Yamiyo no Hotaru

Chapter 81

　The beginning of it all was when it had passed half past five in the evening.

　"Quite a lot of them have come..." I whispered as I endured the chilly weather and waited intently from the cover of the trees, finally catching sight of them.

　The cave that existed in the forest, hidden and concealed, was clearly man-made, although it had deteriorated over the years. From it emanated a nauseatingly thick youkai aura.

　oon after sensing their presence, the source of the youkai aura appeared. It was a group of monsters, with various animal forms or forms that could be described as a combination of them. Mononoke, Chimimouryou (supernatural beings and creatures). Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

　(They don't make a sound or a footstep even though they are beasts. They're well-trained.)

　It reminds me of a passage from a game's setting. One of the reasons Kubou lost to Fusō-kuni was due to a lack of control over their subordinates. No matter how precisely calculated and planned something is, it's meaningless if it can't be executed.

　It's natural. Managing monsters that live on instinct and impulse to the very end is a difficult task, even for their great youkai power, and sometimes it even leads to localized defeats. This weakness ultimately led to a fatal failure during the climax of the Great War, when Fusō-kuni launched a decisive counterattack.

　But just before their sealing, Kubou anticipated their defeat in the Great War and instructed some of their top subordinates about the reason for it. And the remnants of the youkai followed their will. Aside from the discarded pawns in the first half of the story, the main fighters in the second half of the story were well trained and controlled, even the small fry. Of course, the government forces, who faced a massive army of controlled monsters, were caught off guard, as were exorcists and their subordinates, who were used to dealing with disorganized mobs, and they suffered unexpected losses.

　"...Well, in a way, it's convenient. At this point, I'll take as many with me as I can," I said with a laugh. After all, I have no future. All I can do is pray for what comes next. So, I might as well leave a parting gift. I'll at least weaken the youkai forces a bit. It will be better than the original story, or rather, it has to be.

　"Well, that's how it is. Now, then..." I said, seeing the youkai horde starting to pass by. I raised my finger in front of me and focused my spiritual energy to activate my fire manipulation exploding talisman art.

　Immediately after that, some youkai reacted to the activation of my technique and rushed towards me. I had thought that I had concealed my presence, but it seemed they had sent scouts ahead who were particularly skilled at detecting. They quickly found my hiding place and charged towards me. It was a terrifyingly swift action, but it was exactly what I had anticipated. After all, they weren't fast enough.

　"Well then, let the party begin," I said as I started to chant my art. The next moment, explosions rang out in the forest, one after another, as if attacking youkai's army line.

　And thus began the signal for the start of the battle...