Ourning to the ryokan, I was greeted by ahusiastic Hyath. She had apparently been looking after my family and uests, p drinks and serving snacks. My mom had found it all rather hirious, having one of my women waiting on them hand and foot, but she had quickly accepted Hyath’s many quirks, so there were no real problems.

  “Wele back, son. I trust your business went well?” My father greeted me, looking rather red-faced and tipsy. Uncle Junpei was beside him, as well as surprisingly enough, Marika-san’s grandfather, the two Izumi’s and Kikuchi-san, as well as a younger man that must have been his son. Oher side of the table was my mom, auntie, Marika-san’s mother, Haru-san, Nagi-san and also Aliyah. On seeing my inquisitive gaze, she frowned.

  “What? I wasn’t drinking. I’m still doing my job properly.”

  “She is.” Trey insisted. He was seated in the er with a bored-looking Grulgor, as well as three men I didn’t reise, who seemed to have been waiting patiently for me. “She’s armed and ready to go if something goes down, though with those two here…” he looked at Grulgor and Hyath. “… I’m not sure what use we’d be yet. So while my sis is keeping an eye on them, I’ve beeertaining uests. Lucky a couple of them speak English.”

  “It’s a relief that your family speaks it too.” Aliyah agreed. “Sometimes all the fn talk gets to me. If it was Russian, I could manage.”

  “So, you gentlemen must be the chosen from Tsukuyomi fa, right? I’ve been expeg you. Sorry I’m te, but I ended up having a lot of business with Uchida Yamato-san and Bankei-san.”

  The lead priest frow that. He was the age of my father, though he was running to fat and his hair was starting to thin. Even so, he was wearing expensive robes and I noticed several pin golden rings and a det-looking watch. I guess he likes to show off his wealth. The other two were younger, both my age, or a little older. One was blonde, with a spiky hairdo and casual clothing, wearing faded blue denim jeans and a bck turtleneck sweater, while the other was more traditionally cd, wearing simir dark e monk robes to the ones many of the ral fa wore. More along the Buddhist side of things than Shinto then…

  “I see. Well, it ’t be helped.” The leader ceded. “My pardons for the te introdus. Your family and camp has been most hospitable.” I could see empty cups of sake and beer s scattered around them, so it seemed that despite them not sitting with the main group, they had been looked after. Hyath giggled as she followed my gaze, and I guessed she was responsible for serving them.

  “I am from Matsunoo-Taisha grand shrine, my name is Taishakama Isamu. These two are from outside Kyoto. Esu-san…” at that, the monk bowed and made the traditional Buddhist greeting to me. “… and Kinkawa Touma.”

  “Yeah, good to meet you too.” Kinkawa-san sighed. “Man, at least there was some good booze here. I’m not cut out to be a priest, and now this…”

  It seems we have a male version of Mine-san here. The kami sure did choose strangely. “Well, you know already, but I’m Oshiro Moonstone Akio. Please ighe middle name.” At that my mom sniggered. “And this is Shaeu Tu Shae Dannan. I trust you’ve been introduced to everyone else?”

  “All done.” my father promised, swaying a little. Mom couldn’t have been drinking too much, as she was still awake, but she must have kicked him uhe table, as he flinched, which did amuse me. “I mean, yes, we showed proper manners.” He corrected himself.

  “Excellent. In that case, when I’ve checked a few things we get started. Firstly, where is everyone else?” I asked.

  “My Marika went to bed, she was all tired out.” Her mother said, seeming rather annoyed. “That Uchida-san, he was rather rude to us, and father-in-w just took it! The nerve of the man. Marika-san was so excited to be doing something important for the shrine, not that I get it, and this was the result! I’m angry!” she decred, downing another cup of sake. She was looking rather tipsy too…

  “It ’t be helped.” Takeyabashi-san said, downcast. “We are still a small, unimportant shrine, even though our faithful are doing great things.”

  “Uchida-san has grown arrogant, as his son is a notable figure here in Kyoto, both Kyoto.” Taishakama-san decred. “I am sorry for his attitude. Kudou-sama would not be so crass, I assure you.”

  Fishing for a ge of fa, huh? Well… “Sorry about that.” I bowed in apology to her, which surprised her. “It isn’t just you, Kana’s family suffered the same, though I do believe I’ve made Yamato-san re-evaluate them at least.”

  “True. Speaking of my errant granddaughter…” Masaji-san sighed. “… she has not returned. In fact, her friends and Keomi-sa retly to go into Kyoto. I do worry, but supposedly they will be taking a taxi ohey have reached the docks. Only Kikuchi-san and her friend remain, and they are ihs again, I believe. The… our uests…” he eyed the three from Tsukuyomi warily. “… are also enjoying the other bath.” He must mean the kami. They do like hot springs, it seems.

  “Well, so long as they are with Eri and Aiko, there should be no trouble.” I said. “They might as well enjoy themselves. Anyway, sorry, I got interrupted there.” I turned baarika-san’s mother. “If I may… I’d like to borrow Marika-san tomorrow m. As well as a few others.” I had also messaged Hikawa-san, as I would need Ren-san and the mirror he was borrowing, as well as the twins. “You too, Haru-san.”

  “Me?” She asked, puzzled. I could see she was nervous around so many unfamiliar men, but my mom and Nagi-san had taken her uheir wings, so she was managing.

  “Yes. And probably tonight too. Got to grind those levels.” I smiled gently, and she retur, a bit hesitantly.

  “It’s not anything… problematic, is it?” Marika-san’s mother asked, and I shook my head in denial.

  “No, not at all. Look, when we first took her to Tokyo, you didn’t really know much about shrine business. Now you know it’s a big deal. Marika-san is the granddaughter of the shrine, and when she grows up she’ll o look after it. That’ll be very different to what it used to be like before.”

  Kikuchi-san nodded. “Maiko, she has the same issue. Though as one of the Chosen, I will be the face of the shrine. But the world has ged.”

  “That’s all everyone ever says.” She pined. “But I just want my little girl to get a det job, get married, give me grandchildren…”

  “She’s you. Give her a ce.” I reassured her. “But now being a shrine maiden is a career. Ohat will have many rewards, though a few risks. So I’ll make sure she’s prepared for those.”

  “Curious.” Esu-san said. “It sounds to me like you are fident of making the ordinary into the extraordinary. Quite shog.”

  “Yeah, though after my trials with Yamato-san I’m pretty tired, so I o keep my strength for what’s . Speaking of… your shrine is o Bankei-san’s, right? You must have issues…” I asked their leader, who nodded, frowning, deep in thought.

  “Yes.” Taishakama-san agreed in the end. “We are aware. Both of us are jockeying for resources in spiritual Kyoto, though of course we are not so foolish as to start any sort of unnecessary flict.”

  “Great. So, Kudou-sa you here to evaluate me, which is fine. But I’m also here to evaluate you.” I warned. “So, what do you want to achieve tonight?”

  “A good question. Well, spiritual Kyoto is quite dangerous. And there are certain… creatures… that roam it, troubling us all. There is one… a vile urama, a ghastly cart with a terrible face, that roams the streets near our borders. I do not believe it is part of the Night Parade, although… they may be about this very night.” He looked nervous at that. “If possible, we would wish you to dispy your strength, a it, driving it away at the least.”

  “I see. Yeah, I do that.” If it’s strong, it might be worth a level or two. “I’m not g with the Night Parade…” at that, Shaeu flinched. “… but taking out some troublesome yokai, making Kyoto safer… sure. Well, Haru-san, Grulgor, Hyath, you three are with me.” Before Shaeu could protest, I smiled. “You’ve done your work today, guarding our bodies. So why not drink along with our family and guests? With you here, I have no s.” I then looked at Aliyah and Treyvon. "You two might as well e along as well. You have to start learning your duties sooner or ter." Ign Aliyah's grumbles, I waited for Shaeu to answer.

  “I shall do that then.” She answered at st. “Though should you see-see any of the Night Parade…”

  “I know.” I ruffled her hair affeately. “Just rex. Tomorrow will be a long day, and we are going to drain every drop of light we from Kiyomizu-dera, so I need you on top form.”

  I spent a little longer exging words with uests and my family, before I was off into the night again, taking the boat up towards yet another shrine…

  ********

  “He looks rather different here.” Kinkawa-san observed Grulgor, surprised, as he had returo his massive troll form, his body still wreathed in the massive yers of heavy mail he had worn during the campaign to free the Spring, a massive mace as long as a person was tall, clutched in one huge hand. “Rather intimidating. Is he some sort of yokai then? To think you could bring him to our world from here…”

  “Not a yokai, a Fae. A simir type of spiritual being. I’m sure you know about those, right?” I asked, and he only smiled mysteriously iurn, before praising Grulgor as looking powerful, which pleased the troll. “The lines between the world of the spiritual and our material world are only going to blur more and more as time goes on.” I tinued, looking about the shrine, notig that unlike Kiyomizu-dera there were inhabitants scurrying about, small, half-sized humanoid creatures looking a little like goblins, as well as the familiar Komainu, the lion-like dogs that were often seen as statues at Shinto shrines and some temples. They don’t bother me anymore. Well, not much. Eri and Aiko… they could handle any dog that attacked them now, so we have nothing to fear.

  Taishakama-san smiled proudly at my i, his jowls jiggling a little. “I see you are admiring my forces. My shrine is an old one, one of the oldest in Kyoto, and with a rid proud history, so it is unsurprising that I should have many spiritual followers. The numbers tinually increase.” His smile turned sly. “If you wish, I could tell you the secret of how to grow the popution of spiritual beings in your domain…?” he left that thought hanging while I kept my fak, w why he thought I wouldn’t already know. Though I suppose Yamato-san didn’t at first, not everyone seems to work it out…

  That was surely one of the biggest issues we had trying to get all the didates on the same page. Well, that and the bes of the queror css… The level of knowledge each didate had was wildly different, depending oher they had knowledge cheats like I did (which seemed to be rare) or a helpful guide (even rarer), so standardising that would be essential for the Ministry over the short-term. I was going to remark on this idea, but Haru-sa me to it.

  “Actually, Akio-san is already more than aware of how. His Territory is brimming with all sorts of spiritual beings, kami and more.” She said, a touch pridefully, and that made me smile. I guess she’s starting to accept her role as my Chosen Hero and Vassal. That’s good. It’ll help her recover from her trauma at being murdered, though that will take a while still, I’m sure.

  “You gather ether and will it to form Buildings that facilitate the summoning or creation of these creatures, right?” she tinued, and Taishakama-san had to agree.

  “I see. Well I had expected you to know. Not everyone does.” He said, firming my specutions. “I have of course shared this information with Kudou-sama and the wider fa, but I had hoped to entice you with suowledge too…” he admitted, which made me respect him a little more, since he didn’t try to hide his iions.

  “I already knew about it. The god that e told me.” Kinkareened. “I have a gift for it too, one you’ll see ter.” He turo Haru-san, giving her his brightest smile. “I bet you’ll be impressed! Try not to fall for me, all right?”

  “Ugh, I think I’ll mahat.” Haru-san shot him down, which made me smile. As Kinkawa-san ughed off his seemiiosu-san admitted he had not been aware of this, but had been able to create other Buildings when he wished he could grow stronger quickly. A pattern was developing, definitely, and hopefully at cve I could put it together, based on my own experiences and those of the other didates I had fought a.

  As we left the shrine, emerging into Kyoto, overlooking the river, whiow bubbled with e water energies, rge flying creatures that looked like a cross between fish and birds fpping overhead, clearly visible to my excellent eyesight, I asked something that had been b me. “So I have another question. Is there a chosen at Tenryu-ji as well? I could feel a Territory from around there when I passed by on the boat. I believe that’s a Tsukuyomi fa shrine as well, right?”

  At my questiohree paused, before Taishakama-san answered. “Yes, you are right. In fact, there is aoo. The Diviner and her small shrine is not too far south from here as well. A ce, but a wele ohough the noble Lady Diviner and the master of Tenryu-ji have other matters to attend to, so ot be present here.”

  I see, I’m starting to get it now. Looks like they had the same ideas as Yamato-san, not that it’s a bad one, but I’m being worked like a dog by these wily priests, and I ’t say I entirely appreciate it… “So, from the maps I’ve seen, Tenryu-ji is about what, a kilometre and a half from here in a straight lioo far for this Rank 2 Territory to reach, but… if Tenryu-ji is also a Rank 2, then there should be overp. The Diviner’s shrine as well… you should be able to link it up?” I couldn’t feel her Territory, so either she doesn’t own the shrine and surrounding nds, or it’s still small…

  “Yes, it is barely half a kilometre from here, but… I have been uo safely expand down that way.”

  “Because of this urama, right?” I said shrewdly. “You said it appeared to the south often, near Kegon-ji.” Yeah, this reminds me of the cursed pot that roamed near Yamato-san’s shri looks like I’m definitely doing the same thing again… “Fine. Well, helping protect the Diviner doesn’t seem like a bad thing. But first, are there any kami here in your shrine? I’d like to get their blessings, if I could?”

  “As, the kami this shrine vees are too powerful to materialise here, so their attendants tell me.” Taishakama-san apologised.

  “Oh well, it ’t be helped.” Turning tor, who was bored by our long versation, I grinned. “You ready? It’s time for battle.”

  “Grul will smash and crush and bash them all, until none remain!” he gurgled, smming a rocky fist on his armour, a loud gong-like noise ringing out.

  “I… I’ll do my best too.” Haru-san promised.

  “In that case, gentleman, leave this to us. Since you want to evaluate us, I’ll put on a proper show!”

  ********

  “Damn, this area is quite dangerous. I see why ory has made it past Rank 2 yet. Although…” It wouldn’t be perfect, but with the triangle of the three shrines here all within a kilometre of each other, they could certainly take it in turns when they were all linked up. It wouldn’t be fool-proof, but it would be a lot safer than the prospects for Kiyomizu-dera.

  “Grul will wreck you!” he growled, smming his mato the head of one of the massive flying birds that had desded, reminding me a little of the thunderbird I saw in Las Vegas, though without the grace or beauty. I wonder how she’s doing, and her chicks? That o prick is gone from there, so she should be safe…

  The bird let out a baleful screech, the muddy bck feathers that covered it vibrating like a series of knives, shavial fragments from the mace Grulgor wielded, even as the weight of the blows broke several feathers, sending them flying off. It opes beak to cry out again, only for a bolt of light from Haru-san to fly doierce the soft ihe smell of roasting flesh disgusting. The bird shuddered, shing out with one savage cwed foot, and our escorts cried out, only for Haru-san to be unharmed as the cws passed though her, like she was a ghost. Which of course she is.

  Grulgor took that opportunity t the mace down again, this time breaking the outstretched leg, and as the bird toppled with a shrill scream, bolts of light pierced both crimson eyes, boiling the brain fatally.

  Not bad. Not that I had the leisure to be . Twe corpses were already deg iher behind me, a litter of the bd red feathers c the elegant mountain pathway, and a third was trying frantically t me down. With a wingspan of nearly teres, this one was the alpha of the pack, and as it tried to strike me with a beak the length of a greatsword, and equally as sharp and deadly, I moved, my body empowered by Body Enha, my own sharp and deadly Fangs retaliating. Sparks cascaded as one grated along the beak, diverting the strike, while my sed chopped at the birds’ neck. The feathers whirred and shivered, blog my strike, defleg some of the impact back my way, but I was uerred, slipping uhe bird, and attag the more vulnerable underside of the throat. A rain of blows nded, feathers crag and breaking, but the bird was unharmed, merely infuriated by the pain of the impacts. As it tried to use its massive size a to crush me, wind energy spiked around me, whirling into a jade sword that had a fine, oscilting edge, and with one ssh the feathers were sundered, and the head was severed, the bird tilting to one side, before crashing to the ground, sin.

  You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-o y. Your…

  Level y! Great! I wonder if there’s any bonus at a hundred, like there was at fifty? Sheathing my curved swords I watched as several smaller birds that were cirg overhead were bsted from the sky by bolts of focussed light element from Haru-san, and then crushed ruthlessly by Grulgood job!” I said as they finished up. “You’ve really mastered the idea of turning light element into sers.”

  Haru-san nodded. “When you expined how some of your wind element attacks work, it only made seo apply the same stific principles.”

  “Cool, let me check your level. ’s gone up by seven. That should help you a lot.” I grinned, and Haru-saurned my smile a bit bashfully. “These birds are damn fine experience, and also…” I looked down at the scattered feathers, which remained. “I think these might make great crafting materials.” Pig some up I let a little aether flow through them, which caused them to vibrate, their edges shimmering with a faint prismatic glow. I pulled the edge over my palms, and even with my high stats it mao slice my flesh a little. Only when I used Body Enha was my flesh impervious to the damage.

  “I’ll start grabbing them.” Haru-san said, looking for something to use as a bag.

  “Uh, that was quite the impressive showing.” Taishakama-san said, he and his colleagues shocked by our impressive showing. “When I see those nightmarish birds flog, I have to flee. O a time, I am fident in dealing with it, but to take on a small flock? Reckless. Fortuhey seem to have their s in the mountains around Kyoto and don’t often e here.”

  “Is that so?” I said, disappointed. “A shame, I was going to go wipe them out. Oh well…”

  “Seriously, you guys are insane.” Kinkawa-san muttered. “You didn’t even ask us for help. And here I was getting ready to show what I could do!”

  “And what you do?” I asked, helping Haru-san gather the remnants of the giant bck birds. “If it is helping us carry the loot, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Cheeky bastard.” He muttered in respohough… actually I help with that. e, my Bck Cloak!” he decred grandly, and a shadowy mantle of darkness fluttered out behind him, and from those shadows came living beings, crawling out oer another, until forty small creatures had emerged, with long, sharp cws, hairy body remi of some of the Beastkin I had in my Territory, long necks and bald, misshapen heads. Not pretty,

  Himamushi nyūdō [Yoka - ???

  As I was looking at them with my Eye, and Haru-san was shying away from the rather ugly creatures, Kinkaped his hands. “All right, you fools. Go collect all the feathers. And make it quick!” he cpped his hands again, befhing at our strained expressions.

  “Yeah I know. These are the little wretches that i my shrine. I have hundreds, maybe thousands of the ugly little bastards crawling all over the pce. Probably because my shrine is dedicated to a kami who is a Tsukumogami ntern. Yes, it’s as unimpressive and stupid as it sounds…”

  “You should not denigrate your noble kami.” Esu-san frowned. “Even i. They deserve respect…”

  “Sure, sure.” He waved away the pint. “Anyway, when I was visited by a real god…” he snorted, further annoyisu-san. “… this was the ability I got. Well, part of it, anyway. I carry spiritual beings in my cloak with me, so I’m never alone, always with an army. Or in this case, a janitorial staff.” He ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair, sighing. “Seriously, I’d rather be able to throw ser beams like you, beautiful.” He turned his grin on Haru-san.

  “It’s not all nice.” Haru-san said, unfortable with his closeness, so I intervened.

  “That’s a nice ability. If you have warriood in a fight, it’s an instant army for an infiltrator. It’d be hard to defend against…” It would be an excellent way to sabotage or destroy aerritory. I expect that creatures within that space are sheltered from the drain of a hostile Territory, so they’d e out fresh…

  “Thanks man. Hearing that from the guy who murdered all those bloody big birds makes me feel a bit better.”

  “I must say, you are impressing me so far.” Taishakama-san said, nodding. “Though I must ask… you have mentioned levels a few times. Just what do you mean by that?”

  “I dare say we’ll discuss that at cve.” I deflected. “For now, we o push on ohe feathers are gathered.”

  “I see. Well, now I have hope that you defeat the foe that prevents us linking up with the noble Lady Divi her shrine.” He allowed me to ge the subject.

  “Well, I’ll certainly give it a shot.” I promised. I’m low on water and fme elements, but I still have plenty of wind ah. It should be fine…

  ********

  “Akio-san, I’m scared…” Haru-san said, clutg my hand tight for reassurance, which was surprising. Even Grulgor was silent, overawed by the se in front of us. Squeezing her hand back, I whispered to her. “Worst-case, you just go back to the Material while I buy you time to flee. But hopefully…”

  Uhe silver sky of the Boundary, a sight I had never imagined I would see was unfolding below us. The streets were packed with revellers, a massive horde well over a thousand strong. No, more like two or three thousand of them… From our vantage spot on a small, winding path that looped around parallel to the main route below, we could see a veritable tide of Yokai, the amount and variety dizzying. Many of them were banging ritual drums or blowing flutes, or eveing on gss bottles or metal pots, and numerous voices were singing wildly.

  Torches in red, yellow, blue, and other, stranger colours, were held aloft, c the night, and barrels of sake and other strong spirits were being broached, reckless mohat defied description spshing the tents into cups and bowls, or simply upending the barrels over their heads and drinking deep of the alcoholic shower. Roasted hunks of meat, possibly pork, or maybe something worse, were being passed around on skewers as long as spears, for the horde to feast upon, and various brawls and arguments were breaking out amidst the throng, quickly gathering a circle of jeering onlookers to ence the violence.

  As the slowly-moving host poured through the streets of Kyoto, my Eye shone, my hands over it to hide the glow from below. As er name of Yokai scrolled ay vision in burning amber letters, I breathed out a faint whisper. “The Hyakki Yagyō, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. To think that we’d actually see it iy…”

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