down the porch, and onto the lawn; followed quickly by the rest of us. The night air practically thrummed with potential, it would have felt like a mysteriously "thick" atmosphere to normal people. It was the usual effect from the Witching Hour.

We all stopped when we caught sight of a figure silently pawing at the air in front of the threshold to my lawn.

I stopped and took a closer look at the person. At first it seemed to be partially obscured by shadow, but as I looked closer it became clear that the obfuscation was intentional and unnatural. The darkness around it twisted and swirled to hide most of the disturbingly still figure in odd clothing.

There wasn't much to see aside from the occasional glimpse of a tattered black dress, almost as thin as spider-silk, and a bulbous head.

It stopped pressing at the air in front of it as soon as it caught sight of Kuesu, almost perking up with confidence. But then progressively became more and more still as it saw me walking beside her and the rest bringing up the rear. I felt the air around us become drier, suddenly bereft of any moisture.

Good, it meant Shizuku was awake too.

"Hello,", I said, my voice easily carrying across the quiet yard, "Is there something you need from us?" It's head jerkily snapped in my direction as I stepped forward, a shield prepped just incase it was feigning not being able to break through.

"Ah, how unfortunate. I had hoped to take care of this quickly.", the voice had a calm and elegant European accent to it. Which made it seem even more at odds with the rapid and large movements of it's jaw, completely out of sink with sound that emanated from it. "I don't suppose you could be persuaded to let me in and kill that little demoness that is hiding within your abode?"

"No.", I said firmly, putting both figurative and literal power into my voice. "Now; you can either explain yourself or leave."

Thing teetered back a little before letting a wet stuttering hiss that sounded oddly not disgusting. "Please, child. You may have some decent wards set up, but you cannot possibly presume-"

"Oh my~ Well don't you look delicious.", a voice growled from above us.

I didn't look up when I heard Tama's familiar voice, nor when she flared her power completely, practically becoming a magical beacon as she stood on the roof. The obscured figure, however, nearly jumped back in surprise. And I would bet money that I would have seen buggy eyes if it wasn't covered in shadow.

Another wet growling noise and it started sprinting away at a weirdly and gangly, yet surprisingly fast, pace. But it wasn't fast enough.

Tama leapt across the yard in a yellow and purple blur, all nine tails out now, and landed directly in front of the wretch. Both her hands lashed out and brought the thing in close before biting down directly onto its neck before violently pulling backwards. Instead of blood and viscera, the bite seemed to have literally ripping the magic out of it.

The arcane energy was a writhing black and oily thing that screamed bloody-murder as Tama proceeded to "drink" it down. The body went limp and the shadows receded to reveal the half-decayed and bloated corpse of a woman in a funeral dress.

The golden kyuubi smacked her lips lightly as she strolled back into the yard. "Hmmm, a little more aged than I'm used to, but still sweet in it's own way."

XXX​

"-the fuck!?", Ageha's bellow easily overcame the sounds of the 'clean-up crew' that Kuesu had called in. She had assured me that, since this was an obviously stolen body, that the poor woman would be returned to her grave and properly buried. Along with cleaning up any leftover residue it had left on the street.

"Please, I can explain. We're actually just as surprised as you all are.", Amare held up her hands in a placating gesture. "That thing is called Eparsi, he was an... old rival of our current lord. Our faction was thought to have killed him back in America."

"And now he's here.", I said, exasperated and cranky from the late hour. "Do you know what he is exactly?"

"Tasted like an old demon, lot's of built up envy and malice.", Tama mused as she lounged on the couch, gently caressing her stomach and smiling contentedly.

"Yeah, he was one of the more sadistic competitors for the position of top-dog of all the demons in the west, even by old-demon standards.", Lilinora said.

"One advantage we have is that he's what you would call, 'Out of touch', with the human world. He is able to stave off the power of our Lord, though how long he can keep it up is unknown, but by coming into the human world or using vessels he is severely weaker than he otherwise would be."

That was better, I supposed. But I wasn't exactly egear to start picking a fight with someone even similar in power to Shuten. Instead of saying that though, I prompted Kuesu. "You're the veteran Demon Slayer here, what's standard procedure here?"

Kuesu straightened up a bit at the compliment and crossed her long legs, though since she was still in the sweatpants and tank-top, the motion wasn't as eye-drawing as she might have wanted. "The good news is that if he can't make it past your wards, then there's no way he could bypass mine or the other family heads'. And as our gracious host has just explained, he is rather uninformed about the local powers here or our reputation."

"Then why did he run away when Tama appeared?", Rinko asked, forging her usual attire for a simple white bathrobe.

"Because, unlike the Fox, me and Yuto actually know the importance of concealing how much power we can through around."

"What's the bad news?", I asked, stepping in before Tama had a chance to respond to the barb.

"The bad news is that this, 'Eparsi', is still a significant and likely threat to civilians. And yes, even the more tolerable Yokai in our territory. Which unfortunately means that Yuto and I will have to devote a significant amount of time into tracking down his portal, channler, vesel, or whatever other means he is using to access our world."

I thought back on our attempts to track down Tama and Shuten, and inwardly cringed at how badly we'd failed in that respect. I would have to go out and check on Yu, Taizo, and Haru and give them, and their families some basic protection. Hell; I'd probably have to ward the whole school now.

Himari saddled up beside me and gave the back of my hand a comforting pat while Rinko went to my other side and draped a toned arm around my shoulders.

"What's with that sour look? Aren't Demon Slayers supposed to be undominable bastions of power for us mere mortals?"

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off my face, before putting an arm around her and standing up, "Alright, there's no use worrying about it now I suppose. Let's go and get some sleep."

***


*Chapter 38

 

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Journal Entry #3.1

No dreams of the past this night.

Only the sickening and oily memory of Eparsi's presence accompanied my fitful sleep.

***

I felt a little off kilter as I got out of bed, the sudden and stressful interruption of my usual sleep schedule last night was a little disconcerting. Rinko wasn't in the bed with me, but I heard the shower running and could connect the dots.

After making up and straightening the bed sheets I went through my usual stretches. Deciding to focus on shoulder rotation and working on my hamstrings in the short amount of time that I had. The activity wasn't enough to make me sweat, but I always made sure to do enough to get a nice burn going.

Rinko stepped out of the shower a minute later, small towel wrapped around her torso, toned legs still glistening a little as she strode forward. My eyes roved from her lightly calloused feet all the way up to the swell of her fare thighs that disappeared into the bottom of the towel. One flexed slightly as it arced up and she brought her foot under my chin, snapping my mouth closed, and tilting my view up to her face.

"My eyes are up here, Yuto.", she said with mock offense before striding out of the room, hips swaying just a tad more than necessary.

I tried to ignore the sensation of my cheeks burning as I got up and stepped into the marble bathroom.

***

The steady murmur of conversation reached me as I made my way toward the kitchen. It sounded like most everyone was attending this morning, to my pleasant surprise. The attack from last night had apparently convinced them to hunker down in the one place they knew for sure could stop, or at least slow down, the threat.

I was stopped halfway up the hallway when a small white envelope soared through the air and pulsed with a faint glow. After a moment's hesitation I gently took it in hand and opened it's fragile seal. The words I saw there were… less than reassuring.

"Dear Yuto,

I have decided to leave early this dawn and start doing wide-sweeping scans of the city with the admittedly limited resources the others left here for us. I will report back to you as soon as possible when I'm done for the day or if I find anything pressing. Please, don't worry too much.

With everlasting love,

Kuesu Jinguji, Legendary Witch"

Click to shrink...

I was little put-out by the abruptness of her actions, I'd hoped to talk it over with her for a little while today before making a move. But before I could dwell anymore on the subject, the envelop burst into a puff of smoke, and then suddenly Aya was in my arms bridal-style while she had her own arms around my neck.

"Oops. I must have let my concentration slip for too long. Terribly sorry, young master.", Aya intuned smoothly before leaning forward toward my face, eyes closed and lips puckered expectantly.

With one fluid motion I flipped the silver-blue haired beauty up, over, and then back onto her feet. Then I put a hand around her waist and walked us the rest of the way toward the kitchen, careful to keep us both facing forward. I could see Aya's cheeks go red and her lips form a cute and enticing pout, but she didn't make too much of an issue of it.

An elbow to the ribs was only mildly painful, after all.

***

"Sophie" gave me a smile and a wave as I took my seat in between Himari and Rinko, while Ageha and Tama sat across from us, scarfing down the food. The shoggoth stood off to the side, not even deigning to look at the food Shizuku had prepared(Who was currently making what looked like seconds).

Amare and Lilinora sat at the head and end of the table respectively, eating the steaming eggs with dainty bites. They'd forgone their rather skimpy outfits for more practical looking dark-pink and purple pajamas. Anjelica, however, was right next to Tama and openly scarfing down the steamed vegetables that had been placed in front of her, the impressive fluff of her tail barely contained in the wooden chair.

"Morning all.", I said and got a few mumbled responses in return, apparently even western yokai weren't morning people. "Where's Sorina?", I inquired about the inky haired vampiress.

"She's lounging on her perfectly pale posterior in the living room.", Anjelica informed me before going back to stuffing her face, cheeks bulging sillily.

"Sorina is among an old trend of vampires that prefer to sustain themselves off of blood only and forgoing human food or drink all together.", Amare explained.

"What a vacuous tradition.", Lilinora added. Earning herself a quick glare from Amare as she went back to eating.

"The only thing that old vampires like her care about is prestige and combat ability. It was the same way even before they embraced corruption magic, sex was just added onto their rather short list of interests.", Anjelica rambled absently minded, before choking on some lettuce and quickly washing down the rest with a glass of water.

"Do not eat with your mouth is full at the table, it's unsightly!", Himari chastised her as Tama hollered for more food.

I drank down my own water and began to ruminate on what Anjelica had let slip about what happened in her country. I didn't think she was actively trying to hide things from me, and I planned on having a one-on-one with her soon, but she didn't seem completely transparent either. For now though, I was more interested in what she'd said about Sorina.

"You mentioned it before in the woods too. Is Sorina really a combat specialist?"

Anjelica nodded her head, her cheeks a bit red, but was currently preoccupied with pounding her small chest and clearing her throat.

"To answer your question; Sorina is one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in our Demon Lord's mortal ranks.", Amare explained with a not-insignificant amount of pride in her voice, but then quickly switched to trepidation. "You aren't thinking about asking her for lessons are you?"

"In a roundabout way, yes. I know someone like her probably won't go for anything like teaching me. But I think she might be more receptive if I phrase it righ-", I said before being abruptly cut off by yet another elbow smashing into my ribs.

"Are thou forgetting who is sitting right next to you? Or am I not a good enough instructor for my young master anymore?", Himari asked with a bit of steel in her voice.

I tried to give her a smile and put an arm around her shoulders in reassurance, I could tell she was feeling more territorial than jealous, but I didn't want to push or escalate things regardless. "Don't worry; you're still my favorite sparring partner. But it never hurts to have more experience, right?"

Her lavender eyes bore into me for a moment, and I seriously started to wonder if I'd offended her, but she just huffed and gave my cheek a peck. "Fine. But I reserve the right to watch anytime you engage with her."

"Duly noted.", I said over the sound of both Lilinora's and Anjelica's snickering at her poor phrasing. "Now there's just the matter of getting her to agree to some sparring."

"If you're going to scheme behind a Nosferatu's back then maybe you should do so outside the range of their supernatural hearing!", Sorina's accented voice called out clearly from down the hall and, presumably, the living room. "And for the record, yes, I would enjoy some light sparring."

I at least had the good grace to not try and hide my flushed face.

***

Sorina stood across from me in a pair of stretchy looking black-cloth pants that hugged her slender legs and a grey sleeveless top that showed off her toned arms and shoulders. Her eyes weren't glowing red anymore, but that didn't seem to hamper the intensity of her gaze.

"So, how would like to start things off?", I asked as I re-checked the tie on my own grey sweats and white t-shirt. We were both down in the basement, Sorina not wanting to fight outside in the day for obvious reasons, and were standing in one of the more spacious sections that Himari and I sometimes used, marked by a large red circle.

"Let's start things off simple: We'll fight until were either knocked out of the ring or rendered unconscious, and then let our regeneration take care of the injuries- You can regenerate, yes?"

I nodded.

"Good. So, then; we rinse and repeat that process for about two hours or so. That should be adequate for today.", she said before rolling her shoulders and getting into a general fighting stance, legs slightly bent, body turned to the side, and fists raised to guard her torso.

"Agreed.", I said. I took a calming breath and let Light Ferry subsume me, an all encompassing enhancement to my body and mind that made emit a soft glow. A little more strenuous than I was used to, but I had a feeling I'd need it.

Himari, from her perch on a table at the side of the room, shouted "Begin!" and gave the signal.

Then we both moved. Blurring forward and attacking in the same instant. The initial exchange of blows barely lasted a few seconds, if that, and we both separated an instant later. The apple sized bruise I put on her forearm was already fading away, as was the odd numbing of my arm from the blow she halfway struck on my shoulder.

"Impressive.", Sorina complimented, smiling with a feral excitement I would have balked at we're it nor for all the time I'd spent around Himari, Tama, and Kuesu.

"Thank you.", I said tentatively. We weren't fighting with all we had, that would have been exceptionally dangerous for the structural integrity of my house, and using flashy magic was a no-go for both of us. But even so, that brief exchange had clearly demonstrated how out-classed I was. I'd barely managed to land a glancing blow and she'd nearly paralyzed my arm with a slight hit to the shoulder.

With some courage, and more than a little stupidity, I charged her anyways.

***

One two-hour sparring session and attentive shower later, I lay groaning on the couch in the living room. Himari had my head in her lap and was gently running her hands through my hair, nails scratching my scalp pleasantly.

The training with Sorina hadn't been a completely stomp, but it was pretty evident who had come out on top in our encounter. Light Ferry had patched up all of the physical injuries and tiredness, but the lingering phantom-aches and mental fatigue still lingered. The experience of the fight had been more than worth it though. I'd become so familiar with fighting Himari now that she could rarely put the pressure on me like she used to in the beginning, a new brick wall to bash my head against was just what I needed.

My phones familiar ringtone interrupted my masochistic train of thought and brought me back to reality. I sat up, much to Himari's disgruntlement, and fished it out of my pocket to see that the caller was Kuesu.

"Yuto, our foreign demon problem just got a lot worse.", Kuesu announced without preamble.

"What happened?", I said worriedly.

"This 'Eparsi' has some human henchman stationed here."

"That doesn't sound so ba-", I started to say before being cut-off.

"And by 'some', I mean an entire militias' worth of armed and dangerous individuals with at least some rudimentary knowledge of the arcane."

 

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Journal Entry #3.2

Logic would dictate that I should be a bit more appreciative of the fact that two beautiful women were in my bed. But the wriggling feelings of doubt and worry from my conversation with Kuesu yesterday had kept me from truly enjoying my evenings' company. At least their tender ministrations had kept the nightmares at bay.

I slowly pulled myself from my previously sandwiched position between Lilinora and Ageha, trudging toward the bathroom. With a minor effort of will I healed the shallow scratches on my back as I took off my clothes and hauled my sticky body into the shower. I turned the water up to just below the point where it would start to sting and let the hot moisture and steam wash away the grime and stress afflicting my body.

XXX​

"It sounds a lot worse than it actually is.", Kuesu said with a surprising amount of warmth. I had her on speaker now for the benefit of Himari, but no one else was currently in the room.(I planned on telling everyone the news later anyways.) "I was doing wide scans of the city and had sussed out three locations that Eparsi is drawing power from to manifest. When agents were sent out to look closer they spotted large congregations of people and several magical wards placed over the locales."

"This isn't making me feel better."

"Hush, I'm getting to that", she said tursely. "The suspects they saw looked to be made of the dregs of society; The wanderers, homeless, and some small time gang members. Nobody important or that would be searched for too hard after disappearing. We've confirmed that there is some form of thrall, minion, domination spell is being utilized by a practitioner to keep them docile and obedient."

Shizuku, Amare, and Ageha had stepped in by this point and had settled down in the couch beside me, focusing on the phone with increasing interest. Which then bloomed into full-on excitement from Ageha and weariness from Shizuku when Himari took advantage of a pause in Kuesu's report to fill them in on the beginning.

"The three rough areas we've been able to spot so far is the local cemetery, a warehouse nestled deep in the red-light district and one location in the nearby woods that still needs some refining on it's exact location. I'll be able to give you more specifics on that one tomorrow."

"How did you two miss this amateurish ploy? You handled all the rouges well enough.", Ageha asked.

Kuesu spoke up before I could respond, "Exactly. We don't know if it was on purpose or not, but all the rouge Yokai we had to deal with drew enough attention that these weaklings managed to set up shop."

"Weaklings?", I asked tentatively.

"Eprasi isn't the one that's actually controlling these people. Smart money says he managed to con some less than scrupulous practitioners into making a deal with him; probably a simple contract for some petty material gain."

Amare's wings twitched and her nose wrinkled at that revelation, but she didn't seem surprised in the least. She looked more disappointed than anything else. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Eparsi may be on a completely different level from me, but a demon's ability to trick the stupid, malicious, and desperate remains pretty consistent regardless of personal power."

XXX​

My skin felt surprisingly pleasant as I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off with a white towel. The drowsiness was gone, and I felt mostly clean now, save for the usual mucky-ness you feel in your mouth after sleeping.

I took the chance to glance in the mirror as I started brushing my teeth, noting that my hair would need to be cut soon; it nearly reached my shoulders now. I finished drying up, wrapped the towel around my waist, and stepped back into my room.

I was greeted by a deep hum of approval from Lilinora, licking her lips sensually as she laid on the bed, the sheets tastefully draped over her posterior. Ageha was awake as well, lying back with her hands behind her head, she gave me her usual grin as I entered.

"Good morning to you too.", I say by way of greeting before going over to the dresser for my clothes and letting my towel drop. Which was immediately followed by twin wolf-whistles.

XXX​

"So what are we supposed to do now?", I asked after letting the news settle for a bit.

"Right now? Nothing.", Kuesu said simply. "You, however, are going to help dismantle the gathering at the cemetery. There'll be police to handle the normals, but you'll be there to disable the wards, break the enthrallment, and take down the caster; in that order."

"I'll be accompanying him.", Himari spoke up. What she said wasn't a request, it was a statement of fact that her tone made clear that she would vehemently challenge any detractors on.

"Fine.", Kuesu said with a sigh. "Yuto; be ready for pick-up at nine AM. Shido will be your usual escort.", then the call ended without preamble.

"We can send Sorina in with you if-", Amare started to offer.

"No.", I said, cutting her off. "Just Himari leaving is one thing; but there should still be a decent amount of fighters here incase Eparsi decides to make a surprise visit." Amare nodded in understanding at my words, but I did notice that she appeared more relaxed at my rejection as well. Our little meeting disbanded quickly after that; Shizuku and Amare went off to tell the others of the new plan. Ageha walked off without a word and Himari dragged me down to the basement to check all the weapons we had in preparation.

A few hours later I trudged back up stairs to my bedroom, thoroughly worn-out emotionally and physically from the day. And opened my door to see Ageha and Lilinora lounging on my bed in some rather risque lingerie.

"Ugh, finally. Feels like we've like been waiting here for hours.", Ageha snapped before getting off the bed and closing the distance between us in two languid strides. Her arms settled around my neck and pulled my increasingly more willing form closer, her red attire a stark contrast to my white shirt and brown jeans.

I dimly noticed that Lilinora didn't move at all from the bed, simply lounging in her frilly purple, the spade of her long black tail covering the her barely covered crotch. Ageha's lips made the rest of my attention melt away to nothing, the sensation of us being together taking over.

XXX​

"I probably should have asked this question before joining you two last night.", I said sheepishly as I finished putting on my 'work clothes'. A pair of durable work-mans' pants that didn't restrict mobility, a snug cotton shirt, and my favorite leather coat. I'd mulled over my footwear before eventually deciding upon a pair of comfortable and functional boots, if not very fashionable. "But should I be worried about your corruption affecting me?"

"Amare already told you~", Lilinora whined. "One night of fun isn't going to do anything besides make you more noticeable to certain mamono."

I filed that little factoid away and stepped toward the door, just as a pair of long slender arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling back against a familiar feeling figure.

"You better come back safe.", I felt Ageha's breath lips brush my earlobe before she shoved me the rest of the way through the threshold and slammed the door behind me.

I felt my cheeks flush a little, and suspected Ageha might look just as flustered, before going down stairs. I checked the clock on the wall and saw that I still had about an hour-and-a-half before Shido would arrive; more than enough time to eat some breakfast and get properly geared up.

The kitchen was unsurprisingly less populated than it had been yesterday; the girls tended to sleep in a lot on Sundays. Shizuku was up and about as usual, and I gave her a peck on the lips before taking my seat at the table. Amare and Anjelica were the only ones at the table currently, silently eating the fired fish and vegetables Shizuku had made. Though, before I started eating my share, I noticed a plate that looked picked clean that was in front of a slightly ajar chair.

"Where's Himari?", I asked.

"The cat stuffed her face before going into the basement to play with her weapons.", Shizuku replied tersely, a small pout on her lips.

"That's fine, I'll be joining her soon to get ready for the raid anyways."

Amare hummed a little at that, her face a mask of mild concern and she had a distance look in her eyes.

"Is something the matter?", I ask.

"Well, it's just that this is so much different from what Eparsi did before."

"What did he do before? From how you talked about him, I got the impression that he had just manifested himself and attack out of rage."

Amare shook her head, long dark hair swinging with the motion. "He was more methodical before, gathering resources in the background for over a year and used pawns to sow discord and fear; never even showing himself until end, when we thought we had killed him. But what he's doing now? That half-cocked attack on this house and only a three measly groups of barely organized humans keeping him anchored to the material world? It reeks of desperation and anxiety."

"Isn't that a good thing? For him to be on the back-foot and with little resources?", I asked, choosing to ignore the fact that Anjelica had become increasingly pale as the topic of discussion turned to Eparsi' previous exploits.

"In a way, it does limit him. But at the same time- Oh, how to explain…", she rubbed her chin in contemplation. "Demons like Eparsi see the mortal world much in the same way a human child would view a doll house. So when their purpose, even their very experience, is threatened by what they see as lesser beings… Well, they can become 'volatile', for lack of a better word."

She gave me a pointed and worried look before continuing.

"I can't predict what exactly you'll find in that cemetery when you confront the practitioner and his thralls. But I've heard enough stories about demons being cornered by mortals to give you some advice: Take every precaution, trust your intuition, and bring nothing less than everything you have to bear against any of his vessels. And most importantly; don't underestimate him, even- no, especially when he appears to be at his weakest."

 

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Journal Entry #3.3

The light mist settling over Atarashī bokusō-chi cemetery didn't obscure vision at all, but did give the vast expanse of the partially-forested estate a rather creepy visage. I couldn't quite make out the writing on the nearly innumerable headstones through the slight tinting of the car we were in. Shido had filled us in on the way; at most a dozen individuals were found patrolling inside of the more densely forested areas that encompassed the older tombs.(And apparently wouldn't have been found if not for Kesu, letting police see past the concealing wards.)

"You two ready?", Shido called back at to us from driver's seat of the car.

Himari gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and a kiss, the taste of her lingering on my lips. "Yeah, we're ready.", I said.

"Affirmative. I'll rendezvous with the police chief. We've already informed them of the plan before though, so you're cleared to go ahead immediately.", Shido confirmed before killing the engine and stepping out. She strode purposefully toward the strategically sparse police parameter around the cemetery before disappearing into a small group of officers.

I stepped with Himari in tow after checking myself over for my usual gear. Two daggers, pistol, earpiece, and a little glass of something extra in my jacket pocket(protected by a small ward etched into the fabric). Himari simply took a firmer grip on her sword hilt before giving me a grin, her white kimono with a red flower pattern flowing gently in the breeze.

"Let's get going.", I said and started off at a jog, Himari easily keeping up. I'd taken Amare's warning to heart; paying attention to any unusual movements in my direct or peripheral vision, reaching out with my senses for any sudden fluctuations of arcane energy, and always keeping my quick-drawing hand ever so slightly tensed and ready. After all, it wouldn't do me any good even if Himari was able to give me warning, but I wasn't ready to act on her words immediately.

My hyper awareness as we weaved through the sea of headstones and towards the forested area of the cemetery did come with a few drawbacks though. I was acutely aware of all the autumn colored leaves we treaded on, of every mild wind that made the tall branches creak and groan noisily, and I was sure I looked crazy from how fast my eyes zeroed in on any oddly shaped shadow. Thankfully, the trek across the burial grounds didn't last too much longer than that and we both stopped a few dozen meters short of where the trees and underbrush became truly dense and hard to see through.

This is where both the old, and more eccentric people, were buried; either by personal request or at the behest of their families. The section of the cemetery was the oldest, having fallen to the wayside in maintenance over the years and had thus become far more wild than the more public friendly dotting of trees in the front.

We'd stopped here because it would only be a few more minutes of walking before we came upon the patrols. Without any further ado I readied myself and reached for my magic; I was going to use a bog standard and ranged disruption spell. Normally, even when executed perfectly and in the best of magical conditions, the thought of using it over such a wide area and variety of spells would be the height of idiocy.

But enhanced by my Light Ferry?

The veritable deluge of energy I unleashed, so thick that it made the open air ripple even to normal eyes, crashed like a tsunami against the entire back of the cemetery. I could feel the wards crack and then pop like crystalline soap-bubbles as several startled gasps and cries of panic came from the now freed people. The enthrallment and minion spells cast by the unknown practitioner had gone out as well, dissipating with what I can only describe as a raspy gasp.

Hiamri tilted her head to the side, and let her fluffy ears and tail spring out. She gave the air a quick sniff. "I've got them.", she said.

"Are you sure you can take them all out safely?", I asked. I was trusting Himari to gently knockout the victims so that I could conserve my own strength to disable the caster. But I would join in as well if she said she needed my help.

Himari gave me a wink, "Don't worry, Yuto. Just watch your super-strong bodyguard take care of everything~" With that she dashed in a literal blur of motion, a small gust of wind following in her whack.

She mopped them up in less than two minutes.

It didn't take long for the cops to come in after I notified Shido of the successful disruption via my earpiece. The police fell upon the downed victims with surprising promptness and efficiency, seemingly not even surprised at the sight of Himari and her sword; I suspected this wasn't their first time dealing with the yokai related incidents.

I didn't dwell on those thoughts for long though, as me and Himari were stalking closer to the largest tomb in the almost directly in the epicenter of the heavily forested area, nearly completely obscured by foliage even from this far away. If the fact that we had ferreted out his position with both my and Himari's own supernatural senses wasn't enough of a give away, then the shoddily-made wooden shack, which was larger than I expected, would have been.

A less cautious, or plain more arrogant, version of me might have strode forward without a care and blasted down the door, confident that my disruption spell had taken down all of the rouge practitioner's traps and defenses.

Such a version of myself most likely would have missed the several bear traps and trip wires, thus prematurely ending a blooming Demon Slayer career.

Fortunately for me, we both kept our eyes peeled and either carefully avoided or disabled any traps we came across. Five tense minutes later and we were only about a dozen feet away from the ramshackle shack and, most likely, desecrated tomb. Luckily we didn't have to waste time searching, our quarry was already in plain view.

"So, you final made it?", the voice came from the silhouette of a tall and lanky man, standing in the shack and surrounded by what looked like a mix-between a chemistry lab with some surgical tools. I didn't see the sleeping bag in the corner until later. "That was quite the spell you cast there. Destroyed my wards, enthrallment, and even all of my magical traps too. Truly impressive work.", he was rambling, I could tell that, whatever back-plans he had, he hadn't anticipated to need to use or prepare them so early.

"How should I address you?", I called out, the bare-bones beginnings of a plan forming in my mind.

"...You can call me Owlin.", he said. Obviously a fake name, but I wouldn't press the issue.

"Listen, we don't have to fight.", If he was an unwilling participant, or even just unsure, then I owed it to myself to at least try some diplomacy. "Don't worry if Eparsi has you confined by some manner of contract, my contact ca-", was all I got off before the trap sprung.

A large patch of air between us distorted heavily and the ground directly under it burst into wildfire. The bubble of air shot forward, undoubtedly faster than the normal human eye could track, leaving a trail of bubbling earth and burning foliage in its wake.

And then Himari moved.

She blurred forward and was between me and the growing sphere of distorted air before anyone could react. Crouched low and with her sheathed sword held ready, it gave of a faint purple glow before Himari performed a text-book Iaijutsu, drawing the katana in a blindingly fast, horizontal cut that sent out a thin shock-wave. The wave of force popped the distorted air like a soap-bubble, a faint wave of heat washing over the air. But it didn't stop there; it reached Owlin and his shack nearly a second later.

Luckily, Owlin had the presence of mind to realize he was in actual mortal danger and raised his hands up, a thin silver rod clutched furiously in front of him. The wave stopped short, seemingly impacting against nothing but thin air with the sound of a thunderclap. Owlin gasp and staggered back, dropping the silver rod, and nearly fell over himself. He may have even been able to regain his composure and concentration again, an impressive feat considering the amount of power he had just blocked, if not for the black dagger that sailed through the air and buried itself into his kneecap. The pain must have been delayed for some reason, as he only shrieked in pain after he fell to ground from his leg giving out.

I'd slipped the dagger from out of my coat and had it prepped as soon as Himari had swung. Luckily, with his barrier knocked down by Himari, I didn't need Light Ferry to enhance the blade; which I was thankful for. If I could have finished this encounter with the bare-minimum amount of fighting possible, then I would have considered it a complete success.

Himari was on him immediately afterwards, closing the several foot distance in less than a second. She sheathed her blade and fell upon him with a flurry of quick punches, beating the man into near unconsciousness.

"I'm sorry.", I said, keeping my voice low and non-intimidating. "But we can't afford to go easy on or underestimate any of you." I plucked the smooth dagger out of his kneecap, making the now-severely-bruised man gasp a little from the pain. He looked surprisingly normal; maybe a few years older than me with large eyes and a hooked-nose that made it painfully obvious why he chose the name "Owlin". I reached into my pocket and pulled out the last item I had with me, not including my gun; three silver circlets. I slip the first two around his wrists, one for each, and brang them together; they fused together where they touched. Owlin seemed to finally regain his wits when I fitted the third one around his neck.

"What are you doing?", Owlin's voice was heavily slurred by his swollen jaw, it looked like he could barely focus his attention on one spot.

"These are bindings.", I explained before standing up and dragging the willoy man back to his feet. "It'll keep you from tying anything else while we arrest you." I noticed his eyes widened a bit, at least the one that wasn't puffy, when I said the word 'arrested'. "Yes, you are under arrest and going to jail. What you did to those people was highly illegal and so was what you made them do."

I stopped mid-sentence when I felt the presence again; the oily black feeling that pressed against all of my magical senses. Eparsi was here. The ground rumbled as soon as I noticed him, and I could tell by the way Himari's nose wrinkled that she could smell the demon as well. A couple of meters away, a section of the foliage and dirt bulged upwards, like something was trying to push its way through.

"What's happening? Is this your doing?", Himari nearly snarled at the trembling man who seemed like he might go into shock from sheer terror.

"No, no, no, nonono", He mumbled, practically spitting the words out in a stream, like he was trying to get the taste out of his mouth. "That son of a bitch, he promised he wouldn't. He swore, on his word, that he wouldn't release it-"

The bulging ground exploded upwards in a veritable geyser of earth, grass, and leaves that rained down around us. We finally got a good look at what was there as it slithered out of the hole. It was a writhing mass of rotting bodies, torsos and legs sewn into a makeshift tail while dozens of arms were grafted together to form two bulging appendages that dragged it's bulk forward with surprising speed. The head, if you could even call it that, was just a gaping maw with hundreds of rows of jagged teeth. The maw reeked of death and festering flesh even from the substantial distance away it was, maggots falling like raindrops from it's gaping mouth.

I sucked in a short breath between my teeth, "Shit, he made a Flesh-golem." I pulled out my gun and sighted it on the abomination, Light Ferry suffusing the firearm and making it glow.

It charged us.

 

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Journal Entry #3.4

"Himari, run!"

Not a year go Himari would have never even considered following such an order. To leave me to face down an enemy alone. But after months of training and several life-or-death battles, she'd grown to trust my judgement.

So, thankfully, she didn't hesitate in pulling Owlin onto her shoulder and jumping out of the way just as the flesh-golem barreled through the place she'd been not even a second later.

I'd dodged to the side myself, foregoing taking the shot in lue of it's surprising speed. The monster had committed to the charge as well, crashing through the wooden shack and into the stone tomb that stode behind it.

"Himari, get Owlin out of the cemetery and then circle back.", I called out before taking my shot as the thing shook off it's impact.

The guns' muzzle flashed with a familiar golden light as the bullet was ejected with supernatural speed and force, punching a fist sized hole through its center mass and cauterized the surrounding flesh. The golem's only reaction was to swing it's disgusting visage in my direction and charge my position.

I easily evaded this one as well; the horrifying amalgamation was fast, but it simply couldn't compare to the speed Himari regularly used against me in our sparring sessions. I took the small window of time I had to go over my options; This thing was a golem. So it didn't feel pain, have anything resembling vital organs, nor did it have any mental weaknesses to take advantage of. There was a way to completely and immediately dispel the magic animating golems, but it required a spell I didn't have time to cast and a tool I didn't have.

The crash of a tree being uprooted interrupted my chain of thought. The flesh-golem had wrapped its tail of torsos and legs around a tree and lifted it up and back. I waited for it to fling it down at me, I didn't want to give it a chance to lead the throw, before dodging back from the projectile.

The impact nearly completely shattered the old tree and threw up an impressive cloud of dust, dirt, and wood chips.

I readied myself, put away the gun, and placed my hands onto the heavily unkempt ground; tall grass nearly reaching my elbows.

"Amakawa? What's going on?", Shido's voice came over the earpiece, she sounded a little worried. "I heard gunshots and Noihara just brought over the practitioner, but something's wrong with him-"

"Busy fighting a monster right now, talk later.", I whispered unnecessarily as I felt the ground start to rubble as the Flesh-Golem approached. I waited a bit longer, determined to make sure this stuck; it was the safest option I had to take this thing down. It made its way over the remains of the tree, the small obstacle barely slowing it down. The creature was only a few feet away now, I could smell the foul waste and acid from it's blender of a mouth. It dove forward and tried to chomp down on me while it swung a club like arm around to catch me if I tried to dodge backwards.

It was a good, and surprisingly intelligent, strategy. Just not good enough.

I waited until the very last instance before deftly stepping to side, the beast jaws closing on nothing but air as I stood not even a foot away. Then I timed and back-flipped over the grotesque arm it had swung around, the blow came so close that I swear one of the less secure hands could have grazed my jacket.

The golem showed surprising agility again by nearly stopping on a dime, reorienting itself, and lunging forward once more. It got all of two feet before slamming into the invisible barrier of the ward I had just set down.

"I'm sorry.", I said softly, fully aware that this thing was made up of the bodies of mostly innocent and buried people, before springing my trap. It was important that one never forgot the basics; though it may have been on a larger scale than Hitsugi had expected, the principle was still the same. The substantial amount of energy I had suffused into the circle of ground sparked with red-white light before erupting into a pillar of fire that would have made a geyser look impotent.

***

After taking the time to make sure the flesh-golem had been well and truly incinerated, checked the surroundings for any other nasty surprises, and looked over the wreckage of the shack for anything dangerous; I made my way back to the cemetery entrance.

By the time I got back a fire truck was already making its way toward where the pillar of fire had appeared. Yep, they were definitely used to dealing with the supernatural here.

I saw Shido standing just outside of the main gate, hand resting on her holstered pistol. Her gaze was completely focused on Owlin, who was currently laying down at Himari's feet. His shirt had been ripped, he was gasping like a fish, and covered in a thin film of sweat.

"If it's hurting him this much then shouldn't we move him back more?", I asked as soon as I was within talking distance. Himari gave me pat on the back as I got closer and gave my free hand a squeeze, the other held my knife.

Shido shook her head, "Believe it or not, this is actually rather mild compared to what happened when Noihara tried to carry him past the threshold. Take a look at his back."

I knelt down and noticed that the back of Owlin's shirt had been ripped open, revealing something rather troublesome. What looked like several lines of arcane letters had been branded into the small of his back. This was a contract, a little unorthodox in implementation, but it seemed to be a powerful one regardless.

"This isn't really my specialty; you can't just blast apart a contract.", I said as I looked over and tried to analyze the unnaturally clear string of scarred and boiled flesh. "We need to call in Kuesu."

"Kuesu is currently preoccupied. Though I did make a call to your residence and was referred to someone that was apparently a 'specialist' when it comes to these kinds of situations.", Shido said helpfully. She turned her head and looked back as a black car drove up and parked near the gate, "Hmm, good timing."

The passenger door popped open and the slightly diminutive form of Anjelica hopped out and began running toward us, her tail bobbing and with a satchel full of scrolls slung across her shoulders.

"Hey Yuto! Hey Himari!", Anjelica called out as she approached. "I heard you've got a magical contract problem?", she said before kneeling down to examine the dozing form of Owlin. "Have no fear, I've got this."

"You can break magical contracts?", I asked, quickly trying to move past my surprise.

"Not break perse", Anjelica replied as she dug through her satchel and brought out a pristine looking piece of rolled-up parchment that seemed to make the air around it warp and shimmer. "You know how Amare said I was good at 'paperwork'? Well that's actually my specialty when it comes to magic as well, and it comes with a few fringe benefits. I may not be able to break contracts," She unfurled the blank parchment and pressed it against Owlin's back, there was brief flash of red light, and then she lifted it up to show that Owlin's back was now completely unblemished and that the arcane letters were now on the page. "But transferring them to a different medium is well within my abilities." She was practically glowing with pride at this point, head held high and bushy tail wagging slightly.

"Impressive. But it is my understanding that such a contract would still keep him from crossing that threshold." Himari commented as she gently shoke Owlin and carefully brought him back-up to his feet.

Anjelica shook her head with a smirk, "A lot of the staying power and influence of a contract comes from the medium used to inscribe it. Suffice to say? The paper I just used is the mystical equivalent of writing down a contract on wet toilet-paper." She gripped the odd parchment by its sides and ripped it in two, which was immediately followed by a small burst of air. "Of course there is a limit to my ability. But this contract was fairly simple and only meant to contain one person."

Himari walked Owlin a few tentative steps past the barrier. Seeing that nothing happened, she handed him off to Shido.

"Alright, now that that's been taken care of.", Shido said before walking the gangly man over to a group of officers. "They know the right facilities to transport him to. And since you only seemed to have caused superficial property damage during your fight, then we can pack things up and transport you back home."

"Wait. Before you said that Kuesu was 'busy' right? What did you mean by that?", I said. Her mention of the fight had brought my mind back on track.

"Oh, did you not know?", Shido tilted her head to the side in confusion. "She went out to deal with the practitioner in the abandoned warehouse."

"By herself?", my tone was incredulous and I was well aware my expression was quickly transitioning from shock and worry to anger.

Shido either didn't care or had a supremely good poker face. "There wasn't as much security at the warehouse and the wards looked weaker there. She should be wrapping things up-"

What sounded like a volcanic eruption cut-her off. Before anyone could say anything else an incandescent pillar of violet light erupted from the warehouse district and into sky. It was pure spiritual energy, not meant to hit anything physical, so no normal person would be able to see it; but it was clear as day to us.

Nothing needed to be said, we all took off toward the car and Shido drove off toward the shrinking pillar of light at truly reckless speeds.

***

"You stay back, Anjelica. We'll call you forward if you're needed.", I said. Waiting for her to give an affirmative nod before Himari and I stepped out.

The place looked like a bomb had gone off; half of the "warehouse" had collapsed in on itself while the rest was a burned-out shell of its former self. And in the middle of that patch of scorched destruction stood Kuesu, elegant black dress billowing in the wind as she brushed some dust off of the front of it. She gave me a winning smile and wave as I approached.

"Ah, Yuto, you already handled your target?" She seemed to be favoring her left side when she turned to face me, but I couldn't see why from the front. "Sorry about the noise and light-show, these guys had some unconventional traps prepared for me. And then there was that ghost amalgamation they sprung on me-"

"What were you thinking?", I cut her off.

"What do you mea-"

"You could have been seriously hurt.", I let my anger get the better of me and didn't give her a chance to explain. "This thing is dangerous, almost as bad as Shuten, and you went off to fight a stronghold alone? How could you be so stupid? If you'd died again then-"

The slap came so sudden and fast that I never even saw her hand move. Which was probably why it put me on my back so hard.

 

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We have no intention of converting him; he is not worth the trouble nor worthy of the privilege. Even we Mamono have our limits on tolerance and acceptance, and the massacre he perpetrated has more than exceeded them. We may not all share our Lord's adoration for humanity, but using innocents as sacrifices and fodder is at least considered reprehensible by most of us now. You need not worry about any of that though. Eparsi is a demon, of our kind, and thus; our responsibility.

We will personally undertake the task of his destruction. -
Simikiel Hiems - Lilim of the Barren North, negotiating with the APC

 

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To be honest, all of thy bickering seemed quite nonsensical.

Human, monster, spirit, or Fea; tis all the same to us. All are welcome within our Lord's fold. The power needed to make the final change will be momentous, so every acolyte is important to our cause. Present us with thy traditions and challenges, our kind has known them for eons, passing them will present nary a challenge to us. -
Shateiel Cessabit - Lilim of the Tranquil West, negotiating peace talks in South America