Within the dark, eerie forest, a towering oni loomed over his opponent, shoving him around. That opponent was Shun, still struggling fight back.
"Come on! Aren't you going to fight back?" The oni mocked, sneering at Shun, who kept dodging and evading his relentless attacks. At first, Shun had trouble dealing with the oni’s speed. With a body that size, one would assume he’d be slow—but not this oni. Despite his size, he moved astonishingly fast, and each attack packed a bone-crushing force.
But as time passed, Shun began to adapt to the oni's movements. He noticed that despite having a tremendous speed, the oni always wound up his punches before throwing them.
Shun started to time his dodges precisely, stepping back just as the oni’s attacks came in. However, even though he could predict the punches, his speed wasn’t enough to evade completely. Grazes and minor hits still landed on him—but those were far better than a direct blow.
Each time the oni swung, Shun leapt backward, gaining just enough distance to avoid the brunt of his attack.
Frustrated that his punches weren’t landing cleanly, the oni let out a wild roar, his crimson aura flaring wildly. The horrid sound echoed through the woods, sending a chill down Shun’s spine.
Shun froze in fear, his body paralyzed. 'It's that attack again!' he thought, remembering the bloodthirsty aura he and Tesso had once faced and leave them trembling like a lamb.
This was the privilege of strong yokai: they could channel their bloodlust and spiritual aura into a suffocating wave of intimidation to their surroundings. For young yokai who barely fight nor have any experience dealing with it are bound to leave them in terrorized and helpless state.
The reason why shun was able to snap out of it last time was because of anger, but also... because shun had already experienced the real deal. An oppressive intimidation aura unleashed by Daitengu. Compared to that, this oni’s intimidation was less potent, but it was still enough to send shivers down his spine.
Oni charged, attempting to hit Shun while he's still froze in fear.
*BOOM!
The oni’s fist connected directly with Shun’s face, sending him flying. He crashed through several trees before landing hard on the ground.
His vision blurred, but he snapped back to awareness just in time to see the oni leaping toward him. He instinctively dodges by rolling to the side, barely avoiding the oni’s crushing stomp.
*BOOM!
"What are you waiting for? come at me! Or are you hoping someone will come and help you?" mocked oni while grinning wickedly.
"You don’t need to worry about that," Shun muttered, his voice shaking but firm. "He’ll come for sure."
The oni laughed heartily, as if Shun had just told the funniest joke. "Oh, really? Hate to break it to you, but he’s probably already moved on to the next round. I’m the only hunter in this area."
Doubt began to creep into Shun’s mind. 'Ryohei would never do that... wouldn't he?' His thoughts spiraled, but the oni didn’t give him time to ponder. Another powerful punch came straight at his chest.
Shun ducked and slid backward, creating space between them.
"While you’re here getting beaten to a pulp, he’s probably relaxing and waiting for the next round to start! Hahaha."
"No, he wouldn't... he needs my help."
Oni sneered, "Does he? I saw you back then, you're talking about the weasel guy, right? a bit shoddy but he fights wonderfully. He beat an opponent that is several times stronger than him. I can confidently say that he was strong enough to stands on his own."
Oni sneered, "Does he, though? I saw him earlier. You're talking about the weasel guy, right? A bit scrappy, but he fights well. He even took down someone way stronger than him. Honestly, he doesn’t need your help at all."
Those words stung. Envy started to bubble within Shun as doubt gnawed at him.
"And you?" the oni continued "You're struggling just to beat a rat! what makes you think that you are some helps to him?"
Shun clenched his teeth, feeling frustrated and started charging at him. Oni just stands there and took all his punches without budging, shun unleash barrage of punch, quenching every strength he had to this punch, but it was futile. .
Shun clenched his teeth, as his frustration building. He screamed and charged at him, unleashing a flurry of punches. But the Oni just stands there and took all his punches without budging. Shun's all-out attacks barely did any damage
"See? even your attack was weak! Let me show you how it's done." The oni stomped on Shun's foot, pinning him in place, then he unleashed a relentless barrage of punches. Shun raised his hands and guard his face, receiving barrage of attacks up-close.
"Hahaha! I can't get enough of this!"
Oni roared as he felt the excitement of toying with his opponent, he glows with a sinister crimson aura, making every muscle in his body bulges and increasing his power to the next level. The oni released Shun's foot and delivered a devastating punch to his stomach, sending Shun flying once more.
Shun hit the ground hard, but immediately get up, finding the opportunity to escape, shun dashes away but in a flash, he finds that oni already standing right in front of him, ready to attack.
Shun received yet another barrage of punch, all he could do was hold on. He can feel the stinging pain from having the bone of his forearms cracking. And slowly that sting started turn into intense pain as his bone cracks got even worse.
All kinds of attack coming from every direction, straight punch, left jab, right hook, overhead strike. Each of that attack landed on Shun and slowly getting pushed back step by step, until he was backed against the wall.
From there the Oni performed another relentless attack, the screaming pain on Shun's arm suddenly started to fade. As his whole arm started going numb by the pain, but despite that shun still hold his arms high to block any incoming attacks... that is until he can't feel his arms anymore.
His arms slumped down as if his tendons and muscle were cut, exposing his bare face. Oni immediately pummeled shun face, punching him left and right, as shun spat blood from his mouth to any direction he faced. Then the oni slammed his head against the wall and dragged him along the stone wall as he laughs.
A trail of shun blood was drawn on that wall, as if he was drawing a calligraphy with his prey's blood. Finally, he hurled him aside, shun landed with a big thud, caving the ground beneath him, barely conscious. His vision blurred, and his thoughts were muddled.
'W... Where... am I...?' The world spins around him, he failed to recognize his surrounding as his brain got shoved around with all that punch.
The oni charges again and kicked him right on his stomach, sends him flying once again.
Shun was knocked away, rolling on the mountain slope until he reached the bottom. His face was full of bruise and blood, his arm was broken and numb, his legs are tired from all the running he did.
As he saw the tree top and the dark sky, his breath started getting heavier as he heard a loud sound of stepping coming from afar.
'Did he really hunt other prey?'
'Does that mean I'm holding all this pain was for naught?
'Should I just quit?'
'What am I fighting for?
'Why am I even fighting?'
'Was all this pain worthed for someone I barely know?'
Several thoughts surfaced as his will started to fade, whether he should just continue holding out or quit immediately.
The oni approached, grabbing Shun's head with his massive hand. "You're still not giving up, huh?"
Shun was still holding on, with a slither of hope that someone would come and help him... but the surrounding area was dead empty. No sight of anyone around, he wants to scream for help, but he can barely speak.
"Well, if you're not going to surrender. Maybe I'll just eat you right away?" the oni growled, his sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light.
When Shun heard the oni's sentence, his body twitched. He knew he had already been warned by Nurarihyon for his previous offense, and he likely wouldn’t risk repeating it.
'But what if he did? What if he doesn't care about the rules? What if he doesn't mind getting eliminated from Hyakki Yagyo?'
Then a memory of that gruesome scene flashes before his mind, a scene where the Rat Yokai, Tesso was eaten alive. As his arms and back got ripped and swallowed, Shun could still hear the blood-curdling in his mind, as his body started to tremble in fear. 'Will that happen to me too?'
As the oni brought him closer, baring his sharp teeth and fangs, ready to sink them into Shun, terror overwhelmed him, and he surrendered.
"I yield..." he muttered.
The oni, not missing a chance to mock him, leaned closer. “What was that? I can barely hear you. Say it again, louder.”
"I..."
"SHUN!"
"Yield..." Shun's eyes widened at the sound of the voice. He shouldn’t be here... Hadn’t he already moved on to hunt another prey? No...
The oni released his grip on Shun’s head, letting him drop to the ground like a lifeless body. Shun was ashamed—ashamed he had believed the oni’s taunts. If only he had held on for a few more minutes... His face was pressed to the dirt, too afraid to lift it and meet Ryohei’s gaze.
"Ah, the hunters have arrived. Too late, I’m afraid." said Oni mockingly.
Ryohei dash away, leaving Shun behind and desperately look for the remaining Prey. With the bridge that leads home have been collapsed, the only path for him is going forward...
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With Shun eliminated, their entire plan crumble. As he needs to find another prey with the remaining time. His heart rate jumped; his breaths ragged after sprinting through the round without rest. Fortunately, during his run searching for Shun, he vaguely remembers the location where he encountered some prey.
Wasting no time, he dashed to the area, hoping the prey was still there.
But alas, the prey had already been subdued by another Hunter. He ventured to a different location, then another, and yet another, only to find that every single prey he encountered had already been hunted. No matter where he searched, he was left without a solution to his problem. He clenched his fist and decided to head to the center area.
The center was where the strongest gathered—those who refused to hide, confident in their ability to hold their ground even if outnumbered. For Ryohei, heading there was a desperate gamble.
Upon reaching the center area Ryohei was speechless by the sight of chaos before him. On the east side there's a Kitsune that burn any opposing yokai with her mystic flames, on the west lies Jorogumo sitting on top of a tree surrounded by her impenetrable fortress made from her steel webs wrapped around the tree surrounding it, each yokai that attacked her failed to even cut her steel web. On the south was the Half tengu girl that blew surrounding tree and made it an open space, but after seeing her acts of crushing Akaname into a puddle of mush before, no hunter dared to attack her.
The remaining prey are those from the great yokai clan, trying to fight them was suicide! Other hunter who failed to hunt prey also gathered, confused about which one to hunt to ensure their survival. They try fighting each one but immediately got either blasted by the fox's mystic flame, blown away by the half tengu wind or can't even get pass through Jorogumo steel webs.
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The remaining prey were all from great yokai clans. Challenging them was suicidal. The hunters who had failed to secure prey gathered around, equally desperate and confused about which target to attack. But every attempt ended in failure— they got either blasted by the fox's mystic flame, blown away by the half tengu wind or can't even get pass through Jorogumo steel webs. Besides them, there's another remaining prey, which is the Wanyudo.
A flaming head with wheels that left a trail of burning destruction, he made the tree surrounding him burn as he floats high above, refuses to come down.
Unless you're a flying yokai, that is impossible feat. Even if you managed to reach him, beating him midair is another story.
Desperate, Ryohei decided to attack the one appeared with the lowest defense, which is the Half tengu, Yoruka.
The half tengu sighed, bored by her current situation.
"Looks like I'm acting as prey again... what a boring round this is."
From afar, Ryohei approach her with both Raisen and Hikage that had turned into sickle, ready to attack. Despite his movement, Yoruka remained still, seemingly unbothered by his presence.
"What do you think you're doing." Yoruka asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm trying to survive..." Said Ryohei with serious tone.
She raised her eyebrow and ask, "I don't know what your deal with that old man is, but if you think I care for your fate or his amusement, you're gravely mistaken."
Ryohei smirked. “That’s fine. I never expected you to. Just act like usual. Don’t mind me.”
Yoruka’s gaze sharpened, her tone laced with disdain, as if she was being underestimated. "Do you honestly think that you stand a chance against me?"
Ryohei took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Honestly? No. But it’s a thousand times better than doing nothing and waiting for death.”
His sharp eyes locked onto her, calculating the best move in this situation that can ensure his survival.
'The moment you lost as a hunter, you will be deemed as loser and will be the property of the winner, but the results are random, it depends on the viewers vote and the participants performance.'
'During this unpredictable moment, the only chance I could survive this Hyakki Yagyo with my life intact are either find a prey to hunt and advance to the next round or lose and hoped that my fate landed on her. She has a connection with Daitengu, I could beg him all day to convince her to spare me... But in order for that to happen, I need assurance to make that possible.'
'In order for me to assure my survival, I need to have her be the prey with the highest performance, and I have to be the hunter with the highest worth.'
'Currently, I don't know what my worth is. Since I just mutated into yokai recently, my spiritual energy might not be that big... But that was before. I have already eaten a one hundred years old Okuri Inu's Magatama. With this, I might actually be the prey with the highest worth. The main problem is... throughout the round, ever since she crushes Akaname into a puddle of blood, no one dared to attack her. Which currently makes her the prey with the lowest performance. If I put up a good fight, her performance will rise and for her to be yokai with highest performance might actually be possible.'
Ryohei started running, circling his way around her and trying to find the opportunity to strike, Yoruka closes her eyes and opened her black colored fan that was made with several giant crow feathers.
As if trying to detect her opponent from sound. Seeing that, he sprinted forward and lunges at her from her back. But she easily reacts to it, she turned around and swing her fan. An invisible compressed air was formed and strike him right on the face, it knocked his face away as if being hit by a wooden mallet right on the face. Ryohei who got caught off guard was slammed into the ground. Then another air pressure comes and pinning him down.
"How about now? Do you really think that you had a chance?"
Ryohei severely underestimate of the extent of her abilities, don't mention giving her a formidable fight to raise her performance, he can't even manage to land one hit on her.
Well then, this is a farewell... After you got knocked out, perhaps the next thing you saw will be the inside of yokai's stomached. Goodbye..."
His spine jolted from the cold feeling of death, he forces his head to look up and saw distorted sphere of air hovering above.
'T... Thats's the same move she used on Akaname. I have to move!' The size of sphere was significantly smaller than during she attack Akaname, but it only shrinks a little. His inner mind screamed as he tries to crawl out of there. In terror he used his ability in a nick of time.
*BOOM!
The ground shattered before the explosion of condensed air sphere in that area, but in only shattered the ground below, no one was caught in the explosion.
Yoruka eyes narrowed, "You managed to evade it huh?"
Ryohei heavily breathing, in that nick of time he made use of Raisen and Hikage that turned into a sickle as climbing axe. By plowing the ground with it and pull his body away from the center of explosion, then he managed to activate the wind riding ability, that makes his body blasted away by the air current after explosion.
Yoruka swings her fan again and another stream of wind blasted on his direction, Ryohei rolled to his right and managed to evade it. Then he started running again, Yoruka keeps attack him with barrage of blasted wind, but Ryohei manage evade every single one of her attacks.
Seeing that her attacks have been seen through, she started to mix in feint and curved attack, her attack caught Ryohei off guard and managed to shove him around like a rain doll amid storms. If it's during the day, Ryohei wouldn't find any trouble reading the wind blows with all the dust and leaf that follows. But amid this darkness night, he can barely saw where it is coming, and he is not proficient enough to feel the compressed wind made from spiritual power. Thus, he can only rely with his human instinct.
'Focus, don't be impatient. She must have an attack pattern. I just have to recognize it and get used to it.' Ryohei direct the spiritual flow into his eyes and enhance his vision, pay very close attention to every time Yoruka swings her fan.
'Vertical swing is a straight wind attack just like the first one that hit me, Diagonal swing is the curved wind attack, it takes a few second longer than the regular attack to reach my location, was it homing? I need to test it. Then Horizontal swing...' His eyes widened and immediately duck, barely dodge that attack.
With every attack he receives, Ryohei starting to notice the pattern and dodge it by matching the moment few seconds after she swings her fan. Although he managed to evade her attacks, he can't go on the offensive as he was constantly forced on being the defensive.
Yoruka who felt none of her attacks managed to land, decided to attack differently, she swipes her fan closer, in a drawing in motion. Ryohei didn't recognize this new pattern and was struck by an attack that comes from behind. He tumbles forward and realized that Yoruka was right in front of him, performing a vertical swing.
*Boom! Ryohei was blasted away, he somersaults in the air and land on the ground safely. Despite on the receiving end, his vision still locks on her. Witnessing her next move, he saw Yoruka performs that same previous motion.
Ryohei took a proper stance and ready for her incoming attack, after a few second delay, he jumped. Relying on his intuition that the attack from the back will come with a delay, and his prediction was spot on, a stream of air came.
Ryohei focused his mind, trying to remember the exact moment he managed to evade Yoruka attack by riding the wind, that tingling sensation on his feet. With a slight burst of spiritual energy to his feet, he felt the exact tingle feelings on his feet and try to ride the air stream below him.
Upon landing, he successfully stepped on the air stream and his body matched the air stream speed, as if he was jumping on a fast-moving train. His vision narrowed as the world around him turn into a streak of flash, he moves straight towards Yoruka with incredible speed.
Yoruka eyes widened as she was astonished by the sudden evade and attack, the sickle was rushing forward, aimed straight to her neck. She raised her fan above her heads and from the back, a black crow wings flapped, creating a sudden burst of wind to all direction, demolishing the air current that Ryohei rides and blasting him away.
"Damn it!" curses Ryohei who almost managed to land an attack but was blasted away. "It seems that I was underestimating you too much... Fine, I will entertain you with more power." Said Yoruka as she closes down her fan.
Ryohei was confused, 'why did he close her fan? she needs that to attack, didn't she?'
Then she clasps her hands together, a crimson lightning faintly appeared within her hands, the surging burst of aura and circling storm with her as the center. Amid the streak of crimson lightning got stronger and then she opened her clasp hand, revealing a crimson mask. The moment she took it, the storm subsided.
Ryohei was speechless, and still cautious with her move. He strengthens his vision and take a closer look at what she was doing. He creates a half tengu mask and wears it, covering her mouth and nose. Upon wearing it, Ryohei feel that her aura releases an extremely strong pressure to him.
"What are you doing?" Ask her casually, "You wanted this didn't you? come at me."
As she raises her palm forward and then grasp it, a sudden burst of squall appeared and converge right in front of Ryohei. He tries to get away but was dragged in by the power of the vacuum she has, she put away her fan was because she didn't need it anymore to control wind!
After sucking the surrounding air, it explodes and launches ryohei away. But fortunately, ryohei was beginning to understand how to properly use his wind riding ability. After the blast he steps on the air to offset the forces and started running on the air.
At first, he thought that he was supposed to be able to stand on air, but that was a wrong misconception to his power, he rides the wind, meaning the wind is constantly moving and cannot stop. Trying to stand still was impossible thing to do, but you can slide along the current or even run like it was an invisible platform.
Just like how bicycle work, if you try to balance yourself while standing still, you'd just fall down. But if you're constantly moving, it's slightly easier to balance it. And even if on the off chance you slip or lost your balance, just jump to another wind stream. With her new mask, the surrounding air was rabid and wild, but he can make use of it.
"If it's about parkour I am experienced at this, same thing applies. The only differences are that I cannot see my foothold, but that's no big deal!"
Yoruka attacks again with condensed air bullet around her and fire it in succession, the bullet fly at extreme speed. Ryohei attempted to cut it with his sickle but...
*BOOM!
The air bullet explodes and knocked ryohei to the ground, "Ugh, damn it." As he rise up another streak of air bullet came, and once again he evades it and ride the wind for better attack angle and easier evasion. He constantly evades the storm of bullet by jumping and evading every single attack that comes his way. But then...
Yorka raise her hands and dispersing the surrounding wind, Ryohei who was still in the air suddenly lose his footing and fall down. As she cuffs her fist, a wind began to gather in her hands, she launches an attack and hit ryohei stomach. He was blown away through several tree on his fly path and slammed hard on the ground.
His head bleeds by the collision as he coughs up blood, Yorka walks closer as she starts mocking him about the cluelessness of his own weakness.
"You really don't understand, do you? you're a kamaitachi, a yokai that needs wind to move, you're moving along the winds not making winds move along you. Just like before, without any wind you lost your footing and your speed."
"I am a tengu, a being who controls the wind. I am your worst match up and you didn't even realize that."
She continues as she stares down at him with her cold eyes, "Do you still want to continue?"
Feeling hopeless, Ryohei slumped to the ground, releasing his grip on the sickle, both Raisen and Hikage turns back into Kamaitachi and comfort him by rubbing their heads against him. Yorka who saw him had no fighting spirit left, "Good call." As she walks away, leaving him behind.
Ryohei noticed a movement behind him, he immediately turns around, but it was just another hunter who got drawn by the loud sound of his fight. Ryohei sighed...
Ryohei think hard, was there really no other choice but to give up and let the audiences decide his fate? he then took another glimpse at the remaining hunter behind him. He was gauging their strength as well as considering teaming up with them.
'But what about the spoil? we have to fight while watching each other, so that no one is trying to one up me. That is not an easy thing to do, considering the remaining prey are those from great clan... except that one, Wanyudo. He isn't from one of the great clans, but in order to subdue him, we need to drag him to the ground, even if I were managed to bring him down, can we beat him? within the blazing forest on our surrounding? just the five of us?'
Ryohei eyes widened with realization, 'Hold on... five...?'
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Meanwhile, Ryohei was deep in thought... including himself, there are five hunters remaining. Since a hunter can only hunt one prey, but the one present here was only four prey yokai. Which means there's another one survived, hiding.
He was pondering whether he should team up with the remaining hunter to try takes down them or find that one hiding prey within the remaining time within this big area by itself? sounds like impossible in any way you see it.
Suddenly, Ryohei felt a gaze, He glanced around sharply but saw nothing. Ryohei was awfully sharp at noticing things, as he enhances his vision and look towards the bottom of the rocky slopes below, noticed something unusual, this particular plant wasn't supposed to grew here. It was a butterbur plant, normally you'd find it in damp shaded place or near bodied of water, such as riverbanks or wetlands. Not dry high-altitude place.
Curious, Ryohei slid down the slope, using the wind to aid his descent. When he reached the plant, he grabbed it and pulled it.
'!'
It didn't budge. Using both hands, he yanked harder until...
Pop!
A tiny figure burst out along with the plant, letting out a high-pitched squeal that made Ryohei drop it in surprise. It was the Koropokkuru, the sole prey yokai who had survived the last round. Realizing she’d been discovered, she runs with her butterbur umbrella, scuttle away with her tiny step.
Realizing that she was the last remaining prey, Ryohei immediately gave a chase. Her movement are not fast, it was pretty easy catching up to her. But before he could catch her—
Swoosh!
A shadow streaked toward the Koropokkuru. Panicking, Ryohei swung his sickle, intercepting the attacker. Sparks flew as the blade clashed with a sharp edge. The assailant was a Kamikiri, a crow-faced yokai with scissor-like hands. He heard the Koropokkuru high pitched sound and rushed here. cry and rushed to claim her.
*Swooosh
"Back Off!" Said Ryohei, but Kamikiri was not bothered by it, his eyes focusing on Koropokkuru behind as he plays with his scissor hand.
*Snip snip
Kamikiri moves again but was blocked again by Ryohei, fortunately Ryohei can still match his speed.
"Annoying... annoying. Move, Move." Said Kamikiri, Ryohei felt his anger rising. "Oh no, it's you who's supposed to back off, crow face."
They clashed again, their blades sparking in the night air. Meanwhile, the frightened Koropokkuru scurried away in the opposite direction—only to draw the attention of yet another hunter.
“Damn it!” Ryohei cursed, kicking Kamikiri away as he desperately tried to fend off the others. The fight devolved into chaos, with all the hunters scrambling to claim the Koropokkuru as their prize.
Exhausted and battered, Ryohei began making mistakes. His strikes weakened, and the hunters started overwhelming him.
In the midst of the melee, the Koropokkuru trembled, tears streaming down her face. She let out another high-pitched scream, and an eruption of spiritual energy surged outward, consuming herself and all of them.
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Outside of stage where the family heads gathered.
"Hey, Nurarihyon, I came for another drink" said Daitengu, stepping forward with a grin.
Nurarihyon sighed, as he took some bottles and was about to give him. His eyes widened as he drops the Sake jar. Daitengu saw it and flawless catch it, "Hey careful, old man."
Nurarihyon smiled and then began laughing, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Bahahahaha!"
The other family heads looked at him in confusion. “What’s so funny?” asked Yuzuki, head of the Kitsune clan.
Nurarihyon couldn’t stop smiling. “That little one... she just created a domain within my domain.”