Note: please keep in mind that chapters don't always happen after one another
What came before: after his battle with a youkai of the Shin Sekai, Rikuo and his followers follow the trail to a new base belonging to their vile enemy
Chapter 38
"How dare you, Nura Rihan…" The Emperor of Japan, Mutsuhito (later known as Meiji), spoke as he tried to stop the bleeding from his guts. "How dare you raise your sword against your Emperor?"
"I am sorry, my Emperor." A man, with black hair in the shape of a gourd and wearing a military uniform, apologized as he kneeled and held a sword in front of him. "But I did what had to be done."
It hurt Rihan to do such a deed. After all, he was Japanese and they value loyalty above everything else. That was why even the most ambitious warlords never tried to steal the Imperial Throne, even if they robbed the Emperors of everything else. Murdering an Emperor... this was something he never thought he would do... something he never wanted to do. Even when the Emperor's forces attacked him, he hoped that things would not end like this.
"I… I turned Japan into one of the world's greatest powers…" The Emperor spoke, even though it seemed to have caused him pain. "…and I got rewarded with this?"
"I know, and the people of Japan will forever remember you for what you did." Rihan said, sounding polite as if he was not the one who slashed him. "For truly, your achievements were what made Japan shine to the rest of the world. I am proud to call Edo Tokyo."
"Yet... how… dare you."
"But your true ambitions were too much." Rihan's eyes narrowed. "You had to be stopped, no matter what."
"You fool… you think that this shall stop my plans… if it didn't hurt me this much, I would laugh into your face, you traitor." Even breathing seemed to have become painful to him, but the Emperor still clung to his life. "Without me… they will become even more ruthless… you stopped nothing, you just made it worse… how dare you…"
"I will deal with them in due time."
"How… dare you…" The Emperor raised his hand and pointed it at Rihan. "I curse you… I curse your very name, Nura Rihan… I hope you find happiness… and when you do, that you lose it soon after. That is… my final order as the… Emperor of the land of the rising sun…"
And after saying that, he passed away. Rihan rose up and left in somber silence.
"Rest in peace... my Emperor."
The next day he was proclaimed to have died from a natural cause and Rihan's war against Meiji's men continued.
And he never forgot that curse…
~)(~
"Hm, I honestly expected something more glamorous from these guys." Nura Rikuo said as he gazed on a building from afar. It was Saturday morning in the States and his youkai blood was weakened, but he and his parade were close enough to their goal that even human eyes could see it. It was a modern-looking building, made of steel and glass, located in the middle of nowhere, far from a highway and impossible to find unless you were looking for it.
"It looks pretty small to me." Shouei commented. "Maybe they have another secret lab under it?"
"I doubt it." Daruma replied to his theory. "This is probably just a bunch administration offices or a place where their boss relaxes. It would be useless to have two labs so close to one another after all… and expensive."
"Maybe…" Shouei was still not persuaded but did not press on it and instead returned to looking at the building. "It seems like they also have a helicopter platform."
"Is a helicopter there?" Although even in his day form Rikuo had better eyesight than regular humans, the place was still too far.
"Yes, their boss no doubt plans to use it to flee if needed." Shouei answered.
"I see…" Rikuo said and closed his eyes. If he hadn't fled already.
"Rikuo-sama, what is it?" Shouei asked him.
"Please, give me a moment to concentrate." Rikuo said and focused. "Yes, I am sure of it now…"
"You noticed it too, Commander?" the old Daruma asked to which Rikuo nodded.
"Noticed what?"
"There's an Onmyouji barrier." Rikuo said with a higher tone so that even the other youkai could hear him. "It is weak enough for most youkai to walk in without noticing it…" Rikuo started and Daruma finished:
"…but once they are deep inside, a skilled Onmyouji could strengthen it and exorcise them."
"Yes." Rikuo nodded. "I will have you guys stay behind and take care that nobody bothers me and... whoever I get to meet."
"Wait a second Rikuo!" Rikuo's sworn brother yelled, forgetting to use an honorific. "This little barrier could not stop us and you definitely can't walk in alone." Many of the youkai nodded and yelled in agreement, though Daruma just stood in silence.
"The barrier is even more dangerous for you than any potential threat is for me." Rikuo did not intend to give in. Sometime after he defeated the Nue, Rikuo had asked Yura to teach him a bit about Onmyoudo. One of the results of that training was that he became more skilled at recognizing the dangers that certain branches of Onmyoudo offered. However, even without Yura's lessons he would have been able to recognize this specific style of barrier. "What is more, it is similar to techniques that Seimei and the Gokadoin used, both in style and power."
Mentioning Seimei and the Gokadoin House, both very infamous amongst the youkai, did manage to make the youkai more hesitant, albeit not enough. "In that case, it is even more dangerous for you to go in, especially if a Gokadoin Onmyouji protects their boss."
"I agree with Shouei-dono." Daruma added. "Even if you are three quarter human, the barrier will still weaken you."
"Yes, we should wait and-" Shouei stopped, but then Rikuo disappeared. "Rikuo-sama, where are you? "
"Take care nobody bothers us!" Rikuo shouted from afar.
"Ugh, should we go after him?" Shouei asked.
"A Nurarihyon through and through…" Daruma sighed at remembering how many headaches his three leaders (as well as the two heirs) caused him. "The Commander gave us his orders and we have no choice but to follow them and hope for the best." He turned towards Shouei then. "Well, the sworn brother may act more independently though."
"No, I will trust him this time." Said the one who made a 50:50 sakazuki exchange with Rikuo soon after the Nue fell. "We can easily run to him if things start going badly."
~)(~
"Well, this place does look smaller from afar." Rikuo commented as he finally reached his destination: a big, three levels large building made of steel and glass, which would feel more at home in the middle of a metropolis than in the countryside. There was a mountain behind it, but it did not seem connected to it in any way so Rikuo did not expect any hidden chambers here.
The cameras must have seen him from afar so he did not try to hide himself from them. But before he decided to enter the building, he focused his senses in order to detect any Fear that might come from there. However, other than the Onmyouji barrier from before, he didn't feel anything unnatural.
But that did not make him feel any safer. No, it was the opposite actually. If the master of that Owl Shikigami did not lie, the very leader of the Shin Sekai should be located here. One would have expected him to protect himself with everything he had, including those wicked, black youkai. The fact that such beasts were not here at the moment suggested that he had something that assured his safety better than such a youkai would.
Well, no point in thinking about it. I've dealt with worse than anything these guys can offer. Thinking that, Rikuo walked up the steel stairs, pushed the glass doors and entered the building.
Now he was certain: this building really had no place here. What else could he have thought the moment he saw the countless cubicle offices below?
"Um, we did not expect any visitors today…" A female voice said from beside him. "Could you please introduce yourself?" She said in English.
Rikuo turned his head to the left and saw a woman sitting on what looked like a simple receptionist table. She looked at him with wide eyes, no doubt wondering what a man in a yukata and with a sword was doing here. "Nura Rikuo, I am sure your boss is expecting to meet me here." Rikuo tried to lighten up the atmosphere while thinking about what to do next.
"Umm… no, you were not scheduled to arrive."
So she did not say anything about my comment at wanting to meet her boss. Good, that suggests that he really is here. "I see. Well, that's very mean of your boss." He said with his comforting smile but then put on his Yakuza face. "After all, a Mafioso comes to spill some blood and he doesn't even have dignity to tell his employees to leave."
The woman just gazed at him in shock for a few moments. "Security, there is a madman here!" The woman shouted and hit something below the desk, no doubt the alarm. Rikuo did not bother to do anything about it.
However, two security guards were already only a few meters away from them. "Stop right there, Jap!" One of them shouted and both aimed their pistols at him. "We have a kill-on-sight policy here, I am not kidding!"
"Do you now?" Rikuo put on his good guy face again. "But isn't that a bit hard when your guns are in such a bad shape?"
"What are you- WHAT THE FUCK?" Only then did the two of them notice that their guns were cut in half. "You are one of those ¨demonic freaks, aren't you?"
Not long after, more security guards ran up to him, some of them using less conventional weapons like Kalashnikovs and submachine guns. Well, it IS a kill on sight policy inside an organization dealing with youkai and other inhuman specimens.
They did not waste time on dialogue this time. "FIRE!" One of the guards ordered and all of them started shooting at Rikuo. When their bullets hit him, a few of them put on wicked grins… but they were astonished once again, this time because their target dispersed into air. "Where the fuck has he disappeared to?"
"Yuck, this coffee is horrible." Rikuo said from behind them, leaning against the railing and sipping some coffee he found on it, probably being drunk by one of the guards. "May I suggest you replace coffee with some tea? Trust me, it is better for your body."
"Stand right there!" One of them shouted and, once again, they all aimed their weapons at him.
"I have no time for this." Rikuo sighed, took a deep breath and then released large quantities of his raw Fear, terrifying all the humans in vicinity. Even some of the guards dropped their weapons and fell on their bottoms. "Now listen well!" Rikuo shouted so that everyone, both the guards and the officer workers below, could hear him. "I have no intentions of mixing innocent civilians and armed fools into this! I am giving all of you exactly five minutes to leave!" He released some more Fear in order to give his words some more strength. "And anyone who stays shall be killed." He said in a lower tone, but he was certain that everyone could hear him. "Naturally, your boss is to stay here."
"Do what the barbarian asks from you." The voice identical to the master of the Owl Shikigami spoke through speakers. "Everyone is to leave immediately. None of you need to return here and payment for this and three following months have been sent to your accounts."
The humans did not need any more forcing: they all started running away. Not long after, Rikuo saw some cars leaving the area. Hm, guess there was an underground parking lot here.
"Well, I sure did not expect you to give them a bonus after firing them." Rikuo commented when most people have left, with only a few people in lab coats from upper floors still leaving. A few of them were trying to leave with some documents, but Rikuo made them stumble. The less of these documents left this place, the better.
"Good work has to be rewarded." He gave him a simple answer.
"A shame your ethics don't leave any further than this."
"I have no intentions to have an e-chat with you, Nura Rikuo. If you want to talk to me, try and reach me." The moment those words were spoken, the barrier was activated and Rikuo felt his Fear weakening. Were he a weaker youkai, he would no doubt have been killed by this, even though he was in his human form.
Fighting with this barrier up will be a bother. Rikuo sighed and started walking towards the stairs for the second floor. Were he in his Night Form, he would have been excited… but like this, the only feeling he had was frustration.
~)(~
The second floor was like the first: just a bunch of offices. The only difference was that they were not cubicles but each office was its own room. Rikuo took a bit of detour into a few of them, just to check if he could find anything useful.
However, the Shin Sekai seemingly had no intention of letting their valuable information fall into other people's hands. If someone tried to talk about the organization, they would be met with a brutal death (as Kubinashi and Kejorou witnessed with their own eyes). If someone tried to take a piece of paper into his hands, like Rikuo did, the letters would fade away. If someone tried to check the computers, they would automatically get formatted, just like the ones Rikuo checked now.
Well, it is possible that letters just become invisible and that the data on computers could be restored, but I have neither the skill nor time to check on that.
The one he was after was no doubt on the third floor, but Rikuo was not in the hurry to go there. He had gone through so many battles that he could feel when someone was intending to attack him, even if it was a human like some Onmyouji.
In other words, he was not alone on this floor. Someone was close to him and it was not a youkai. Most likely, it was the Onmyouji who activated this barrier. Even now, Rikuo felt pressured by the barrier, but his Fear was strong enough to keep him above normal humans in strength, speed and resilience. It was tiring to keep his Fear up while under the influence of this barrier, but if he allowed his Fear to be suppressed completely, even normal humans would become a threat. And the one after him was most likely not a normal human.
Yet, Rikuo walked with confidence. The quarter youkai who beat the Nue himself and fought many other powerful opponents was not someone who would worry for his life. His opponent was unlikely to be on the level of Hagoromo Gitsune, Kyousai, Ao Andon or the Nue. And the twenty years that passed since those battles were not wasted: Rikuo became more powerful with each passing year.
And, finally, his stalker made an attack. Rikuo heard sharp noise, as it something was drilling through walls at high speed, and jumped away, successfully evading a sharp blade that broke one wall and stabbed into another. He was lucky that even his human form was above humans in physical abilities, although the barrier weakened him to a degree.
Someone threw a blade through the walls. Rikuo wanted to check the blade out, but he heard more of them coming so he focused on evading more such attacks, but managed to grab another one of them. Is this a silver knife?
However, he could not spend too much time looking at it: he felt the enemy was close to him… no, above him. When did he get there? Rikuo thought as he turned around and blocked his silver short sword with his katana. But before Rikuo's eyes fell on his enemy's face, they saw a gun in his right hand so he jumped away, avoiding the bullet at the last moment.
But the enemy was faster than he was and by the time Rikuo landed a few meters away, the enemy was already behind him and preparing for another strike. Rikuo intended to avoid his attack, but the barrier got stronger and his speed came closer to that of a regular human. Although he managed to avoid the slash of his enemy's sword, it was with a scratch.
He finally had time to look at his enemy's face: he had short black hair, obviously using gel to make it pointy. In his left arm he held a silver short sword while in his right there was a pistol. He wore black pants and an open jacket, with a red shirt underneath. As far as his age was concerned, he looked like a slender youth in his early twenties.
"So you are the King of the Japanese Pandemonium, eh?" The attacker asked him. "You are the Nurarihyon, right?"
"To be exact, I am Nura Rikuo." Rikuo answered, but did not lower his defense. "And you don't seem like the Onmyouji I expected to meet." The enemy was dangerous, but it did not feel like he was someone who used Onmyoudo. What was more, he spoke in English and addressed him as King of the Pandemonium rather than Lord of the Pandemonium. Any Onmyouji would be using Japanese when talking to a person from Japan. "So, who are you?"
"In front stands the one and only LeX." The man made a dramatic pose as he introduced himself. "Mind you, it is written with a big L, a small e and a big X. Thus, LeX."
"Eh?"
"And no, I am no Onmoji or whatever. No, I am a hunter! But not any hunter! A half-vampire hunter, aka a Dhampyr!"
"You mean Dhampire, right?" In Eastern European mythology, Dhampires were children of Vampires and humans... and often, they were believed to be natural vampire hunters.
"No, Dhampyr sounds cooler than Dhampire." LeX grinned and Rikuo saw small fangs.
"A hunter you say…" In tje west, there were many who hunted non-humans for various reasons, many of them being half-breeds. Even in Japan a few years ago, some humans and half-youkai tried to start the Hunter business and called themselves Dark Hunters, but the Keikains put an end to them. Thus, Japan remains one of few lands where such hunters are a rarity.
Somehow, Rikuo was not surprised that the Shin Sekai employed these disgusting bastards as well.
"Exactly, I am a Hunter. A shame you are not pure-blooded, but I am sure your blood or something would catch a nice price on the black market." LeX said and prepared for another attack. "Even half-breeds get a good price when they become Kings of Pandemoniums."
"People like you, who turn against their own blood for profit…" Rikuo also prepared for an attack, his eyes radiating with murderous intent. "…I just can't let them do as they please."
"Ha ha ha, that's the spirit." LeX's eyes also started radiating with murderous intent. "But you got it wrong, Nurarihyon. It isn't profit that motivated me…" Once again, Rikuo got astonished by his incredible speed: he jumped and the next moment he was with his head facing towards the floor and his sword was close to Rikuo's throat. "It is the excitement of the hunt that fuels me!"
"That's equally bad!" Rikuo said and easily pulled himself out of his predicament. He was annoyed that he was not in his youkai form as then he could have been the one attacking from the back.
"It is very silent here, don't you think?" LeX said and took out a Smartphone. "One of my friends is a great singer, you will love this!"
As his finger touched the screen, a strange song started singing on the loudspeakers… a song that did not come from the human mouth. Rikuo felt his mind slowly getting affected by it and thought about putting his hands on his ears, but if he did that no doubt LeX would have used the opportunity and attacked.
"Enchanting, isn't it? The real deal is even better, but even when played through the instruments, it is… to die for, wouldn't you are?"
I am in my human form, the Gokadoin barrier is weakening me and now I have this guy and the song to deal with. Odds sure are not in my favor. Still though, he was not worried. Guess it is time to get serious.
LeX had already appeared in front of him, his pistol ready to shoot him in the head. "Farewell, friend."
"Indeed so." Rikuo muttered and released his Fear.
"What? " LeX felt it but rather than jump back, he pulled the trigger and then jumped back.
"I may be in the human form and the barrier may be active but…" Rikuo said from behind him. "…I can still control my Fear to a certain extent." He said and slashed him across his shoulder. However, the Dhampire's body was tough so it didn't go far enough.
"You…" LeX slashed back at Rikuo with his silver sword, but he hit air and Rikuo was standing a few meters away from him. "Still, it seems you lack necessary strength to slay me."
"Shit." Rikuo said but didn't do anything.
"This is the end of it, prey." LeX said as he ran towards Rikuo, prepared to stab him with his sword. "Know that you die by the hand of LeX, the Sixth Pillar of the Shin Sekai!"
"Heh." Rikuo gave him a smirk and, suddenly, LeX found himself in the air, braking through a window without noticing it.
Shouei, who was looking from afar, seemed to have noticed it. By the time LeX's body reached the first floor, he was hit by a boulder and broke back into the building.
Originally, Rikuo was able to only confuse one's attention about himself, but more training allowed him to expand it to his surroundings. Even if LeX researched the Nurarihyons, he probably did not learn about a technique that Rikuo invented and which was only used by him and his own children.
Rikuo was not sure if LeX was dead or not, but he didn't intend to check it out. The more time had passed, the more likely it was that their leader managed to flee.
~)(~
"Just what do you think you are? A fictional villain or a cartoon character?" Onieda Masato asked LeX by using a microphone. He was able to see the hunter on his computer's monitor, using the building's surveillance. "You didn't even try."
"I…" LeX started as he rose up from the ground. No doubt many of his bones were broken, but his blood should heal all the wounds in a few minutes.
"No excuses. Next time you will fight with your full strength or I swear you will pay." Not intending to listen or talk to him anymore, Masato turned off his computer and rose from his seat. Each one of them… they all act like some cartoonish villain.
It was time to leave this place. If Nura Rikuo arrived, his life would be at risk and the organization still could not afford to lose him.
However, the stairs to the third floor were hidden and strong illusions and barriers should keep Rikuo away for a while. So, Masato went to the balcony and climbed up a small ladder, where his helicopter awaited him.
But the moment he got there, another boulder was thrown, this one hitting the helicopter. "What…"
"Don't get speechless just yet." He could hear Rikuo's voice from beside him. "I am here too."
Masato was glad that another barrier stopped anyone from seeing living beings on the roof... otherwise, more youkai would have swarmed in.
~)(~
Even in his wildest dreams, Rikuo could not imagine Onieda Masato being in charge. But here he was, dressed in his long black coat and with a hat on his head, and walking with a cane. Actually, now that he thought about it, he should not have been surprised: the Oniedas tried to kill off all youkai in Tohoku, a goal fitting for the bunch of human supremacists that made up the Shin Sekai.
It was the kind of information he was looking for… but if the Oniedas were his enemies, this would become a challenging war. Many called Onieda Masato the Modern Shogun because of his enormous influence. The Oniedas had a strong grip over the Japanese Government, controlled much of Japanese underworld and even employed many Onmyouji that took care even the youkai could not bother them. Thus, the Oniedas were the worst possible enemy.
"How did you get here?" Onieda Masato asked him, but if he was afraid he did not show it. But then again, he always had the same expression.
"I found a nice place without cameras, opened the window and climbed up." Rikuo smirked. "You think I did not feel your traps on the floor above? Your intention to flee was so obvious that it stank for miles."
"I see, guess I was another fool that underestimated you." The man said with his stoic face still up. "I sure did not expect this to happen."
"I am not buying that. You probably had something planned in case this happened." Rikuo sharpened his senses, trying to feel if someone was nearby. However, he could not sense anyone. "So, is this how you repay my clan for saving you?"
"You really think I needed saving?"
"I guess not, but a thanks would have been in order. So, just what the hell are you planning, Masato-dono?"
"Hmph, I have no reason to talk to you about our goals." He said, resting both hands on his cane. His calmness was disturbing. "I am your enemy and you are my enemy so you should just try using that sword."
"I'd prefer to at least know why you are doing this." Rikuo stayed resilient.
"We do it for the greater good of humanity, of course."
"Quite interesting, seeing as you have sacrificed a good number of humans last night."
"Sacrifices have to be made."
"And the youkai? What about them?"
"Youkai are nothing but human delusion given form and that makes them below the humans." Masato continued, his face still stoic. "As all delusions, they have to be destroyed in order for the world to advance and for the pure to take the reins."
"Really, your beliefs are as disgusting as you yourself are." Rikuo pointed his sword at him. "I don't like killing humans, but you will be one of the exceptions." And after saying that, Rikuo jumped at him, intending to slash him.
And Masato raised his cane… and stopped his attack.
"What…" Rikuo's eyes widened. "This is…"
It was a shining Heptagram… the same one that Abe no Seimei and some members of House Gokadoin used, although it was not as strong.
"You are a Gokadoin?" Rikuo asked after jumping backwards. He knew well enough how dangerous such Heptagrams were and standing too close to that seven-pointed star would not have been a good idea.
"Close. This is actually Tsuchimikado-Shinto, a weaker but more flexible version of Seimei's technique."
"Tsuchimikado? But that's impossible." They were the descendants of Abe no Seimei, but through adoption. They were the most powerful Onmyouji house for a long time, until they lost their ability to use Onmyoudo during the Meiji Era. "No wait… you couldn't be."
"Yes, I indeed am!" Masato hit the floor with his cane, and the Owl Shikigami appeared beside him. However, Rikuo's senses told him that this Owl was far more dangerous. "The Onieda family are the descendants of the Hirata branch of House Tsuchimikado. You Nuras nicely cleaned my entire House, but failed to realize that another member was born.. you failed to notice my own father. And in honor of Emperor Meiji, he started our plans anew… but without certain redundant elements."
"Tsuchimikado-Hirata… that explains everything." Rikuo's grasp on his sword strengthened. The Tsuchimikado-Hirata, also known as the Himawari (Sunflowers) were a dangerous enemy, from what Rikuo had heard at least.
The Hiratas were a branch of the Tsuchimikado family that researched the very nature of youkai… and caused certain things that made the main family expel them. However, they survived to the Meiji Era and, under orders of Emperor Meiji, somehow cursed the entire Tsuchimikado House to lose their ability to use Onmyoudo.
After Meiji's death, they became a major faction in Japan and continued their experiments, intending to use them so that Japan could take over the world. But at the end of the World War Two, the Nura Clan managed to destroy them… or so they thought.
But now Rikuo found out that they survived and continued with what they were doing. It seemed as if the Shin Sekai was, at the end of the day, nothing else but the continuation of Emperor Meiji's darkest ambitions.
"Tz, can't believe that I am still not done with Seimei's descendants." Rikuo commented. "Can you guys never be nice?"
"You indeed are not done with us, youkai trash." A voice said from above. Rikuo raised his head and saw another one of those black demons, but this one was shaped as a serpentine dragon. On him, three Onmyouji stood. "The Gokadoin House is still not done with you." One of them said. He had orange hair, wore black Onmyouji clothes and looked as if he were in his early thirties. His face shone with disdain.
"Gokadoin Akihito…" Rikuo recognized this man. Alongside the more tolerant Gokadoin Kashaimaru, Akihito was a candidate for the new head of the Gokadoin House. But unlike Kashaimaru who wanted to protect both the human and youkai world, Akihito wanted to make the Gokadoin follow more extreme methods in extermination of youkai. Rikuo already knew he was on good terms with the Shin Sekai, but hoped he would not find him here. One does not become a candidate for leadership of the Gokadoin unless he was highly skilled.
Before Rikuo could say anything else, the other two Onmyouji jumped down. One of them landed behind Rikuo and punched him with such a force that he broke into the helicopter's rubble. The other Onmyouji landed beside him and Rikuo immediately rolled away, successfully evading his halberd's attack.
But then he felt a strong spiritual energy hit into him, causing extreme pain. "I am actually surprised you are still standing." Masato commented once Rikuo managed to not lose his footing.
Rikuo did not look at him, but at the other two Onmyouji. One was a young woman with glasses and black hair, wearing a black yukata. She was the one who punched him. The other one was dark-skinned, wore white Onmyouji clothes and held a halberd.
"Let me formally introduce them to you." Masato spoke. "The fair lady is Keikain Akira, the Fourth Pillar of the Shin Sekai. Her genius has brought us much good. The one accompanying her is her cousin, Kazuma."
Rikuo recognized these two rogue Keikains. Akira was the daughter of Keikain Haigo, who was killed by Hagoromo Gitsune, and Kazuma was the son of Keikain Goura who was killed by Kyokotsu. Many Keikains were disappointed in Yura's tolerance for youkai and the Kyoto Youkai in general, but these two were the most extreme ones. They wanted to make the Kyoto Youkai pay for what they did to their parents and relatives, but since Yura did not want to give them a chance, they left the Keikain House when they reached adulthood and pursued their own goals. So this is where they went.
"And the gentleman above you is Gokadoin Akihito, the First Pillar of the Shin Sekai."
"And I am the Sixth Pillar, just in case you forgot." LeX seemed to have found his ways back to the rooftop, but the aura around him was more dangerous than before. It was obvious that he went easy on Rikuo a while ago.
"Let get this shit over with." Gokadoin Akihito said and put his hands together, another Heptagram appearing above him. "Nura Rikuo, you will make a fine slave in our army." The Heptagram rose until it covered the entire sky. Then it shone and disappeared, leaving behind a score of flying youkai… all of which seemed to have been turned into slaves, similar to those Familiars that the Shin Sekai produced.
The situation seemed horrible… and if his comrades came, it would get worse as there was no way for them to win this with such numbers and with their leader being in his human form, weakened by the barrier to boot. He could only pray that his comrades did not come to help.
Masato hit the floor with his cane again and a Heptagram appeared beneath Rikuo. Before he could even move his leg, he felt himself being thrown into the air. That's right, Abe, Gokadoin and Tsuchimikado specialized in gravity techniques amongst many others. Rikuo felt the enslaved youkai fly towards him, intending to attack him. And once they were done with him, his five enemies from below would finish him off.
"Hey, something is coming this way!" Akura shouted and pointed in direction behind Rikuo. Everyone, including Rikuo, looked at it.
To his relief, it was not one of his subordinates… but a military plane. The plane fired missiles and the four Onmyouji created barriers to protect themselves. LeX jumped from the building while Rikuo could only watch and hope that this person was an ally.
The missiles hit each floor of the building, especially the rooftop. The explosions created a smokescreen which could be used by Rikuo to hide himself. Of course, the youkai continued attacking and why would they not: he could hardly move from where he was.
Well there was a way to move: he kicked the youkai the moment he got close to him and pushed himself into the direction of the plane. The loud noise made it clear that the plane got close and Rikuo made another risky gambit: he tried catching the plane's wing... and he succeeded.
"Stop him before he flees" Akihito ordered, but by the time has finished his sentence, the plane was already too far away from them.
The plane made an L turn and flew away, but Rikuo did not immediately check who came to save him. Instead, he took his Smartphone and sent the message to his comrades: "RETREAT! WE ARE RETURNING TO JAPAN!"
After the message was sent, he turned around and looked toward the building. The Shin Sekai's members did not go after him.
Rikuo left out a sigh of relief and noticed that the hatch opened. He jumped in and was surprised to see who came to his rescue. "Dower-san?"
"Why do all of you Japanese call me Dower-san?" The man said as he controlled the plane. "I am Dower! Michael Dower McRein!"
"And an Ace Pilot, eh?"
"Ha, a man must have a hobby. I never expected I would steal a military plane though, but here I am! God must be on your side boy, I only came here thinking you may need something blown up."
"I take it one of my subordinates told you where I was going?" Rikuo guessed and Dower nodded. "Anyway, what is with the cowboy outfit?" Rikuo asked, noticing that Dower wore a white hat, an expensive white cowboy-like suit and a revolver on his belt.
"Damn it Jap, if you can dress as a Samurai and swing your sword around, I sure can dress as a cowboy and fire my revolver around!"
Both of them laughed at the comment.
"Anyway, I hope you found what you were looking for. What do you intend to do now?"
"It is time for me to go home."
I-I-I-I-I
Author Notes:
- And here is the final chapter of the "Sunny Saturday" arc and the final chapter of the "Rikuo in the USA" subplot! Sorry for the delay, I had an exam :(
- Rikuo, Zen and Shouei seem to have a special relationship. Shouei did not exchange sakazuki with Rikuo during the story, but I am sure he would eventually and when he did, just like with Zen it would have been a 50:50 exchange
- We find out more about the origins of the Shin Sekai as well as the Onieda family. I am sure none of you expected Meiji to play a role, but he does! And indeed, Rikuo inherited another enemy from his dad :P
- Unlike the Keikain and the Gokadoin, Tsuchimikado House actually exists. It is surprising that Hiroshi didn't use them, especially since they were descendants of Abe no Seimei through adoption. After I researched them a bit, I just had to make Oniedas related to them… I don't know why I had to, but I had to!
- Gokadoin Akihito may have been introduced now, but this actually ain't the first time you heard about him: Kashaimaru mentioned him a few times
- Freely think of the Seven Pillars of the Shin Sekai as your common Shounen Villain Group. I wonder who else is amongst them… ;P
- Originally, I planned to make the two Keikains kids of the two cousins that died off-screen but were dear to Yura. However, we know Haigo and Goura better so it would be easier to develop plausible techniques for these two... and used better than by their ancestors ;P
- Those who read Illegal Rare no doubt noticed the references to that Manga. Many characters from NuraMago have lookalikes in IR, and some like Gitsune's lookalike are the very opposite of what they were in NuraMago. As such, LeX is the opposite of AxL and even has a Mermaid friend ;P Hunters like those in IR also seem to exist in NuraMago-verse, as hinted by chapter 210.3 where we have a man who sells various items and such taken from youkai, all gathered by the so-called Dark Hunters
- Yes, I DID have to make Dower ride a military plane while dressed as a cowboy. Nothing you guys say will dissuade me from thinking it was a fun decision!
Omakes and Replies:
Citsimsan: "Shiori and Rihan are made for each other, that's for sure. So now she considers him her boyfriend? Ok, Batman was dating Catwoman, but she was never above the "classy burglar" level. What will Rihan do with a villain so powerful?"
Shiori: "We will swear to be together forever and ever. Then we shall take over the youkai world and rule over it as its Demonic Overlord and Overlady, all while filling it with fun people ^_^"
Rihan Jr.: "No ಠ_ಠ"
Shiori: "Tsundere ಠ_ಠ"
Citsimsan: "Those poor Urban Legends need protection! Or maybe sex. Reproduction is needed, you creepy guys and gals! Learn from those Nurarihyons, tengus, tanukis, kitsunes and Yuki-onnas!"
Kashima Reiko: "Thank you for reminding me that I lack stuff ಠ_ಠ Watch yourself…"
Citsimsan: "Yep, it was curious that Rihan was leaning to the Yuki-onna side of his family when he was younger. Maybe Yuki-onnas are more family-friendly, while Nurarihyon's powers are more hardcore, ideal for rebellious teenagers? ;)"
More on Rihan Jr.'s forms later in the arc ;)
Shiori: "Yeah, I have read the alpha script! It will be fun!"
Please stop stealing my scripts...
Citsimsan: "I have only one question: how did Shiori know of Shomen Kongo? I mean, it seems that most people in Nuramago ignore that he's not another deity, but a Big Bad manipulating people from afar."
Shiori: "The monkeys always blabbered abut some Koshin. I simply followed the trail from there ;P"
Guest: "Oh man I love this. I was wondering if Shiori and Rihan were going to duke it out. I was expecting a scene skip and where rihan was just unconscious. Now I'm wondering is Rihan going to take control or expell his Maou's Fear? Got to wonder. I can several epic one on one battles happening. Ryuzan vs Kashaimaru, Yashagoro vs Sakura, oh man possibilities are endless!"
Shiori: "They all seem fun… more fun than my boyfriend's lame battle against me. It would probably have been for better if he just woke up unconscious ಠ_ಠ"
Rihan Jr.: "I have been going easy on you! And stop calling me that! ಠ_ಠ"
Shiori: "And the result is an unimpressed girlfriend ಠ_ಠ"
Rihan Jr.: "Stop calling yourself that! And why are we using these emoticons anyway?! ಠ_ಠ"
Shiori: "To represent the growing sexual tension ಠ_ಠ"
Rihan Jr.: "Ugh, why did I even ask? -_-; Anyway, I will show you all what I am capable of later in the arc! Nayrael himself assured me that!"
Shiori: "Badass Riha-chan… mmmmm... ^_^"
Rihan Jr.: "Please stop that…"
Ritsura: "You will also see just what I am capable off as well! ^_^"
Ryuzan: "Indeed! And we have even developed a new technique BD"
Rihan Jr.: "What are you two doing here?"
Zen: "Me too! I am not going to just be sitting around and doing nothing for much longer!"
Shiori: "Good, making that pois... I mean medicine cost me a fortune to make!"
Gyuki in his best black suit and wearing sunglasses: "Guys, let us not forget who will be the star of the following arc."
Ritsura: "That outfit really doesn't fit your character..."
Gozumaru and Mezumaru: "We can't wait to see you shining, Gyuki-sama! *o*"
Kashaimaru: "Sounds fun, maybe I too shall make an appearance and steal all the girls!"
Ryuzan: "I will kill you if you do that."
Kashaimaru: "What? Come or steal the girls?"
Ryuzan: "What about both?"
Nayrael: "FFS STOP SPOILING THE PLOT!"
Guest: "Hello is Nura Rikuo here? I have an exclusive on his son rihan and his mystery lover. This top rate news this has to be known to the parents!"
Rikuo: "Yes, Nura Rikuo is here. What do you need to tell me about my son… wait he has a lover?!"
Voice over the telephone: "Yes, you see he amhmmhjmmmh!"
Rikuo: "Huh? Is something going on? Hello?"
Rihan Jr.: "Nothing dad, just one of my friends from school trying to joke around."
Rikuo: "Wait, you have a-"
Rihan Jr.: "Sorry dad, gotta go!"
Rihan Jr.: "Okay now, just what am I going to do with this snitch…"
Silvia: "Ha, I could easily predict Rihan would lose and lose quickly and even THEN the way he lost made me so disappointed in him...I prefer not to shame him more."
Shiori: "I know, right? It was like SO anticlimactic… sigh, I guess I will have to find a way to make him stronger… maybe going to the gym would help…"
Nayrael: "Like you would plan something as easy as a gym treatment…"
Shiori: "Now now, let us not spoil too much…"
WhiteWings (ch4): "All the characters are so nice and well-written! Are you a professional author? You do seem to be one! I love this story! It's the awesomest story ever written in FF!"
No no, I am just an amateur ^_^; But I am glad you enjoy this story so much! And thank you for all the reviews and I hope you continue reviewing! Nothing makes me as happy as reading reviews ^o^