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Baggage thrown over his shoulder and a bamboo straw hat on his head tilted a little to the side, a lonesome figure stood still for a minute to feel the icy, cold wind biting against his skin. It was an arduous journey since it was still snowing hard, but this wasn't enough to stop him.

The coldness that he was feeling on his skin was nothing compared to the bitter coldness and desolation in his heart. He was worried for Otome, especially when she was such a vulnerable and kindhearted youkai. Anybody could take advantage of her. Because of this, he grew even more anxious.

Where was she staying at? Was she alright?

Jaw set in grim determination, he took a few steps forward and continued heading to his next destination. But this time, it was Niigata. It has already been five months since his wife had left him, but it felt like eternity to him. His heart was aching for her every second, every minute and every day.

He felt utterly useless and incomplete without her by his side. On the day when she left him, not only did she take her necessities with her, she took his heart too. Lifeless and lost, the vibrant colors in his life faded to a dull grey. Was there any meaning in his life without Otome by his side?

His subordinates weren't helping him either. Kubinashi, Kejoro, Kurotabo, Aotabo and the rest managed to catch up with him once. They tried to persuade him to return to the main house, but he wasn't listening to their words. If they were trying to make him gave up on finding Otome, well, they were going to find themselves terribly disappointed.

He vanished once again without a trace in front of them, hoping that they would leave him alone.

On nights when he couldn't find her in the village, he would drown himself in sake at a tea house. Courtesans would flock around him and try to entertain him seductively. However, he was in no mood to flirt with them.

"Leave the room." These were the only words that he would say, but the harshness in his tone sent the girls scattering out of the room hurriedly. Once alone, he would chug down the sake and gaze at the moon for a long time before collapsing on the floor and falling into a restless sleep.

The next morning, he was gone. He would leave the village and head to the next one in hopes of finding his dear Otome once again.

He wasn't planning on giving up until he finally managed to find her. Even if it meant searching every corner of the world.

"W-who are you people?"

The one who had just spoken was the only brave youkai among the group. They were just a bunch of youkai who have gathered together to live in a small hidden village. The rest of the youkai were cowering and trembling in fear because of the tremendous youkai aura that was radiating off her body.

Silky and long coal-black hair fluttering in the wind, she stood tall, fierce and magnificent in front of her audience. She stared down at the short, insignificant youkai who had asked her a question. Her followers stood behind her, ready to slaughter anybody who would dare to attack their commander.

She was extremely gorgeous. Both male humans and youkai lusted after her and was unable to resist her bidding. Her beauty hypnotized people and she was able to make great use of them. At the same time, she was a powerful youkai that made others fear or admire her. So far, she hasn't met anybody who was stronger than her yet.

She was quite sure that she was undefeatable. Unless...she met someone who was her equal.

Her dazzling scarlet eyes scanned through the group slowly. After a moment, she spoke in a low and sharp voice that captured everyone's mind in her control.

"I'm looking for someone by the name of 'Kino'. Where is he?" She demanded in a low and glacial voice.

They shrank back in fear and shook their heads. None of them has seen the person that she was looking for. Yuya, a Yuki-Onna who was one of her loyal subordinates, stepped forward and scowled in irritation at them.

"How could none of you have seen him!? How dare you show such rude manners in front of our Reika-sama! You better spill his whereabouts before I slaughter every single one of you!" Stretching out her arms, ice shards formed in the air inches from her pale fingers as she aimed it at the insignificant beings in front of her. Their faces turned frightened and they dropped down to their knees to beg for mercy.

"Yuya, it's okay. Stand down," Reika commanded, gesturing for her to stop. Yuya's threatening expression changed instantly and she smiled at her. Obeying her Lady's commands, she held back her powers and took a step back.

Reika looked past the group and glanced at the depths of the dark forest. "Come out. Now." Her voice rang out loud and clear.

An assassin-like youkai soon emerged from the shadows of the tall trees, his completely black attire was what concealed him among the trees from their eyes. He carried a double ninja sword on his back and a mask covered his face except his dark blue eyes. His long, black hair fell past his shoulders. She could hear Yuya trying to control her squeals over such a handsome-looking man who was about to become part of their clan.

He stopped a few meters away from her. "What business do you have with me?" He asked quietly.

Reika sensed a good amount of Fear coming from this person and she knew that he was on par with her other followers. It seemed that rumors about him being a killer assassin was indeed true.

"I seek power... Power to rule this world alongside with my Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. And I want you to join us."

She waited for his answer patiently, knowing that he would agree soon. Who would be able to turn her down?

He stayed silent, obviously contemplating over his decision. A while later, he spoke out loud. "I have a condition, if you want me to join your group." He paused, but continued when she nodded her head. "I would like to test your strength, to see whether you are worthy to be my Lady that I have to serve under."

The others hissed in anger after hearing such bold words coming from his mouth, but Reika lifted a hand to hush them. Turning back to Kino, she agreed to his challenge.

The bystanders all moved out of their way, giving them a wide space to have their fight. Kino unsheathed his swords from their scabbards and stood in his fighting stance. However, unlike him, Reika didn't take out any weapons. All she did was to stand there and stare at him with a glint of amusement in her eyes.

Before he could even make the first attack, she unleashed her Fear, sending tremors through every bodies. Darkness closed in on him and soon enough, he was engulfed in pitch black darkness. He couldn't see his opponent but he knew that she was still there. Right now, he was vulnerable while she has the upper hand and could kill him anytime.

Yes, he knew that he was defeated because he was in a state where his opponent's Fear overwhelmed his own. His body was responding to her Fear by breaking out in cold sweat. Placing his swords back to their scabbards, he admitted his defeat.

"I've lost the fight."

The darkness around him swirled before disappearing and the moonlight shone down at him once again. The crowd around them were both awed and nervous at the same time after watching the scene before them. Standing a few steps away from him was Reika, who looked satisfied with his words. "I commend your bravery for wanting to challenge me, even if you knew you weren't going to win," she complimented him.

"I welcome you, Kino, to our Yami Clan."

He went down on one knee with his head bowed in respect to her.

"With great honour, Lady Reika."

Over the next few months, Reika and her followers scoured through countries in search of other strong youkai to join their clan, just like how she found Kino. Her ambitious goal was to make her clan formidable and be feared by others. Someday, she thought, they would rule the world instead of the humans.

But first, she has to get rid of the Nura Clan. They were currently the strongest clan in the youkai world. She knew that they would intervene and fight for the humans. In fact, one of the reasons that she has decided to gather her own followers was simply because of her hatred towards them.

She was hoping to seek her revenge and vengeance on them. Her sufferings and torment when she stayed in that house suffocated her to the extent that she left on her own accord. But what happened after that was the real reason that drove her to this craving for revenge; her death.

She was very curious to know how the Nura Clan would react when they finally find out that she has come back from hell.