Chapter 11: The Gathering Oni Tribe
The following day, Hikigaya returned to Kyoto with Tamamo-no-Mae, Ena, and Liliana. Taking Tamamo—the former "Big Boss" of Kyoto—with him, he headed toward Mount Hiei.
As one of Japan's seven sacred mountains, Mount Hiei was once the ultimate holy land for Buddhist and Taoist practitioners. However, it also boasted a fair share of shrines.
When ancient Japan chose the site for Heian-kyo, they picked the place with the strongest spiritual energy (reijo) in the country. Consequently, the city became not only a treasure trove for human practitioners but also a place of great benefit to yokai. The Emperor Kanmu, who moved the capital, did so primarily to escape the harassment of vengeful spirits. Thus, he placed immense importance on the city's defensive capabilities. Utilizing various Feng Shui principles and incantations imported from China, he used temples and shrines to form a dense barrier to protect Kyoto.
Yokai, naturally following Kyoto's Feng Shui layout and the orientation of the Demon Gate, formed a path that allowed them to maximize the nourishment from the city's spiritual energy. This became the path of the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of a Hundred Demons). This route begins at Mount Hiei and pierces through Heian-kyo from the northeast to the southwest. The starting and ending points are known as the Kimon (Demon Gate) and the Ura-Kimon (Back Demon Gate).
Naturally, this path became a focal point for ancient Japanese sorcerers. At the Demon Gate, monks established Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei, where the founder of the Tendai sect, Saicho, sealed the monsters of the region. To the southwest, at the Back Demon Gate, Onmyoji established Iwashimizu Hachiman-gu to suppress the energy, placing powerful bastions at both ends of the road.
Furthermore, because the Demon Gate faces the northeast (the direction of the Ox and Tiger), the opposite direction is the Southwest (Monkey). In Japanese, "Monkey" (saru) is homophonous with the phrase "Evil departs" (Ma ga saru). Thus, monkeys were viewed as wardens against evil. Starting from the "Monkey Crossroads" of the Kyoto Imperial Palace and moving northeast, ancient sorcerers placed the Sarutahiko Okami of Shimo-Goryo Shrine, the Monkey God of Sekizan Zen-in, and the Divine Monkey of Hiyoshi Taisha on Mount Hiei. Through these means, they completely sealed this essential path for ghosts and monsters, naming it the "Path of the Monkey" (Saru-no-michi).
If yokai wished to enjoy the spiritual fruits of Kyoto, they would need to uproot every seal placed by humans along this path one by one. According to the Kansai Branch, this path hadn't been coveted by yokai since the Tokugawa era.
But clearly, the mastermind this time was very interested. Hikigaya had long suspected that given the level of modern Japanese sorcerers, the methods left by their ancestors were likely on the verge of expiring.
Upon arriving in Kyoto, Hikigaya headed straight for Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei. He flew there directly.
The temple grounds were vast, with Buddhist music echoing through the mountains. The ancient temples and the forests existed in harmony, projecting a sense of profound tranquility. In truth, "Enryaku-ji" refers to Mount Hiei itself—the mountain is the temple, and the temple is hidden within the mountain. The halls open for worship are divided into three areas: Todo (East Pagoda), Saito (West Pagoda), and Yokawa, containing nearly 150 sub-temples.
However, as a seal for the Demon Gate, the parts that actually functioned were the restricted areas forbidden to outsiders. That was the core of the barrier and the place where Saicho had sealed the monsters.
Standing in mid-air, Hikigaya looked down upon Mount Hiei. He saw a vista of peace, but it was only a surface layer. Across the massive mountain, surrounding the ancient temples, murderous intent lurked everywhere. Hundreds, even thousands of yokai were lying in wait within the forest.
But this certainly wasn't the full force of the Oni tribe. Unlike yokai who enjoyed human offerings at shrines and temples and had fixed bases, the gathered Oni came from all over the country. Gathering them took time.
Since the enemy wasn't making a move yet, Hikigaya couldn't be bothered to drop an "ultimate" on them now; they'd have to group up for a "team fight" eventually anyway. He wondered why the Kansai Branch was so nervous. Nothing had even happened yet. Was it because these people truly hadn't fought a group war with yokai for hundreds of years and were suffering from stage fright?
As for the monks of Enryaku-ji, Hikigaya felt no need to check on them. Even today, the Buddhist groups among Japanese sorcerers were quite arrogant, looking down on almost any cultivation system other than their own. Shinto practitioners and exorcist swordsmen were their primary targets of disdain. Historically, they were the ones who forced the Emperor to move the capital, leading Oda Nobunaga to personally visit and "bring the warmth" (by burning the place down), earning himself the "Sixth Heavenly Demon King" achievement.
Because of Ena and the suspected "little mom" Motoko Aoyama, Hikigaya was fine with helping the Onmyoji and swordsmen of Kyoto, but he had no interest in looking after monks who kept their noses in the air. Distinguishing between those close to you and those who aren't is the basic respect one shows their own people.
"Let's go back," Hikigaya said to Tamamo-no-Mae. Ena had mentioned she would cook authentic Kyoto cuisine for him tonight, and he was quite looking forward to it.
Before leaving, Tamamo took a few extra looks at Enryaku-ji and let out an ambiguous chuckle, looking quite amused. Hikigaya figured she was likely remembering the "happy times" she spent passing through here during the Heian period.
The two flew back toward the Kyoto city area. Compared to the Heian period, this place was now a massive urban sprawl, many times larger. Right next to Mount Hiei was Otsu City, and Hikigaya soon saw the high-rises of Otsu.
Hikigaya took a glance and prepared to continue toward Kyoto, but in the next moment, he noticed Tamamo had stopped.
"What is it?" Hikigaya flew back, seeing Tamamo intently observing the distant Otsu City.
"Say, Hachiman... those Onmyoji said the 'Lord of Pandemonium' this time is a reincarnated yokai?"
"What? You remembered an old acquaintance?" Hikigaya chuckled. When beautiful human women start catfighting, it's better than a stage play. If it's yokai? That sounded just as fun!
"No, there is a fox in that city," Tamamo said. "But it's very strange. She feels like she's already dead, yet she's very vibrant. For an ordinary yokai, she's already strong enough."
"Is she 'strong enough' to be the Lord of Pandemonium?"
Tamamo narrowed her eyes to think—perhaps sensing the aura again—then nodded. "Yes. She's not inferior to Shuten or the Great Tengu."
Hikigaya shot her a look.
'Why don't you mention yourself? Did you forget you're just as famous as those two?'
Seeing Hikigaya's gaze, Tamamo wagged her tails proudly. "This Concubine is the head of the fox race! All fox spirits practicing in the Inari shrines must follow my command.
She clearly isn't an Inari fox spirit, is she?
She's still a fox!"
Refusing to argue with Tamamo's stubbornness, Hikigaya asked, "Where?"
"A bit further, not far, right near the foot of the mountain." Tamamo pointed ahead. Hikigaya immediately activated his Eye of Horus to look.
Holy crap!
In Otsu City, near the base of Mount Hiei, sat a grand mansion. The residence adopted a Western architectural style and featured an expansive garden with wide roads for vehicles, surrounded by high fences—clearly a luxury estate.
However, this massive garden villa was wrapped in thick black fog that swirled and howled, yet was suppressed so as not to rise above the building's height. It wasn't actually mist; in the eyes of ordinary people, it was still just a bright, glamorous mansion basking in the sunlight. The so-called black fog was entirely composed of dense, dark-attribute cursed power.
If any humans lived inside, they would likely contract all sorts of diseases and pass away before long. But Hikigaya felt that any human living in there might not even last long enough to get sick. Because with one glance, he saw that within that dense dark power were countless bizarre yokai—some like insects, some like beasts, some cruising through the air, and some crawling on the ground. Because there were so many, they were practically layered on top of each other.
Good lord, this sight was definitely not for someone with sensitive eyes or entomophobia.
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