The fundamental issues were currently beyond the reach of the combatants. For yōkai who had integrated into human society and lived peacefully for centuries, today was a day to reclaim their martial spirit, despite the cost.
With a graceful sweep of his blade, Nura Rikuo let out a bold shout, surrounded by his "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons." Heterochromatic patterns adorned his body—a state of "Matoyoi" [Fear-binding] with other yōkai.
According to Nura Nurarihyon, after special training in the nature of Nurarihyon's demonic power, Rikuo now possessed the strength to temporarily serve as the new Lord of Pandemonium. Now, he just needed to earn the prestige he required in this upcoming great war.
"Be careful, Supreme Commander!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine~"
With a hearty wave, Rikuo watched his subordinates engage the emerging ancient yōkai. He searched for worthy prey, his eyes occasionally darting toward a figure in a black trench coat.
Compared to Rikuo's grand declaration, the vampire duo was much more active. With superb physical flexibility and strength, they leaped between the claws of yōkai, thrusting long blades into demon bodies and splitting carapaces in two.
Landing lightly, Araragi Koyomi, standing back-to-back with Kiss-Shot, felt the gaze on him. He turned and smiled, gesturing with his fingers to indicate a number—a silent little competition.
No longer in her child form, Kiss-Shot had restored her adult appearance. Standing with Araragi, she was nearly a head taller than him. As Rikuo grew more familiar with Araragi, he naturally learned more about this female vampire.
She claimed she came to Japan to find a place to die, but after gaining a new servant, she no longer wanted to. Now, she spent her days eating sweets with the intensity of someone determined to get diabetes.
Can vampires even get diabetes?
Shaking his head, Rikuo pushed aside non-combat thoughts. The vampire duo was moving again; as the head of the Nura family, how could he fall behind?
"Boys! Charge with me!!!"
With that shout, Rikuo appeared behind a yōkai, his blade slicing through its body like a hot knife through butter.
'One'.
He counted silently. A massive mouth full of sharp teeth opened behind him, but when it bit down with glee, it felt nothing—as if it had touched a bubble on water. It was a mere phantom.
[Kyouka Suigetsu]
Splatter.
Amidst flying blood, the yōkai that had attempted a silent sneak attack lost its life and slumped to the ground.
'Two'.
Once I win this competition, I'll use the momentum to invite Araragi for the blood-oath sake again. Rikuo had made up his mind.
Though strong, in a map where an entire modern city was the battlefield, the Nura yōkai and the vampire duo were just small splashes. Various other entities were revealing themselves, using diverse means to protect the city.
In the ruins of what used to be a high-rise... After rounds of naval shelling and yōkai rampages, this area looked like Stalingrad in 1942. Buildings were snapped in half, and rubble of concrete and steel reached two or three stories high.
Among these ruins, a mature woman with long red hair leaped nimbly across the debris in high heels. It was hard to imagine a standard urban office lady [OL] uniform could support such high-difficulty movements; aside from a small snag in her black stockings, she was flawless.
With a graceful mid-air turn and a swift downward strike, the rapier in her hand emitted a brilliant white light, severing the demon chasing her in two.
The cut was smooth as a mirror, glowing with a faint light. No blood fell, but the yōkai thrashed for a moment before dying.
"Heh... Hey, aren't you done yet?! It's pathetic to see the Demon Lord become such a loser. You might as well just stay here and work your part-time job!" Coldly eyeing the corpse, the red-haired OL looked in another direction and issued a provocation.
BOOM!!!
As if in response, amidst the roar of a collapsing building and a rapidly fading wail, a mountain of a man—eight feet tall and eight feet wide—stepped out from the rubble, waving away the dust.
"...You really seize every chance to attack me," the man's voice was deep, but his tone was unenthusiastic despite his massive frame.
His torso and limbs were covered in black hair, his feet were goat-like hooves, and he had sharp horns. If Sū ěr were here, he would be amazed to find that this non-human's facial features looked remarkably like the honest country youth he had worked with at McDannells.
"A Demon Lord choosing to protect a human city instead of retreating is suspicious no matter how you look at it! There must be a conspiracy! As the Hero, how can I ignore it?!" the red-haired OL said righteously.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say." The muscular man sighed and squinted at the distant swarm of demons. "Even the fear radiated by regular human armies is quite thick right now. Well, it's understandable, facing such inhuman monsters."
"If you can't keep up, go back and rest early."
"Who do you think I am?"
With mutual snorts, the two vanished from the ruins.
Only during an invasion like this could one discover how many extraordinary people—or non-humans—lived in this small city. In this moment, most chose to stay and protect the world they had integrated into.
Was this also a victory?