Waves
At first, I didn't know much about this game either. I started it thinking I'd get some vicarious thrill from watching the characters flirt around, but before I knew it, I was the one slashing and dicing yokai left and right.
The tutorial chapter one was one thing, but the next episode, chapter two—Hyakki Yagyo—was insane difficulty. I must've seen thirty bad ends just around this part. And the worst part? No save points. You had to start all over from the beginning every time. The game was fun, but every time the title screen popped up, I wanted to murder the devs.
I didn't even have time to ponder the lore in detail. I was frantically memorizing the school's layout, strategic weak points, and which heroines synergized best for each section. Fuck, how the hell do you clear this? After endless trial and error, spending dozens of hours hacking through yokai swarming from every direction like a maniac, I finally cleared Episode 2, Hyakki Yagyo, after two straight days of agony.
And what awaited me once I escaped the school? A world outside reduced to rubble. Honestly, I never saw it coming. I'd killed thousands of yokai inside the school, but I had no idea the city beyond would be even worse. Balance? What balance? The exorcist clans of Tokyo—who'd later become allies—were all on the brink of collapse, and the city was crumbling everywhere, with rumors swirling of an impending great earthquake. In that shitshow of a situation, this trash game forced you to overcome thirteen more horrific setbacks. An unprecedented bishoujo dating sim called "Apocalyptic Love Comedy."
"How the hell do you even stop this? I've tried hundreds of times."
The given choices and capabilities just weren't enough. It wasn't that protagonist Kenichi was incompetent; there simply weren't enough factors to intervene. No reputation to rally Tokyo's exorcist clans, and even if you did, they weren't quick to mobilize at first. Even if you rushed out after clearing the yokai in the spirit vein, exterminating the ones infesting the entire city without casualties was impossible.
The episode always ended the same: key allies dead, Tokyo clans declining, buildings collapsing across the city. In the end, resolving the outside situation completely was an impossible mission from the start. I concluded that after hundreds more Hyakki Yagyo runs. And it probably was. At least with the resources given in-game.
But now? Things are different.
Mystical flames ignite the soul with arcane power. Channel the soul's might into the blade. A purifying force to slay evil spirits blazes atop the sword.
Unlike the game, where night dragged on forever, I couldn't go all-out from the start here—but I had no intention of slacking off like usual either. I gripped the sword reflecting the eerie moonlight.
This blade's targets: the yokai and grab ghosts filling the city. The night is long, and the yokai overflow.
"Time for some proper sword practice after so long, eh?"
I'll set everything right. A future where the city's allies all survive, and the protagonists grow steadily. Time to seize that brilliant ideal. I'll make it happen.
A sinister smile played on my lips as I slashed the empty air.
—In that instant, everything froze.
Pedestrians on the streets, blinking traffic lights, yokai writhing in dark alleys, grab ghosts swarming everywhere—all halted. Only I moved freely.
"Perfect."
Boom! I kicked off the top of a skyscraper in one leap, plummeting toward the distant ground. Accelerating downward at breakneck speed, the glittering city lights welcomed my descent. Even as I hurtled earthward, I scanned for targets with my blade.
A hazy mist blanketing the city caught my eye.
"Let's start by clearing the grab ghosts nearby."
Yokai taking various forms, and the grab ghosts filling the city. The misty ones couldn't harm humans directly but drifted freely, unlike yokai that avoided bright streets. They pierced through buildings, slipped in and out of passersby's bodies without mercy. Ignoring them was dangerous—they clung to people, bringing bad luck and fattening up as yokai fodder. Built up over ages, their numbers made them a pain to exterminate.
Normally, you'd need a shrine maiden whose divine power reached heavenly realms to purify an area, or a sorcerer mastering soul arts to suck up every impure spirit in the city. But shrine maidens with that level of power were long dead, and no soul-specialist sorcerers existed in the Kanto region.
Hotaru and Cento were growing fast, but with this many rampaging grab ghosts, I couldn't just sit around waiting. So I'd burn them all myself.
Flames of mana blaze fiercer than ever from a heart craving life. Not to cut one foe, but to melt everything around. Soulfire ignites atop the blade.
"Demon Extermination."
I swung.
Whoosh!Calamity flames that burned only the impure spread wide from the heavens. The wave of blue fire soon stretched out, flooding the main streets and infiltrating dark alleys. Purifying only impurities, spread thin and shallow enough to kill just grab ghosts, it spared humans. Yokai and grab ghosts alone drowned deep in the roaring blaze.
Splat. Landing on the ground, I immediately swung my sword through the air again.
—Whirr?
Time resumed. The alley yokai flinched, startled by my sudden appearance.
—Grrraaah!
It recovered and lunged—but I felt no need for another swing. With a click, I sheathed the blade.
Crack... The yokai split apart mid-pounce, collapsing dead. Rumble! The oncoming wave of blue flames engulfed it, not even leaving ashes.
I clenched and unclenched my fist repeatedly, gauging spent mana and stamina, then nodded.
"Hmm, manageable."
Thanks to the full moon pouring red light from above.
"Alright, this area's cleared."
Time to move to the next street.
At the same time, spirit vein—Karakura High School.
Midnight struck, and yokai appeared everywhere in sight. They charged.
—Kieeeek!
All yokai inside the spirit vein swarmed, craving the living's blood and flesh. Thud! Thud! Facing a bull-like charging yokai, Kenichi hardened his expression. Maybe it was a dream? Maybe thousands of yokai wouldn't spawn, and the day would pass normally.
"—Damn iiiit!!!"
Nah, just a fleeting dream. Realizing this, Kenichi roared and swung his sword with full force.
Slash! The blade tore deep into the bull yokai's flank, shredding its torso. A normal creature would've been crippled, but yokai defied common sense.
—Mooo!
It bellowed and charged again, stomping the ground fiercely. Thud! Thud! Unstoppable momentum.
But it didn't last.
"West wind, art of the Slash Strike."
Schwick! A wind blade from straight ahead severed its head. Sawamura Cento, hand extended, chanted the next spell flatly.
"Thorn tree, art of Punishment."
Light burst from the inscribed ritual on the ground, and thorn trees erupted across the school field. Barren of leaves or flowers, covered in spikes, they aimed forward.
"Kenichi, dodge on your own."
"...What?"
Eyes wide, Kenichi threw himself aside as dozens of crimson thorn trees unleashed a barrage at the oncoming yokai horde.
Kaboom!
Countless thorns filled the sky. Each rivaling a massive boulder, the spells struck the monster wave. Crunch! Crunch! Boom! Some pierced foreheads like daggers, others exploded on impact like bombs. Overwhelming firepower for one person—but the enemies outnumbered it.
Whoosh— Bursting through the dust cloud, the yokai army reemerged. Still ferocious.
—Kieeeek!!!
They hungered for living souls. Barely past midnight, yet their numbers neared a thousand. Kenichi swallowed dryly and charged forward to keep them from Cento.
"You think I'm dying here?!"
Too much he wanted to do. Couldn't die. Soulfire ignites. Slash! Kenichi swung hard, shrugging off spraying blood as he pressed toward the next.
"Die!!!"
Glancing sidelong at the scene, the golden-haired mage Eris smirked.
Whining like he'd drop dead any second, and now this.
"Huh, not bad."
Eris Betelgeuse confirmed her surprisingly reliable ally, then eyed her sector.
—Kikikik.
—Uwoooo.
Despite just being burned, more crawled out. Not thousands—maybe tens of thousands. Whatever.
"—O stars."
The mage called upon the stars.