Ghost Romance
Dojin looked up at the sky. Hundreds of ghosts filled his vision.
Just because it was called the Hyakki Yagyō did not mean there were exactly one hundred of them. The name was largely symbolic. The actual number of ghosts could easily reach into the hundreds—or even the thousands.
Even a rough count puts them over three hundred.
He felt no fear. If anything, he was exhilarated.
The ghostly energy that had concentrated over sixty years of being sealed inside a jar writhed within him. With this exceptional body and the True Ghost Blade, he could slaughter hundreds of ghosts single-handedly.
Dojin burned with fighting spirit. That did not mean he would charge in like a wild boar. The sky was wide-open space—perfect for getting surrounded and torn apart. Even in excitement he refused to do something stupid. Besides, those bastards would come down to the ground to kill him soon enough.
"Rakshasa Ghost."
Someone called out to him.
The ghosts of the Hyakki Yagyō stepped back, glancing warily at the speaker. An old man in a kimono strode forward. That yokai, with a head far too massive to belong to any human, radiated an overwhelming ghostly energy that belied his appearance.
Dojin recognized him at once as Nurarihyon, leader of the Hyakki Yagyō.
"I heard rumors decades ago of a Rakshasa Ghost rampaging across this peninsula. So you are the one from those tales."
"I am. I am Dojin, the Rakshasa Ghost."
Their conversation was neither Japanese nor Korean. It was a language that existed in this world yet no human could speak—the tongue of ghosts. Seong Yujin, possessed by the ghost, understood every word.
"I have heard of your kind for centuries. You settled in the archipelago, so why come to the peninsula?"
"We came to kill the human you are possessing."
"A grudge, then?"
"No. We have no connection to that human. This is the first time we have even seen him. We simply judged him too dangerous to leave alive."
"Hahaha. So it's that, is it? Rooting out the threat before it grows? Fearing a single human… the Hyakki Yagyō has fallen far."
"…We have a ghost among us who can foresee the future. He said that if we leave that human alone, thousands—tens of thousands—of ghosts will fall. And already, over the past three days, that human has exorcised dozens of ghosts. Even a first-rate exorcist could not have done what he has. That human must die here."
Dojin let out a low whistle at the open hostility and wariness in Nurarihyon's tone.
"I knew he was no ordinary human, but I never imagined it was this serious."
"Rakshasa Ghost, leave that human's body. We are both ghosts. There is no need for us to turn blades on each other. I will overlook the Oni you cut down. You did not know the circumstances, and the Oni was too hasty."
"I refuse. This body is mine now. You said you have a prophet among you? Have him prophesy again. Now that I have claimed this flesh… the future you fear will never come to pass."
Nurarihyon folded his arms and glanced back at the Hyakki Yagyō.
"Kudan."
From the horde stepped a ghost with the body of a cow and the face of a man—the yokai who could read the future.
"Has the future changed?"
Kudan answered slowly, almost languidly.
"It has not…. That human will become a calamity upon all ghosts…."
Dojin barked a laugh of pure disbelief.
"What a joke. You call that a prophecy? That is nothing but random babbling."
"Rakshasa Ghost, Kudan's prophecies are accurate more than nine times out of ten."
"So one time out of ten is pure nonsense."
"A nine-in-ten chance cannot be ignored. Rakshasa Ghost, leave that human's body. We have no desire to fight a fellow ghost."
Dojin raised the True Ghost Blade and pointed it straight at Nurarihyon.
"How many times must I say it? This body is mine now."
"…Words are wasted on you. Abandon that flesh. Human bodies are easy enough to find again."
"Hahaha. You understand nothing. Finding a body this perfectly compatible would take decades—centuries—even if I searched forever."
"I cannot comprehend it. You are a ghost yourself. Why cling so desperately to a human body?"
"The sensation of living, of breathing—it is pure narcotic. Once you taste it, you can never quit."
Nurarihyon furrowed his brow.
He raised his right hand. The ghosts of the Hyakki Yagyō flared with ghostly energy, fighting spirit rising. Dojin grinned wide. His body trembled with the thrill of impending battle.
"I have observed the courtesy due a fellow ghost. If you love that human's body so much… then die with him."
Three ghosts shot out of the Hyakki Yagyō like arrows.
A Daitengu with a long nose and black wings.
An Inugami with the face of a dog.
A Gashadokuro, a colossal skeleton.
Among the strongest of the Hyakki Yagyō, they had been waiting for this moment and now charged Dojin at once.
"Rakshasa Ghost Dojin! I have wondered how strong you were ever since I first heard your name!"
"I will devour you and grow even stronger."
"Heh, heh heh…. This one is my prey…!"
Dojin sneered and swung the True Ghost Blade in a great arc.
"You lowly trash…. In the old days you would never even have seen my shadow. Die!"
Compressed ghostly energy formed a massive blade of force that tore toward the three yokai. They dodged it with ease—the Daitengu soaring upward, the Inugami racing across the ground, the Gashadokuro leaping lightly despite its enormous frame.
As Dojin faltered, Nurarihyon spoke with a smile.
"Rakshasa Ghost. The peninsula and the archipelago are different. On the peninsula, exorcists hold the upper hand. The archipelago is the land of ghosts. There were simply too many of us. Territory wars between ghosts were constant. We are on an entirely different level from the soft, peace-rotted ghosts of the peninsula!"
The moment Nurarihyon's words ended, the Daitengu rode the wind and appeared behind Dojin. Its fist smashed into his back. Even as he took the blow, Dojin counterattacked—the True Ghost Blade sheared off the Daitengu's right arm.
"Heh heh heh…."
From above, the Gashadokuro's massive skeletal hand came crashing down to crush him. Dojin had no time to catch his breath; he moved his legs in a furious blur and slipped past the hand, then ran up the arm and drove his blade into the skeleton's forehead.
"I am Dojin the Rakshasa Ghost! Starting with this damned oversized skeleton, I will cut every last one of you down!"
He roared the boast and tried to cleave the Gashadokuro's skull. The blade lodged in its forehead refused to budge. The skeleton's durability far exceeded anything he had imagined.
What the hell are you doing, you idiot? Something's coming from below.
At Seong Yujin's voice, Dojin snapped his gaze downward. The Inugami was charging with its long snout wide open. Dojin flooded himself with ghostly energy. The energy wrapped his body—and an instant later he reappeared on the ground. It was his secret technique: Earth Shrink.
He kicked off the earth and aimed for the unprotected back of the Daitengu. The Daitengu pulled a feathered fan from its robes and swept it. Wind blades struck Dojin's body, opening a dozen shallow cuts. Skin split; droplets of blood spattered the ground.
"Guh…."
Having lost a considerable amount of blood, Dojin staggered.
"Rakshasa Ghost, you are strong. But you are far too crude. Is it the decades of difference? Your movements lack refinement. One-on-one might be another matter, but one-against-many clearly does not suit you."
Nurarihyon's voice scraped against Dojin's temper.
"Shut your mouth! After I cut these down, I will take your head next!"
"Haa. Foolish thing…. Your defeat is that you stand alone. If you abandon that body even now and bow your head to me… I will grant you a place in my Hyakki Yagyō."
"Your Hyakki Yagyō ends here. I will be the one to end it!"
Nurarihyon shook his head slowly. He raised his left hand, and the countless ghosts that had been watching from the sky plummeted toward Dojin as one.
"Kehehe! Kill the Rakshasa Ghost!"
"Kill the Rakshasa and we can become officers!"
"You pathetic Rakshasa!"
Dojin's face twisted as he swung the True Ghost Blade.
"You damned lowly trash…!"
The weaker ghosts could not even counterattack; they were simply cut down and swept aside by the True Ghost Blade. Still they refused to retreat, clinging to him. Dojin opened his mouth wide and bit into a charging lesser ghost, chewing and swallowing it whole.
Nurarihyon stroked his chin as he watched the fight.
"Oh-ho. A man-eating Rakshasa that eats ghosts to recover ghostly energy and stamina…. Impressive. A true god of war. Even so, you cannot stand against my Hyakki Yagyō."
Dojin kept swinging at the ghosts. The lesser ones could not dodge his blade and died instantly. The real problem was the genuine threats mixed among them. Powerful ghosts he could not ignore hid inside the swarm and struck at him.
"Guaaagh!"
A Kappa's headbutt slammed into Dojin's abdomen. He flew backward, crashed into a boulder, and collapsed to the ground.
What the hell are you doing? You were so full of yourself, and now you're getting your ass completely handed to you. If you're going to fight like this, just hand the body over to me. I'll show you what real swordsmanship looks like.
"Shut up…. What could a mere human like you even do…. This body is mine."
Dojin forced himself upright. The body that had undergone three rounds of Hwan-gol-tal-tae was already healing most of its wounds, and any shortage of ghostly energy could be replenished by chewing up lesser ghosts. He could still fight for a long time yet.
Thud-thud-thud.
Rotten tree roots burst from the ground beneath his feet and coiled around his body. Dojin panicked. Earth Shrink was impossible—he needed to move his feet first to use it.
"Kehehehe! Now! Kill him!"
A nearby tree burst into vulgar laughter. It was a ghost tree that had been hiding in plain sight, disguised as an ordinary tree.
"Shit…."
Dozens of lesser ghosts charged him at once.
Want power?
The human inside his head started spouting nonsense. Irritated, Dojin prepared to shout back. He meant to explode with ghostly energy and blast every clinging lesser ghost away in a single burst. But his body would not move the way he wanted.
I haven't taken that many wounds yet! There's no reason my body shouldn't—
You useless bastard. You really can't fight for shit. I can't take this anymore. Give me my body back.
Control of the flesh was shifting to Seong Yujin.
This bastard…. Don't tell me he could have taken control from the start and just handed it to me?! Why the hell would he—?!
Even though Seong Yujin could hear Dojin's thoughts, he offered no answer to the question.
Don't do it, Seong Yujin! You can't handle ghostly energy! Even if you take the body, those lesser ghosts will just kill you! You want a dog's death?!
Idiot. It's the opposite. I'm stepping in because it looks like you're the one about to die.
Dojin resisted to the very end, but control of the body finally passed to Seong Yujin.
Crackle. Snap-crackle.
Ghostly energy transformed into lightning energy; blue-white sparks leapt across his skin.
Noecheonryu — Electromagnetic Barrier
Maximum Output
A circular barrier of lightning expanded for an instant and blasted every clinging lesser ghost away. Most of those thrown back were electrocuted and died on the spot. Seong Yujin personally swung the blade at the survivors.
The cuts carried experience that Dojin could never match; the lesser ghosts were sliced apart before they could even react.
"Nice. Far better than my real body."
Seong Yujin looked at the ghosts surrounding him and grinned.