Tsuki-meguri no Hyakki Yome: Moonlit Night's Hundredth Wife

Tsuki-meguri no Hyakki Yome: Moonlit Night's Hundredth Wife - Chapter Seven

As I sprinted through the labyrinthine construction site, my footsteps echoed off the towering steel girders, each reverberation a reminder of the perilous chase that had befallen me. The maze-like structure seemed to have a life of its own, a metallic beast that threatened to swallow me whole. My heart raced, and the taste of fear hung thick in the air, mingling with the metallic scent of machinery and dust.

Amidst the harsh, artificial glow of construction site lights, I found myself face to face with one of the grotesque yōkai that pursued me relentlessly. It was an ogre, a nightmarish creature with a twisted, hunchbacked form. Its malevolent eyes gleamed with hunger, a chilling anticipation of the hunt. Despite its grotesque appearance, there was an undeniable aura of menace and strength about it, a reminder that appearances could be deceiving in the world of yōkai.

My breath quickened as I assessed my opponent, knowing that a single misstep in this deadly game could be my last. The ogre's gnarled hands flexed, eager for violence, and its twisted grin revealed rows of jagged teeth, each one designed for maximum damage. In this shadowy dance of survival, I had no choice but to stand my ground.

"Come on! You're making this harder than it needs to be!" the Ogre barked in a deep, hoarse voice, its foul breath wafting in the air.

"Then go home already! It's clear I'm not worth the hassle!" I retorted, my voice laced with frustration as I deftly weaved around the labyrinthine arrangement of construction equipment.

"We ain't letting you go! This payday is too big!" the ogre countered, determination evident in its tone.

"Is it worth dying over?" I challenged, my heart pounding as I realized I had unintentionally backed myself into a dead-end, a brick wall.

Cursing my luck, I spun around to face the looming hunchbacked ogre, closing in with a menacing grin. My thoughts raced, and I knew I had to act fast. With a resigned sigh, I made a quick, calculated decision. I drew my sharp sacrificial blade across my palm, the searing pain igniting my senses. Blood welled up, and as soon as it met the open air, it transformed as I swung my arm, the crimson liquid giving birth to a weapon of pure heat and fury. The spear materialized before me in an instant, still glowing with the intense heat of its creation. Just as swiftly, my wound began to heal, the blood sealing itself as if it had never been cut.

Mom and Grandma had trained me well, imparting the skills to wield various weapons—spears, longbows, knives, and katanas. The spear, in this situation, was my best bet to keep the oversized brute at bay.

"Whatcha gonna do with that toy spear, girl?" the ogre asked, perplexed by my choice of weapon.

"End you if I have to," I whispered, determination flashing in my eyes.

Despite the ogre's menacing presence, I couldn't forget that I, too, was a yōkai. Even if only half of my heritage was yōkai, it was enough to make me one of them. I was only part human and part monster. In a world divided between humans and supernatural beings, I found myself belonging to neither, forever trapped between two worlds.

The ogre let out a guttural laugh, its misshapen body shaking with mirth. "You've got guts, I'll give you that. But you're no match for us yōkai."

With the crimson spear glowing in my grip, I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath, steeling myself for the impending confrontation. The hunchbacked ogre lunged at me, its massive form thundering forward with a deafening roar. I reacted with swift precision, sidestepping its attack and jabbing the fiery spear towards its exposed flank.

The weapon pierced the ogre's thick hide effortlessly, eliciting a tortured howl of pain as it stumbled back. The smell of scorched flesh filled the air, and dark smoke curled from the wound. I knew that the yōkai's hide was impervious to most attacks, but the enchanted flames that adorned my spear were another matter entirely.