Discord: /CGen5YA
Chapter Sixteen
Daichi's fingers traced the signs associated with the basic Youjutsu spell Fire Bolt, a flame the size of a golf ball spawned before him. He fed a bit more mana into the creation, its size ballooned to that of a softball before he pointed at his distant target and sent it down range. Mina was opposite him, working on her shielding spells to resist his attacks, her Youjutsu foundation already further along thanks to her parents' prior education. Nekoshou were naturally gifted in both Youjutsu and Senjutsu, so while he was considered a quick study of both systems, he viewed it as almost unfair how fast Mina was able to pick up and master new spells.
She was absorbing Yasaka's teachings like a sponge, though her motivation for learning also stemmed from her initial conversation with Yasaka. His mentor had filled him in the day after he had brought her back, calling him into her office that morning while Kunou and Mina were both still sleeping.
"Daichi, we need to talk."
"I assumed as much considering you asked me to meet you in your study."
"Smart aleck." He gave her a grin in response as she shook her head with a smile. "She told me everything about what happened to her. Her species is almost extinct, something has been hunting them down for the past few years." Daichi's ears flicked as a tail lazily waved in her direction.
"The Devils." He supplied.
"Yes. We haven't had proof until now, but even with the testimony of a survivor, she's still only a child." Yasaka was silent for a moment. "She hates them, Daichi. It's a burning, festering hatred. It'll devour her if she can't come to terms with it."
"I see. She needs a direction to channel it constructively until it can be resolved."
"Yes. I've already agreed to teach her alongside you and Kunou." Daichi nodded, having expected this decision. "Still…" Yasaka sighed. "It's the first solid lead we have, so I've come to ask you a favor."
"You want me to call Sera and ask if it's the entirety of the Devil's or one faction committing genocide."
Yasaka lowered her head slightly, eyes closed.
"Please. It would mean a lot to me and the other Yokai leadership to know if we have a path of recourse to avenge this insult to our people."
Daichi didn't even hesitate, pulling out his phone and speed dialing Sera.
"Hey, Sera."
"Dai-tan? What's up? Our normal call time isn't until this evening, not that I'm complaining."
"Sorry, Sera. I'm calling on business this time, though it is nice to hear your voice."
"Flatterer. You don't need to butter me up, you know I'd do almost anything for you."
"Even selling out one of the pillar families who have been committing a hidden genocidal campaign against the Nekoshou Yokai of Japan?"
The line was silent for a moment, no doubt as Sera fully processed the bomb he dropped in her lap and went over the implications. He suddenly heard the phone be set down followed by swearing as papers rustled and drawers were opened and closed.
"One sec, Dai-tan."
"Of course, Sera."
The rustling continued for a few moments until it suddenly ceased.
"Found it." She was silent for a moment as she read over whatever she had been searching for. "Those fucking morons! I fucking swear, I'll gut them myself if they don't get wiped out by the fucking Yokai before I get my hands on them!"
"Uhhh… Sera? You okay?"
"No! Those idiots! They could have started a damned war!"
"Sooooo, is that a yes?"
"Yes! I'll serve those dumbasses up on a silver platter to you and the Yokai leaders! The Satans have a standing order to avoid anything that could cause external faction conflict outside of the normal scuffling we do within our own three factions. They hung themselves by getting caught like IDIOTS!"
"Ah. Well, thanks, Sera. I owe you one."
"No, I think I probably owe you for this one. Letting me get out in front of this is doing me a huge favor. Thank you, Daichi."
"No problem. We can cuddle in my fox form next time I see you, that way we both win."
"Deal!" The sound of shifting paper picked back up but stopped soon after, Sera falling into silence for a moment. "The family is Naberius. One of their scions was killed by a servant bishop that happened to be a Nekoshou. She's currently marked as an S rank criminal, Kuroka. We don't have any formal proof of their activities, but if you give me some time, I bet I can find it. We've been monitoring their house ever since the incident. There's been a lot of suspicious movement and activity coming in and out of their household for a while, but we never launched a formal investigation. Consider it a gesture of goodwill from the Devils to the Yokai."
He raised an eyebrow in Yasaka's direction, her ears facing forward to listen in on the conversation. A thoughtful look crossed her face before she shook her head in denial.
"Nah, I think we can handle it now that we have a name. No need to create even more of a political nightmare for you than this will eventually become. You might want to give Sirzechs, Ajuka, and Falbium a call to let them know. Thanks, Sera, Yasaka is grateful for the help, but so am I. I appreciate it."
"I'll call them right after this. This is nothing, Daichi. Knowing you and the Yokai, you would have all figured it out without my help. It's not like this was a secret. Like I said, you're actually saving me a bunch of trouble. Losing a pillar family is going to be a nasty blow but I would much rather be on friendly terms with the entirety of the Yokai than shield a bunch of insubordinate traitors to our faction." Yasaka gave a small, mysterious smile to match Daichi's smirk.
"That makes sense. I think we both have some business to take care of now, so I'll call you later, normal time."
"You're right. Alright, Dai-tan! Talk to you soon!"
"Bye, Sera." They both hung up, Daichi turning his attention back to Yasaka as the screen faded.
"So. The Naberius family." Yasaka nodded, smile fading as a serious look of contemplation reached her eyes.
"Unfortunately, we won't be able to take the fight directly to their doorstep. Our defensive forces are substantial, but we're not built for aggressive maneuvers against other factions, especially one based in a separate dimension." Daichi gave a nod of understanding.
"We should tell Mira about this. She deserves to know. We should also look into finding and sheltering any hidden surviving Nekoshou, this Kuroka included." Yasaka shook her head in frustration.
"That's much easier said than done." Daichi hummed in agreement. "We've had some in protective custody for a while, hidden away once we realized, but the Naberius were truly insidious. They worked quickly, many of the Nekoshou, an already rare subspecies, were slain before we could even react. This Kuroka…" Yasaka stroked one of her tails perched atop her lap. "She would be an incredible windfall to support our cause. Having a source with inside knowledge of the Naberius family would be equally as important." Daichi gave her an expectant look, a big grin slowly stretching across his face.
"This sounds like a bounty contract. Is this a bounty contract? Are you hiring me for a bounty?!" Yasaka giggled at his energy.
"Yes. I'm hiring you. Officially hiring you, this time. I'll have a contract drafted and ready for you to look over and sign this evening." Daichi's tails went into a frenzy of weaving as he bounced in place in excitement. "This won't be an exclusive contract though. I'll be instructing my normal forces and resources to be on the lookout for her as well."
"No, I understand. I'll be the one to succeed though. I do have a question before I leave to wake up Mira and Kunou for our morning training."
"Go ahead, you should know by now that I trust you and your judgement." He gave her a genuine smile. "…most of the time." He rolled his eyes in mock irritation as she tittered behind her hand.
"Do the Yokai have enough ultimate class combatants to handle the Naberius leadership?" Yasaka's normally affable smile gained a sharp, predatory edge to it.
"Yes. They are but a single family. No matter their size or strength, a single family could never hope to match an entire united country. The moment their name was provided, their family was handed a death sentence." Yasaka picked up a report sitting atop her desk, skimming its contents as she continued speaking. "It is simply a matter of time. Our shadow corps will be moving to sanction and slay every known asset they have cultivated in the mortal realm likely within the next hour after you leave this room. The Northern leader has, in particular, been frustrated by these events. He will no doubt be ruthlessly efficient in removing their presence from the world."
"And their home in Hell?"
Yasaka frowned.
"Like I said, we will be unable to directly attack them on their home turf, at least without some kind of outside assistance. I do not wish to rely on the goodwill of the Devils in annihilating one of their previously allied members."
"So, we'll need preparation and an opening."
"In short, yes. Preparation would be simple. Mobilizing the shadows only takes the joint confirmation of three of the four leaders, and we will be unanimously in agreement in regards to this. Why? Do you think you can provide this opening?" Daichi hesitated, taking a few moments to think.
"Maybe. I don't want to promise anything and it will rely on finding Kuroka first, so it may take some time. Maybe even years to move all the pieces into place."
"I understand." Yasaka nodded. "Keep me updated. We have time, so there's no need to rush into making hasty, sloppy actions. Even if years pass, the Yokai will not forgive nor forget this transgression." Daichi gave an anticipatory smile.
"I'll get to work on finding some leads then. Assisting in the annihilation of a Devil Pillar family would boost my power substantially."
"I believe the more aggressive human militaries have a saying…" Yasaka hummed in thought for a moment. "It's a target rich environment. Is that correct?"
Daichi laughed, a full laugh from the base of his belly.
"Yes, that's exactly it. For a Zenko, you're constantly surprising me."
"One day, you'll come to find that being a leader requires some compromises to be made for the betterment of your people. I vastly prefer a lighter touch, but even a benevolent person has a bottom line."
"True. I'll go and wake Kunou and Mina now. This was an enlightening conversation."
"Thank you, Daichi. After breakfast, all of you start with sign practice, I'll be along after I finish making a few calls and wrap up some business."
"Of course. Do you want me to have the chefs send a plate for you?"
"That would be lovely." She gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you." He waved it off.
"See you in a little bit, Sensei."
As they wrapped up their morning training, Daichi sat Mina down, Yasaka sending Kunou off to wash up before lunch so the three of them could have a bit of privacy.
"Kitty cat, we found the Devils who killed your parents." Daichi hopped in with no preamble. There was nothing to say beforehand that would soften the blow of this kind of information. Mina visibly stiffened, her mind turning over his words, completely ignoring his pet name in the process. Her ears went flat, pinned back as her tail flicked back and forth in agitation. Her next word was growled out.
"Who?"
"It's one of the pillar families. Naberius." Another freeze frame passed over her, all movement ceasing for a moment until all at once she seemed to crumple into herself, tail drooping along with her ears as tears flowed freely.
"So, there's nothing I can do." Yasaka and Daichi exchanged a glance. These were the moments that would make or break her.
"Not exactly." Daichi hedged, Mina looking up at him with a desperate hope. "While it's true neither you nor the Yokai as a whole can reach them in Hell, telling your story to the other regional leaders will help persuade them to take action. You're the proof they need, along with other evidence already collected, to raze their mortal operations to the ground. After that, it's a waiting game. We'll need assistance and a solid plan of attack to secure a path into Hell which will take time." He reached forward to gently pry open Mina's clenched fists. "You need to be patient until then. As my student, this is my first real lesson for you. Patience is the essence of the hunt. Without patience, you will fail to bring down your prey every single time." Mina repeated his words under her breath a few times as if it was a mantra.
"I understand." She gave his hands a squeeze, steely resolve settling into her eyes. "I will be patient. Revenge is best served cold after all, right?" He smiled approvingly.
"Exactly." He pulled her to her feet. "Now go wash up. We'll eat lunch, then I'll give you your physical training and Senjutsu exercises for this afternoon. I have some research I need to take care of, so I won't be able to stay."
"I want to help."
"You can help when you can last against me in a fight for over a minute."
Mina pouted, a subtle whining lilt to her voice as she objected.
"That's going to take forever!"
"Well, the faster you get stronger, the sooner you can join me with work duties." Mina huffed in discontent but let it go.
"Fine. I understand."
"Good kitty."
Mina rounded on him, face red in anger and embarrassment.
"Don't call me that!" Daichi put on his best innocent expression as he cocked his head.
"Okay, Kitten."
Mina sputtered, claws flexing as she glared at him but straightened and turned with a huff, stalking to the doors. Daichi watched on with an approving smile.
"Gooooooood. Goooooooood." Yasaka shot him an exasperated look.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into watching those movies. All these references are ridiculous."
"You know you love it. You weren't complaining when Palpatine tempted Anakin into murdering Count Dooku in cold blood. If I recall correctly, the exact words out of your mouth started with a gasp, then 'No! Don't do it, Ani!'." Yasaka blushed a deep red as Daichi gave her his signature shit eating grin.
"You really are like a miniature Sith Lord, aren't you? Malicious little fox."
Daichi sinisterly chuckled. He had been practicing, so it wasn't half bad.
"Don't worry. Unlike Anakin I won't lose myself to the Dark Side and hurt the ones I love." Yasaka gave him a fond smile as they walked through the corridors.
"Yes. Cruelty to your enemies is benevolence to the self. You would never allow anything to hurt what you care for, even yourself. That's why you push so hard, isn't it?" Yasaka's expression was warm, forcing him to look away.
"You're way too good at that."
She reached over and stroked the hair around his ears gently.
"It comes with experience, but you should know that you are not your own enemy."
"I know. It's why I embrace who I am so wholeheartedly. I may someday be an evil bastard in the eyes of some, but if, at the end, I kept what is mine safe and happy, then it'll be worth it."
"Your possessiveness is endearing when you're being so serious."
"Somebody has to be possessive around here, with how selfless you and Kunou are by nature."
"Of course," she stated still stroking his ears. "You are our Dark Prince for a reason, after all."
Daichi facepalmed with a groan, a mischievous smile on Yasaka's lips.
"What is it with supernatural and run-down warehouses?" Daichi muttered. His earlier research was finding and accessing the Devil's standing bounty board through the internet. The discussion about Kuroka had reminded him that all stray Devils were marked as publicly available contracts, something that Sera had mentioned some time ago when he had first brought up his future plans. While they were normally handled by other Devils who took them for the status and reputation points intrinsic to their system, contracts could be taken on by outsiders for an alternative monetary reward, though it would also serve as another point of proof for Daichi's resumé, displaying his ability to successfully accept and execute contracted bounty work, even if it was only publicly available work.
He was currently in Nantan, a small town northwest of Kyoto city proper. He had taken the time to run, making the trip in his true form in order to stretch his legs in his largest possible frame, a Youjutsu illusion hiding him from even supernatural prying eyes. He had made what was normally around an hour-long drive in forty-five minutes, bounding through the countryside on crimson paws, Senjutsu keeping his presence and tracks nonexistent.
His target had previously been a rook, and Daichi was looking forward to a more straightforward brawl than the Kijo had given him. While hunting had its own pleasures, true combat was where he made the greatest gains in power. He had already surveyed the area as part of his afternoon and evening activities, and now that night had fallen, Daichi was preparing to execute his attack. Daichi whipped out his phone, shooting a text to Yasaka to let her know he was about to begin his work, then began muttering under his breath as a finger scrawled Youjutsu symbols into the air.
"The symbol for fire, a symbol for air, a symbol for pressure, a symbol for impact, pump it full of mana…" The fire within the pressurized sphere of air rapidly changed colors from red to orange to yellow to white. Daichi continued pushing mana into the construct for a few more seconds then flicked it away. He never would have performed an attack such as this had the area been more populated, however the warehouse was set on the outskirts of the town, so he felt no real compunction about blowing it up. Plus, explosions were cool.
He was practically purring as the Youjutsu fire bomb crashed through a window and immediately combusted. Daichi wore the biggest Cheshire grin stretched across his face, Touki bracing and shielding him from the shockwave and noise as the explosion leveled the building, sending debris flying along with a small mushroom cloud up into the night sky. A pain filled roar soon followed, a hulking brute of a malformed bear-devil hybrid creature lumbering out of the scorched remains of the building.
Its fur was completely reduced to ash in most places, burns coating its skin, what was left of its human body completely coated in raw, red welts.
"You! Will! Die!" It roared, shouted, and hissed all at once, but Daichi wasn't one to let openings remain so. Fight banter could be fun, but only when a win was already guaranteed, otherwise it was kill first, then gloat over the enemy's corpse. Monologuing was for egomaniacs and idiots. A pearl green bolt of Senjutsu energy formed in his hands, both immediately being flung into the bear-thing's face prompting another screech of pain as they blew craters into its flesh. His attack signaled the beginning of their fight, the brute barreling forward towards him.
It was an easy thing for Daichi to evade, his speed far superior as the bear's paw crashed onto his previous position. Daichi surveyed the damage to the ground, a crater large enough to hold a medium sized pool remaining after the impact. Daichi frowned, a thoughtful hum escaping him.
"That would be painful. I don't want to break anything." Crimson Touki coated his body as the monster turned, taking a more measured approach, though Daichi chose to punish the decision with a few more bolts of Senjutsu, the bear half tanking the blasts to its meaty shoulders. Daichi tisked in irritation, exploding forward into melee range, his dark red aura flaring around his fist as he hammered two explosive attacks against the softer areas around the second head's throat, dashing out immediately to avoid the counter-swipe of a paw.
Daichi circled quickly, darting in and slamming home punches and kicks to the undefended sides of the massive creature before retreating. Though Daichi could feel he was doing damage, it was also not accumulating quickly enough to truly hinder his prey. He changed tactics, claws extending, a razor-sharp edge of Touki reinforcing them. He continued his assault, his own claws gouging out and rending flesh faster than the roaring beast could react.
He scraped the meat from its ribs, red, blood-drenched bone showing through. The joint of one of the hind legs became visible. Deep furrows drenched the inflamed skin an even deeper shade of red, yet through all this the beast showed no signs of weariness or exhaustion, attacking and counter attacking for each of Daichi's assaults though finding only air.
Daichi growled in frustration. Rooks truly earned their reputation in strength and defensive ability. He paced back and forth as he thought over a new plan of attack, his enemy taking the brief moment of respite to recover and prepare. If nothing changed it was obvious the fight would become a battle of attrition, and neither side desired such a thing, the explosion likely alerting all manner of mundane and supernatural eyes. Daichi flicked blood and viscera from his fingers and claws, spraying the ground beside him.
His eyes roamed over his opponent. The Senjutsu blasts had done the most damage per hit after his fire bomb. He could blast the beast down from range, but that would ultimately be immensely unsatisfying. His gaze slowly traveled to the creature's back where a humanoid face pressed out between the shoulder blades and lowered neck of the monstrosity. It was in a rather difficult position, but was undoubtedly the critical weak point of this monster. If he could maneuver his way past the claws and teeth, he would be able to end this fight in a single blow. It was a massive risk, yet he couldn't allow the fight to drag on much longer. He was beginning to regret going so loud at the start of this fight.
Daichi dropped into a runner's stance, feet pressing into the dirt to create makeshift footholds for starting blocks. He watched as the stray Devil seemed to ready itself for his impending attack. A moment passed as Daichi scrawled a few quick symbols into the dirt, then appeared to burst forward. The Devil reacted, claws and teeth crashing down onto his body the moment he entered its range, only for the attacks to phase through the illusion. The true Daichi appeared barely a blink later, feet planted firmly atop the shoulders of the ravaged monster. Crimson claws, drenched in both Touki and blood, slammed down into the screeching face, slicing through the skull like tofu.
The scene seemed to momentarily freeze as all sound from the stray Devil ceased, the only things to be heard being Daichi's labored breathing and the crackling of fire. Its size played a role in the next moments, the mass of the creature holding it up for precious seconds before it began toppling to the earth. Daichi pulled his hand from the destroyed visage, flinging more blood from his natural weapons as he hopped from atop the corpse.
He took a second to steady his breathing as he glared at the corpse. He had to dispose of the damn thing now. Rias had it so easy with her Power of Destruction. Daichi quickly scrawled out the symbol for fire, massively overcharging it with mana before dropping it onto the body. The almost plasma like heat quickly vaporized the now defenseless corpse, the chess piece remaining within already inert, the supernatural nature of the crystal it was crafted from keeping it intact despite the magic powering it already having dissipated as its host died.
Daichi glanced around, extending his senses and Senjustu out into the surroundings. He was still alone, though from what he could hear, that wouldn't last long. Sirens were rapidly approaching, and while they were being very careful, he could hear and sense the rustling approach of the less mundane members of the area. With a crimson coated hand, Daichi reached into the charred area and plucked the proof of his conquest from the smoldering ground.
Daichi slipped his way into the tree line, his humanoid outline fading into shadows. A few quick symbols later and he completely vanished, though if anyone had been close enough, they might have seen the glint of a pair of eyes as the fading shimmer of an outline of a large beast dashed away from the area.
A/N:
Yukilumi – You always give thoughtful feedback on chapters. It makes it easy to respond. I have an idea of where I want to take Mina, but we'll see as the story unfolds if I can execute it properly.
Ragnas Bredvolts – I'll be exploring more Yokai, no worries. Story spoilers are a no-no, so you're just going to have to wait lol I've already have a few plans for the things you've mentioned so look forward to the content once we get there.
Tokitakun – His very presence is going to topple canon's tower so fast and hard it'll make a Jenga tower look like a pleasant occurrence. His influence on Rossweisse, Sera, and Gabriel have already sent butterflies snowballing.
Yami-Guy – I'm glad you've enjoyed it so far! Thanks for reading!
