Family Reunion

“Boring!”

“Huh?” Yukimura was confused by the Kasha’s sudden outburst.

“That talk you had with your boyfriend just now was boring! Almost as boring as working for that stubborn King Enma.” When the Kasha said that, the ice around them melted before evaporating.

“What does—” Yukimura was forced to dodge the Kasha’s sudden dash instead of asking her question. When it passed her, Yukimura could feel the heat of the blade as it narrowly avoided her face.

It didn’t even take a second for it to dash again. When it completed that dash, the speed only increased. Too fast… Each dash became faster than the one prior, and soon Yukimura couldn’t dodge anymore. Her fair skin was getting ripped apart by the yokai’s searing claws. But no blood leaked out as each strike was so hot it instantly cauterized her wounds.

Yukimura eventually shouted, “It burns,” as she collapsed to the ground in the center of the flames. She plunged her sword into the ground as she held onto the hilt. As the feline yokai towered over her, it could hear Yukimura’s rapid breaths.

“Oh? Are you finally tired? Are you dying?” Yukimura was too busy catching her breath to answer the Kasha’s questions. “Well, we can’t have that happen yet. I need to go get the surprise Nurarihyon wanted me to show you. It’s the reason he wanted us to fight.” With those words in the air, the Kasha began to sprint out of the ring of fire, shouting, “I’ll be right back!”

The mix of autumn’s cool and the fire’s hot winds beat down on Yukimura as she knelt. However, she didn’t pay any mind to them. She didn’t pay any mind to either the Kasha who was running around Shibuya or its corpses. The only thing Yukimura focused on was the sword that was supporting her.

Yukimura’s grip on the hilt tightened as she channeled all of her thoughts into her blade. Yuki-onna! I know you can hear me!

“Yes,” the Yuki-onna’s voice was clear like ice. “Are you ready to make the pact?”

Is there no other way?

“No, there isn’t. Any yokai you kill, whether it’s their mana or their soul, is trapped in your blade. It may strengthen you, but it puts my kids at risk. So, I’m preventing you from killing.”

But what about the civilians? If I don’t kill this Kasha, countless more people will suffer because of me.

“I don’t care. I’m only doing what I can to protect my family. And to that extent, I’ll stop at nothing.” After the Yuki-onna said those words, the Kasha returned, and Yukimura’s stomach twisted. She clutched her stomach as she looked at what the Kasha was holding, and the Onmyoji wanted to puke.

It was holding two bodies. One was male, the other female. Both of their bodies were decaying as if they had been long dead, but even through their rotten skin, Yukimura could tell who they were. “Mom? Dad?”

Nurarihyon… why?

“Oh, so you recognize them?” The Kasha smiled as Yukimura’s hands began to shake.

It’s scum. Yokai like this Kasha are scum. And you’re fine with letting yokai like this roam around?

“Yes, as long as my children are safe.”

“Huh, what are you getting so silent on me?” The Kasha dragged both of their bodies as it walked toward Yukimura.

Well, I can’t. If I do more, families will die to yokai… like mine. And I refuse to let that happen!

“What are you going to do, Yukimura?”

“What are you thinking about, Miss Onmyoji?”

“I’ll agree to your pact! I swear on my blade, I won’t kill any more yokai! But in exchange, grant the power to protect the people who may fall victim to those yokai’s whims!”

“Good, and with that, the pact is complete.” The Yuki-onna’s voice faded in the wind as Yukimura’s azure mana began to pool around her. It filled not only the ring of fire but the area around it, too. And this sudden development made the Kasha leap backward.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Nobody told me anything about this!” She’s charging up some kind of spell… I had a bad feeling about it, too! I can’t let her cast it, no matter what! The Kasha lunged at Yukimura with its unfathomable speed… But it was too slow. Yukimura already said the spell’s name, “Kuraokami!”

When the spell’s name was uttered, Yukimura’s mana froze everything it touched. It froze the building, the flames around her, and even the Kasha that was about to pierce Yukimura’s skull.

After she confirmed it was frozen, Yukimura let out a sigh as she collapsed onto her knees. She smiled as she watched all the corpses the Kasha possessed, including her parents, dissolve into ash. She was about to let out a tear, but stopped when she saw a pillar of crimson mana.

Shin!